Newlywed Molly moves into her deceased father's house in the countryside, where painful memories soon begin to haunt her.
Blair Witch veteran Eduardo Sanchez moves away from found footage to create an effectively creepy haunted houser with a strong central turn by Lodge.
Impressive, if messy, the film combines kitchen-sink drama with found-footage horror, perjuring itself with too many plot possibilities.
Blair Witch Project co-writer and co-director Eduardo Sanchez conjures up a nicely unsettling atmosphere but the plotting is as creaky as the house.
While performances are good across the board, the end result is a film with numerous shocking and scary moments that don’t quite add up to a satisfying narrative.
What follows isn’t big on scares, but it’s a well crafted film that also boasts an intensely committed lead performance from Lodge.
Sanchez still has the old Blair Witch "found footage" trick down to a T, and newcomer Lodge clearly has some star potential, but Lovely Molly lacks a certain delicious fear factor.
When psychological horror goes wrong – witness this tale of disturbed newlywed Molly (Gretchen Lodge) – it can make you doolally with sheer tedium.
The film presents us with too many unearned revelations, and it unravels.
As bravely unnerving, uncanny and unexplained as the film that made Sánchez famous.
Life after The Blair Witch Project
General release. Check local listings for show times.