Steven R. Monroe Gives Us the Lowdown on The Exorcism of Molly Hartley
We here at Dread Central recently had the opportunity of speaking with director Steven R. Monroe, who took over the reins of the Molly Hartley story, and with a wide gap that included a haunting to an exorcism, we asked him about the film’s premise and if there was any difficulty in picking up a plotline that began with another director, so settle in and enjoy!
DC: Can you tell us where the storyline falls between The Haunting of Molly Hartley and this one?
SM: There is a 6-year span between the films story-wise, and now Molly is about to turn 24, and on that birthday she is officially possessed by the devil himself.
DC: With the recent overload of possession films that have come out over the years, what do you think sets this apart from the rest?
SM: It was important to me to keep this like an old school exorcism film. And for me the old school definition for exorcism films is The Exorcist. I wanted to as much as possible keep away from VFX and be practical in the make up FX and visually have a style that we lost touch with, which is the films of the 70’s.
DC: Did you find this a hard film to direct, especially having not directed the first – any challenges?
SM: Every film is hard to direct. Every film you put your soul and career on the line as a director. If you don’t, you don’t care. Luckily on this one it was a decision early on to have this film stand apart from the original. I have Fox to thank for that because it made it somewhat easier for me to put my thumbprint on it.
DC: Lastly, what’s coming up in the future for you?
SM: I’ve done several projects since this film finished. I like to do all genres, and they are all on IMDb. I’m really grateful to be able to do all types of projects, both film and television, even though horror fans call me all kinds of names for doing so.
The Exorcism of Molly Hartley is available now.
Synopsis:
Molly Hartley (Sarah Lind; Wolfcop) is all grown up, but the unholy demon inside her lives on in this all-new, UNRATED sequel that takes terror to the next level! Six years after graduating high school — and discovering that a secret pact assigned her soul to the devil — Molly is suspected of murder and confined to a mental hospital, where she wreaks supernatural havoc on the staff and patients. Her only hope is an exorcism by a defrocked priest (Devon Sawa; Final Destination) looking to redeem himself and save Molly’s life before her hideous “transformation” is complete… but Satan has other plans!
Directed by Steven R. Monroe (I Spit on Your Grave), the UNRATED Blu-ray and DVD features awesome bonus features including a sit-down with experts to discuss the origins of demonic possession, bonus security camera footage giving fans a closer look into Molly’s exorcism, and Director Diaries showcasing some of the best scenes from the film.
Special Features
- Exorcism: Beyond One Truth – Sit down with professionals and religious experts to gather facts about demonic possession and debate whether it is a form of psychosis or if there is something more sinister involved
- Clovesdale Institute: Classified Security Camera Footage – Follow Dr. Laurie Hawthorne as she checks in with each of her patients through security camera footage giving fans full view of the origins of Molly’s exorcism
– Hartley Admission Hospital
– Surveillance of Fr. Barrow
– Dr. Hawthorne Visits M. Hartley
– Fr. Barrow Performs Exorcism Rite Part 1
– Fr. Barrow Performs Exorcism Rite Part 2
– Fr. Barrow Performs Exorcism Rite Part 3 - Director Diaries – Follow Director Steven R. Monroe as he shoots some of the film’s most intense scenes
– Makeup FX
– The Exorcism
– The Black Church
– The Facility
Categorized:News
