The Exorcism of Molly Hartley 2015

Botched exorcism and confinement

A botched exorcism results in the deaths of a fellow priest and a pregnant woman, and Father James and Father John Barrow are confined to a Catholic mental asylum. The scandal casts a pall over the institution as suspicion and ritualistic tension rise in the wards. The mood is grim and claustrophobic from the start.

Vatican revokes Barrow's priesthood

Chaplain Henry Davies informs Barrow that the Vatican has revoked his priestly status, stripping away his authority. The decision deepens distrust among staff and inmates and heightens the sense that power within the asylum is shifting. Barrow faces a crisis of faith as the rules of the church collide with his grim new reality.

Molly Hartley arrested and interrogated

Molly Hartley is arrested after police discover the bodies of two friends she had been involved with the prior night. During a tense interrogation, she hears strange noises and her voice deepens as she begins to refer to herself as the plural. She is then sent to the same asylum for psychiatric evaluation.

Molly's condition worsens; insect presence

In the asylum, Dr. Laurie Hawthorne witnesses Molly's condition deteriorate as an insect-like creature seems to take up residence inside her. The phenomenon unsettles staff and patients alike, suggesting a supernatural dimension behind Molly's distress. Hawthorne begins to suspect possession rather than a purely psychiatric illness.

Hawthorne uncovers devil incubation

While reviewing Molly's past, Hawthorne uncovers Molly's claim that she was claimed by the devil on her eighteenth birthday, an incubation lasting six years, six months, and six days. She traces clues through Dr. Emerson and Molly's ex-boyfriend Joseph Young, both of whom died in a double suicide after Molly left for Michigan. The mounting supernatural events push Hawthorne toward the unsettling conclusion that possession could be real.

Hawthorne seeks Barrow; exorcism proposed

Hawthorne believes possession is real and seeks a dangerous solution. She asks Father John Barrow to perform an exorcism in exchange for his release from the asylum; Barrow hesitates but is moved by Molly's condition and the escalating disturbances.

Barrow agrees; prepares for exorcism

After a coworker's suicide and escalating disturbances, Barrow agrees to help, donning clerical attire and gathering ritual tools. He steps into Davies's world with full awareness of the peril and the weight his actions carry. The exorcism is now set in motion.

Exorcism seals demons in a box

Barrow performs a harrowing exorcism, forcing the insect-demons to crawl from Molly's mouth into a specially prepared box and sealing it in a basin of holy water. The ritual is presented as controlled, yet the atmosphere remains tense and ominous. Molly's body convulses as the final demon is trapped.

Davies reads Leviathan; ominous signs

Davies discovers a Satanic tome and explains that the letters on the box align with Molly's forehead, revealing references to Leviathan, the fourth book of the Satanic Bible. He suggests the Antichrist may be born after a supreme act of matricide tied to the mother of the devil. The revelation deepens the sense that the exorcism has unearthed a broader, darker conspiracy within the asylum.

Davies betrays Barrow; box swapped

When Barrow asks to see the box again, Davies betrays him by swapping the box for a heavy stone and knocking him unconscious. The act traps Barrow in Davies's plan and escalates the danger surrounding the containment of the demons. The basement becomes a theater of treachery as the pursuit of power overtakes the healing process.

Barrow wakes; underground ritual begins

Barrow wakes in a locked room within the asylum and witnesses a patient committing suicide in an adjacent chamber filled with the dead. An orderly then leads him to an underground chamber where Davies conducts a ritual to sacrifice Molly to summon the Antichrist and declare Barrow the father of the devil for extracting the demon. The twisted scene confirms the depths of Davies's manipulation.

Hawthorne interrupts the ceremony

Dr. Hawthorne lunges in and stabs Davies, interrupting the ceremony and dropping the box, which releases the insects. Molly fights back in a counterattack, stabbing Davies, and the three of them seize the chance to escape as the insect horde turns on the remaining participants.

Escape and ambulance; fragile alliance

The trio makes a narrow escape from the underground site and Molly is rushed to safety in an ambulance, their fragile alliance forged through shared peril. The immediate danger subsides, but uncertainty about Molly's fate and the future of their group lingers.