Lovely Molly
Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
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  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    May 18, 2012
    70
    Generating suspense without blowing the special-effects budget, Mr. Sanchez paints an intimate portrait of a tormented personality. Though horrors are eventually unveiled, the film is more chilling in its slower, quieter moments.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    May 15, 2012
    40
    Judging from Sánchez's Lovely Molly, he'd like to get lost in the trees again, but now knows the path too well.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    May 15, 2012
    30
    It can't sustain interest in the endless unraveling of Molly's psyche, which, as handled by Sánchez, has all the interest of watching an inexplicably untreated wound fester.
  4. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Ed Gonzalez
    May 14, 2012
    38
    The film's inconsistent, largely bankrupt style is second to how hard and tackily it leans on the horror of child abuse to goose audiences.
  5. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Matt Glasby
    Jun 21, 2012
    60
    Impressive, if messy, the film combines kitchen-sink drama with found-footage horror, perjuring itself with too many plot possibilities.
  6. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Adam Litovitz
    May 31, 2012
    50
    Lovely Molly is determined to remain ambiguous, but the title says it all. Good-Lookin' Joanie just wouldn't have the same ominous ring to it.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    May 18, 2012
    30
    Common sense and basic logic are left at the door; there's a brief creature effect that is laughably, outlandishly awful.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Farran Smith Nehme
    May 18, 2012
    75
    Gore is always with us, but when it comes to horror, there's nothing like a haunted house. And Lovely Molly has a humdinger.
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alison Willmore
    May 16, 2012
    75
    Lovely Molly is a portrait of either spiraling madness or a haunting, and it deftly handles the slow erosion of its title character's consciousness. Landing somewhere between "Repulsion" and "Paranormal Activity," it keeps the jump scares to a minimum and allows its formidable lead performance to be its best special effect.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Dr_Blood
    9
    I had no idea that "Lovely Molly" was directed by Eduardo Sánchez or I probably wouldn't have watched it. I've never had anything good to say about "The Blair Witch Project" (1999), and "Altered" (2006) wasn't very memorable. Maybe I shouldn't be prejudiced against certain directors (since most of them are only hired for their ability to boss everyone around on set), but, in the case of Eduardo Sánchez, he's always tried to be something of an auteur. The problem is, of course, that if you set yourself up as such, trying to be all groundbreaking, innovative and original, your movie is either going to be a huge success or completely suck.

    However, "Lovely Molly" really surprised me in a good way especially as it was yet another low-budget entry into the horror genre. I wouldn't call the estimated $1,000,000 budget all that low, but, in movie terms, it was the minimum amount which would allow all the bells and whistles for acceptable production values or to hire decent talent both in front of and behind the camera.

    I'd hazard a guess that most of the budget was spent on the cast as my one major gripe with "Lovely Molly" was that it seemed to lack a lighting crew. Maybe the intention was to add atmosphere to the already neglected-looking setting, but the gloominess came across as annoying and a product of some very amateur camerawork particularly in daylight when the sun was behind the actors.

    That nitpicking aside, the acting was phenomenal. Gretchen Lodge, in particular, was not only very beautiful and realistically so, but she was outstanding in her role as Molly. Although, physically, she occasionally reminded me of Cécile De France from "High Tension" (2003), she really brought her character to life, and her personality change as the story progressed wouldn't have been out of place in an Academy Award nominated movie. According to the IMDb, this was her first movie, and that makes her performance even more incredible. If only every horror actress was this good, we wouldn't have all those embarrassing wannabes in the "Women of Horror" clique who I'm sure you've all encountered over the years.

    I didn't really bother to look up the credentials of the other actors and actresses involved as there were no bad performances from any of them. Obviously, Alexandra Holden as Hannah, Molly's sister, had another superb yet far too brief role, and Johnny Lewis as Tim, Molly's truck-driving husband, really came through with a sympathetic performance which made me feel quite sorry for his otherwise spineless character.

    "Lovely Molly" was a very character driven story so it might seem slow to a lot of people. When it started with a wedding, I feared another "[REC]³ Génesis" about to happen, but, fortunately, it was completely different. There were some superficial similarities as, once again, a video camera played an important part, but this was not a found footage movie or a parody of the genre. "Lovely Molly" was a serious, ballsy, taboo-laden amalgam of admittedly derivative themes set in a very real and low-income environment.

    Because this is a fairly recently released movie which you probably haven't seen yet, I'm avoiding the spoilers (and details) as much as I can. Suffice it to say that there was a lot of nudity, some extreme sexiness which I really didn't expect, and all sorts of horrific nastiness, violence, bloodshed, and murder along the way. You can find out a lot more by visiting the official website which I suggest that you do anyway before you watch "Lovely Molly" as there are some "Blair Witch"-style features on there which add a lot of details to the backstory.

    I will just add that one of my favourite scenes was between Molly and Pastor Bobby (played by Field Blauvelt), but I'm not going to give away any more than that.

    Now that I've had time for it all to sink in, "Lovely Molly" was absolutely the best and most original horror movie that I've seen so far this year. It was a little bit slow to begin with, very confusing near the end, and slightly overambitious, but the acting was worthy of a horror Oscar if such a thing existed.    … Full Review »
  2. ILHM
    7
    Newlyweds Tim and Molly move in to Molly's childhood home after the death of her parents, but the demons from the past return to haunt her as she spirals back in to drugs and paranoia. LOVELY MOLLY is an exercise in claustrophobic tension and psychological terror from THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT director Eduardo Sánchez. Like Lars von Trier's ANTICHRIST, LOVELY MOLLY is deeply embedded with occult symbolism and paranoid delusion as Sánchez draws a dizzying veil of madness around his characters. The lines of reality are often blurred and left open to interpretation throughout the film as a result, which can sometimes have a disorienting effect on the viewer. On top of its suffocating mood, LOVELY MOLLY succeeds in creating a number of subtle scares through its spine-tingling sound design, putting the audience on edge without saturating the screen in blood or gore. Gretchen Lodge is as much an asset as she is a liability as Molly. At times, her blatant overacting destroys the illusion, but for every misstep, she counters with an equally-haunting moment of dread. If one thing can be said for certain, however, it is that Lodge has fully committed herself to this role, and she truly believes in the character she is portraying on screen. Atmosphere wins out above all else in this chilling little mood piece.… Full Review »
  3. jamesfestini
    5
    I really wanted to be scared. There was only 2 scenes where I was covering my eyes. Yeah, I'm a wuss. Anyhow there was nothing. The best part was here awesome naked body. Until the end. Then her body was not that hot. Oh, wait I am reviewing the movie right?… Full Review »
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