LOVELY MOLLY (REVIEW)

Dir. Eduardo Sanchez

Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield

When newlyweds Molly (Getchen Lodge) and Tim (Johnny Lewis) move into her old family home after the death of her parents, the past begins to tear them apart. It doesn’t take lovely Molly to be not so lovely and when Tim heads off to work away, and while Tim is gone, her demons begin to haunt her. Molly’s memories lead to her overcome drug addiction coming back and when she hits an all-time low, only the truth will set her free.

Playing some part ANTI-CHRIST to some part KILL LIST, this film is as haunting as the Molly’s forgotten past and when the narrative drives the plot towards possession cliché, LOVELY LOVELY turns on you with a vicious stab in the back.

Molly manages to standout in a season where remake, sequel or cliché seem to rule the roost as an original and effective piece of story-telling that holds your grip, at least for the most part, until the very end leaving very little clue of what’s to come.

From director Eduardo Sanchez who gave us THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT succumbs to what made his first film so brilliant. Molly turns distant by the time you’ve settled down with your popcorn but the slow pace that leads towards the shocking conclusion takes away all the flashes of horror for a dark drama of Molly’s addiction leading you to believe this is nothing but a flashier remake of BUG. The horror is not with entity’s and demons but with herself and when her Pastor (Field Bobby) and sister Hannah (Alexandra Holden) try and assist in Tim’s absence, it takes too long for Molly to come out of her shell.

However, the last 15 minutes sure as hell makes up for this drama and places it firmly in the horror genre, not as one of its greats, but definitely as one to watch and watch again.