DVD Review: The Haunting of Molly Hartley

I will admit, when I first picked up the DVD for "The Haunting of Molly Hartley", I thought to myself "oh great, another stupid horror film." I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot, so I was pleasantly surprised when I popped it in and began watching.

Written by John Travis and Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Mickey Liddell, "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" tells the story of Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett), a 17-year-old girl who was stabbed by her mentally ill mother and survives. Also starring in the film are Chace Crawford (made famous by the CW's "Gossip Girls") and Jake Weber.

Though her wounds heal, Molly is constantly haunted psychologically by the incident. Hoping to help her move on, her father enrolls her in a new school.

As her 18th birthday fast approaches, Molly has to deal with the stresses of being the new kid and the continuing nightmares of her mother's attack that plague her daily life. As Molly begins to experience some of the same symptoms of her mother's psychosis, she learns her parents' most deepest, darkest secret, one that threatens her existence.

While its rating on "Rotten Tomatoes" is pretty sad, and the film hasn't received critical acclaim, don't pass up on it. I can name dozens of mainstream horror and thrillers that despite being awful, have received undeserved fanfare.