Sayang Wayang: Lovely Molly (2012)

Sunday 27 May 2012

Lovely Molly (2012)

This is a horsefuck of a horror movie, literally.

At a glance:

Back in 1999, Cuban-born filmmaker Eduardo Sánchez and film-school buddy Daniel Myrick shot The Blair Witch Project, a micro-budget movie that went on to gross US $248-million worldwide. Kurt Loder notes how Sánchez has since made a few more pictures, none of them especially successful, and we can imagine his dismay in watchin Oren Peli’s three Paranormal Activity films - obvious Blair Witch descendants - rake in more than half a billion dollars. Thus, perhaps, the director’s return to the arena of his early breakthrough. In Lovely Molly (limited release in 2012), we get a supernatural horror with faint psychosexual themes of guilt and abandonment. The titular character, ex-druggie Molly (Gretchen Lodge), moves into her childhood home with new husband Tim (Johnny Lewis) once both her parents pass away. Soon however, we're thrown into a haunted house exercise and left decidin whether there's really a minotaur-like demon in the house or is her psychosis due to the joint that her sister Hannah (Alexandra Holden) started her off on.

Hands up who'd rather see Alexandra Holden (R) in Gretchen Lodge's (L) lead role?

Bad news on the doorstep:
The good news is that it's not a full "found footage" affair, especially since the last big one we know, The Devil Inside (2012) really sucked. The bad news is that you seem to need to watch some videos on its official website to complete your understandin on the occult backstory.

"Why are you always naked and why do you always smell like horse?"

Otherwise, the strength of the movie depends on just how watchable you find newcomer Gretchen Lodge, who admittedly puts in a fearless, full frontal performance. She gets to do a spot of nasty as the unlovely Molly and obliges with aplomb, although I wouldn't put her in the same league as say, Cécile De France in Haute Tension a.k.a. Switchblade Romance (2003), despite her committed turnarounds between demure supermarket employee and deranged druggie on heat, which memorably include a hearty breakfast romp on the kitchen floor - the only one I care to remember since Eva Green in The Dreamers (2003). Nevertheless, Sophie Blum wrote how Lovely Molly is incoherent, sexist, and derivative; preferrin Béatrice Dalle's carnivorous kiss in Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day (2001) where the female protagonist doesn't get reduced to a ravin succubus (or at least made a sympathetic ravin succubus). Me, I just want more demon backstory.

The demon pin I didn't get.

Perennial wonderment:

What is up with that stone tablet with the horse head motif? It got sent out to the press as a promo item and got us googlin what the fuck is an Orobas.

Reminds me of:
Stephen King stories.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Solid sound design and music score but the average horror fan will find this borin, I'm sure. Ultimately, not a very scary movie at all. ★★


Alexandra Holden wouldda been poised for a sequel considering how her character arc begs for it. No chance since the movie sucked.

Was it as good for you as it was for me?

Bonus material:

Twitchfilm's Todd Brown calls it the finest film of Sanchez' career and notes how there's virtually nothin he would change other than an unnecessary epilogue, choosin to tag the movie's appeal to just how much an audience would relate to the main character. He coincidentally also introduced the film and conducted a live Skype interview with director Eduardo Sánchez at a Bloor Cinema screenin I attended, thanks to Rue Morgue and M.O. Pictures. I managed to ask a question about the possibility of a sequel, to which Sánchez muddied into a question on whether it should follow the sister or the mother (read: Nope, no sequel). He also confirms that he's shootin a Bigfoot movie currently titled Exists (2012).