With her documentary, What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows) is on a journey to unlock their hidden trauma. Once their town’s beloved librarian, the spiraling of Ozzie’s grandmother has taken on urban-legend status–and while they can’t remember why, the impact on young Ozzie has become its own buried secret among their family. Using a litany of available cameras, they’re determined to use camcorder tapes from their childhood and newly captured digital footage to unearth secrets from their grandmother’s mysterious disappearance and get to the root of one of the most traumatic experiences of their life.
Danny Villanueva Jr.’s film opens with succinctly spooky evidence that they’re a horror creative to watch–as we see how young Ozzie plays hide-and-seek with their grandmother, ostensibly the focus of a widespread missing person’s search. With our perspective literally controlled by a child, they eagerly accept what would otherwise be a terrifying situation; the innocence and terror goes hand in hand, made even more compelling as the present-day Ozzie exerts an unseen influence rewinding and fast-forwarding this footage for answers they’ve spent years searching for.
It’s a vital combination of medium and subject that forges a crucial foundation for any found-footage horror film to work–and in that respect, Dorothy Bell taps into a riveting, truly scary subject matter that genre trappings can only augment. Breaking the cycle of generational trauma will put anyone through harrowing emotional territory–and like the best horror films, notably Australia’s Lake Mungo in this case, What Happened to Dorothy Bell grants heartfelt heft to Ozzie’s process of doing so. Navigating years of evolving physical media is such an apt metaphor for Ozzie’s quest to explain just what happened to their grandmother–and why their parents won’t say much about what happened–an act of documentary that’s pointedly just as much an act of therapy for the filmmaker.
Asya Meadows’ lead performance is remarkable throughout, in this regard, committing wholeheartedly to their character’s exploration of their mental health and trauma. It’s something they portray with equal determination and resistance–as they reluctantly explore their own flaws and trauma responses via Zoom sessions with their therapist, Dr. Robin Connelly (Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5’s Lisa Wilcox). While not directly referred to in the film, it’s also fascinating that Meadows and Villanueva incorporate themes of evolving gender identity in Ozzie’s journey via the gender performance of the younger and older versions of the character. There’s a constant tension between Ozzie and their parents rooted in their shared past–and it speaks to Dorothy Bell’s mature unpacking of generational trauma that Ozzie’s identity remains an ambiguous factor rather than bearing a direct undeserved weight of parental resentment.
Villanueva’s direction is assured in this regard–as are many of his strengths as a horror filmmaker. Several creepy sequences stand out in Ozzie’s exploration of Dorothy’s old library, cutting between Ozzie’s camera(s) and a more omniscient security camera out of Ozzie’s perspective reach. Sequences involving Dr. Connelly are also quite spine-tingling, with some innovative usage of Zoom not seen since Pandemic-era Host.
What’s disappointing, though, is when Dorothy Bell’s brisk 80-minute runtime works against its slow burn approach, backing Villanueva’s well-developed themes into a corner of resolution. The third-act approach unfortunately forces the film into too-familiar territory, shoehorning in a dime-store demonic influence plot that is as rushed as it is familiar. More drawn-out terrors become obtrusive, evoking sighs rather than scares. One can’t help but feel like with more development, such elements could find a more organic set-up over the rest of the film, allowing the supernatural elements to work more in tandem with Villanueva’s themes of trauma akin to Hereditary or Relic. As it stands, though, the film fizzles out rather than burns bright.
However, Dorothy Bell’s divisive finale doesn’t detract from the spark of possibility Villanueva has as a horror storyteller or Asya Meadows’ incredible strengths as a horror lead. While aspects of Danny Villanueva’s feature may feel beholden to more generic horror elements by its conclusion, What Happened to Dorothy Bell makes for an intriguing found-footage film, with a clever mind for upending genre expectations and unpacking the rich and complex emotions at its core.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2024 on September 22, 2024. It is currently seeking distribution.
