Rent The Haunting of Molly Bannister (2019)

Effective low budget shocker - mild spoilers. - The Haunting of Molly Bannister review by NP

This is a micro-budgeted chiller directed with a great deal of flair by MJ Dixon. It tells of a fragmented family, and the youngest daughter’s apparently malevolent doll. It reminds me more than a little of Andrew Jones’ ‘Theatre of Fear/The Midnight Horror Show (2014)’ in that there is very effective use made of close-ups, blurred imagery, creepy lighting and the camera prowling around ve-ee-ery slowly; just as something threatens to reveal itself, we move briskly to another scene. It’s all very effective.

It isn’t without its problems. In close-up, the titular doll is quite eerie looking, again mainly due to the muggy lighting; viewed at other times, it looks distinctly unthreatening and ordinary. It’s also true to say that often, the acting is flat, and that kills off much of the carefully layered atmosphere.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this and often found myself genuinely chilled by it.

The soundtrack, by Hockeymask Heroes, adds greatly to the unnerving atmosphere. My score is 6 out of 10.