FAQ

After being stabbed with scissors in her chest by her mentally-ill mother, 17-year-old Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett) and her father Robert (Jake Weber) move away from Boston so that Molly can attend a new school and can get a fresh start. When Molly begins hearing voices and suffering from headaches, nosebleeds, and panic attacks, she fears that she is following in her mother's footsteps and begins seeing the school's guidance counselor, Dr Amelia Emerson (Nina Siemaszko). Although befriended by "Jesus freak" Alexis White (Shanna Collins) on her first day at the school, Molly abandons the friendship and begins to date popular rich kid Joseph Young (Chace Crawford), much to the chagrin of Joseph's girlfriend Suzie Woods (AnnaLynne McCord). None of these problems, however, compare to what awaits Molly on her 18th birthday.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley is based on a screenplay by John Travis, M.D. and Rebecca Sonnenshine.

Her stabbing Molly was interpreted as a psychotic episode rather than a criminal act, so Molly's mother Jane (Marin Hinkle) was placed in Clayton Mental Institution. The official diagnosis, according to Dr Emerson, was 'probable psychotic disorder, signs of paranoid schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder accompanied by bipolar disorder.' In actuality, however, Jane was attempting to kill Molly so that the darkness (Satan) wouldn't claim her on her 18th birthday.

Jane explains to Molly that she suffered a miscarriage in a restaurant bathroom, after which Molly died. Suddenly, a woman appeared and offered to return Molly to life on the condition that, on her 18th birthday, she would belong to them. She also mentions that there are others like her and that Molly is special.

While Molly waits in the car, Joseph goes into the house to get some money from his father's safe so that he and Molly can get away from the town. Molly calls Dr Emerson and leaves a message telling her that she is scared and in trouble. She hears a crash inside the house and goes looking for Joseph only to find him sitting in front of a birthday cake with one burning candle. He reminds her that she will turn 18 in just a few minutes. Emerson suddenly enters the room and assures Molly that she will soon have great power when Satan claims her soul. Robert is then dragged into the room. He begs Emerson to take him instead of Molly, but Emerson says that the pact he and his wife made on the night of Molly's birth cannot be broken—but might be if Molly kills her father. She hands Molly a knife, but Molly uses it to stab herself instead. When nothing happens, Molly realizes that the clock has stopped chiming midnight. It's now her birthday, and she belongs to Satan. "You have always belong to us," Emerson says, "We've been waiting." Several days later, Molly is at the hospital where her father has been taken, diagnosed as suicidal with paranoid and religious delusions after he confessed to "the murders." The doctor suggests that Molly interact with her father, but she refuses on the grounds that it's time to move on. In the final scene, it is graduation day. Molly, as valedictorian, is at the podium, informing the graduating class that "we are the generation that will change the world like no one before." Joseph then leads her to a limousine, and poster is shown with Alexis White's photo and the word "Missing" at the top. As Dr Emerson walks past Molly, she says, "See you soon."

Some of the movies that viewers say reminds them of The Haunting of Molly Harley include Rosemary's Baby (1968) (1968), The Initiation of Sarah (1978) (1978), To the Devil a Daughter (1976) (1976), Reaper (2000) (2000) and Carrie (1976) (1976), along with the TV series Supernatural (2005) (2005–) and Point Pleasant (2005) (2005).