LOVELY MOLLY

LOVELY MOLLY-United States-2011

Gretchen Lodge as Molly

Johnny Lewis as Tim

Alexandra Holden as Hannah

Directed by Eduardo Sanchez

Screenplay by Eduardo Sanchez and Jamie Nash

“Lovely Molly” begins with a woman talking into a video camera while holding a knife to her throat and attempting what seems to be simultaneously  an apology and a suicide, but we don’t know to whom or why. The woman is Molly; to say that she’s seen better days is a massive understatement. “Lovely Molly” is equal parts ghost story and possession film. It’s about forever being condemned by our past and the haunting hold that it has over us.

Newlyweds Molly (Gretchen Lodge, “The Cigar Collector”) and Tim (Johnny Lewis, “The Runaways“) move into Molly’s old childhood home. From snippets of conversation we get the impression that growing up in the home wasn’t in the idyllic style of Ozzie and Harriet; especially in areas concerning Molly’s late father. The film never truly reveals what the man did; but if I were to hazard the words ‘incestuous’ and ‘molestation’ would come to mind. Molly has a sister, Hannah (Alexandra Holden), with her own part of the past that ties into the whole affair. There is also talk of their mother and how she was unable to protect the two of them after her death.

Tim is a trucker and therefore leaves Molly alone in the house for long periods of time. Soon, it becomes clear that Molly is not altogether ‘alone’ in the house. A recovering heroin addict, she finds it hard to convince anyone that what happens to her is real. As I said before, the film is a ghost story. There are enough creaks and disembodied voices in the style of (Eduardo) Sanchez’ earlier film “The Blair Witch Project” to make that all too obvious. What’s not obvious is the possession side of the story. Sanchez doesn’t make clear when exactly the possession of Molly occurs. Although some would see that as a failure on his part, I don’t. I’m tired of films where the director has to hold our hand through every scene and explain what’s happening. Sanchez treats his audience like they have a mind of their own and I for one applaud that.

The biggest criticism that one could have with “Lovely Molly” is that it moves at a near snail’s pace in order to get to the point. While I understand that Sanchez does this in order to set the mood, I still feel that he could have moved things along a tad quicker.

“Lovely Molly” is by no means a perfect horror film. It raises as many questions as it answers and as I said before it moves a bit too slow. However, it is also an effectively frightening film that easily shows that Eduardo Sanchez is no one-hit wonder. Then again, perhaps the term should be ‘one-witch’ wonder.

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