Ozzy Gray (Asya Meadows) has just moved back into her childhood home in her hometown. As an adult, she researches the death and events leading up to Dorothy Bell’s (Arlene Arnone Bibbs), her grandmother, eventual passing.
Ozzy had a wonderful relationship with her grandmother, but when she was five Dorothy began acting differently out of the blue and brutally attacked Ozzy. While Darren (Michael Hargrove), Ozzy’s father, tries to blame his mother’s switch in behavior on mental illness, Ozzy believes something something more supernatural may be the cause.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell is a found-footage horror film. It is the second full-length feature film from writer and director Danny Villanueva Jr. after the 2021 horror anthology film I Dream of a Psychopomp.
Most of the film has a home movie presentation with a 16:9 aspect ratio and the appearance of being recorded on a camcorder. Early sequences of Ozzy as a child are also fast-forwarded to get to the more dramatic footage.
There are sequences in the present day where adult Ozzy is speaking with her therapist Dr. Robin Connelly (Lisa Wilcox) similar to a Zoom meeting or a Teladoc video call with your doctor. Then there are sequences in between like at the library or Ozzy revisiting her childhood home filmed with a traditional movie camera.
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Asya Meadows carries the film as the supporting cast helps elevate her performance and Ozzy’s overall journey throughout the film. Michael Hargrove’s role is a lot of voiceover work during phone calls and voicemails where he only appears on-screen for two brief sequences; one being the film’s final shot.
Steve Alonte portrays George Hall, a man who knew Dorothy and now works as a maintenance man in town. He currently works at the library. Alonte’s performance is mostly forgettable, but the George Hall character is the one that allows Ozzy access to the library where all of the supernatural elements of the film fall into place.
There’s also Sargon Adicho who plays a YouTube content creator named Amir Kashif. Amir’s YouTube content describes an artifact Ozzy now finds herself in possession of. This artifact is key to discovering what happened to Dorothy.
Finally, there’s Lisa Wilcox as Dr. Robin Connelly. Wilcox’s performance begins as the average doctor or therapist in a horror film, but it leads to the best sequence in the film. The poor connection sequence, which features simple elements such as a frozen screen and what seems like a harmless autocorrect mistake, is so brilliantly done. It’s hauntingly mesmerizing and expertly crafted to be horrifically memorable.
The film is low-budget with a cast of mostly unknowns, so the special effects are decent but not mind-blowing. The CGI sequences are intentionally executed with precise care since the effect is often minimal: some drops of blood here or a creepy and inhuman mouth movement there. The VFX is used to highlight the horror in the film and not overly showcase its shortcomings. Just properly utilized to hopefully raise the hair on the back of your neck or send a shiver down your spine.
Performances are likely a bit stronger than what you’re expecting. The film’s storytelling is somewhat cliché for a horror film, especially in the direction it decides to go in after the introduction of Amir. However, the film has a few excellent moments of overall creepiness.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell feels like an unknown film you stumble onto on television late at night only to be pleasantly surprised with its outcome. The film intrigues as often as it attempts to scare, which is likely what makes the film worthwhile. Danny Villanueva Jr knows how to deliver nightmarish delight with limited tools at his disposal.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell? (2024), How Bizarre Pictures
PROS
- The "poor connection" scene
- The final shot
- Surprisingly solid performances
CONS
- More of the same for the supernatural horror genre