The premise is flimsy, and the use of mental health feels contrived. Ultimately, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? feels like wasted potential, as the negative aspects overtake the positive.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, playing at Fantastic Fest, is found footage horror that’s a mixed bag of amazing frights and tension, lackluster performances, and frustrating decisions. One moment, it’s in its bag, creating rising discomfort, and the next, viewers want to shout, “Really?” at the screen. The premise is flimsy, and the use of mental health feels contrived. Ultimately, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? feels like wasted potential, as the negative aspects overtake the positive.
Written and directed by Danny Villanueva Jr., the movie follows a young woman’s video-recorded journey to understand the tragic events forgotten from her childhood. As Ozzie Gray, played by Asya Meadows, searches for answers, using video recordings to capture her journey, she delves further into what happened to her and her grandmother, Dorothy Bell, played by Arlene Anone Bibbs.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell? Packs in Some Scares
At first, the tension and scares are both well-done and well-executed. The acting sometimes detracts from the tension. In particular when it comes to Ozzie’s mother and father, played by Michael Hargrove (Candyman, The Express). However, the dread as a young Ozzie plays hide-and-seek with her grandmother, Dorothy, not realizing the danger, is palpable. The edits and picture quality have the old camcorder feel, while her meeting with her therapist is shocking and terrifying. It’s only later, as the movie explains what’s happening, that the plot holes become evident.
0 to 100 With No Clear Explanation
What audiences learn about Ozzie is not much. She’s a Black woman who moved into her childhood home. She gets therapy, and as her doctor recommended journaling, she’s decided to journal using video. While piecing together what happened, she heads to the library where her grandmother worked at night. That does not make sense, both from a video journal point and a library hours point. Then, the janitor lets her in, and she sets up cameras around sections of the library. How did it immediately transition from a journal to ghost hunters?
There are a few other issues with What Happened to Dorothy Bell? First, it’s a running joke that Black people do not seek out the paranormal. From movies to stand-up comedy, we leave if there is a haunting or supernatural occurrence. Ozzie repeatedly heads toward the sounds and disembodied voices. Meanwhile, although she’s shown no propensity to violence, she grabs a butcher knife when asking her dad to leave. There is too little within the movie that shows a natural progression—just one jarring shift to the next.
Weak Premise That Explains Too Little
What Happened to Dorothy Bell? is a film that attempts to build up the mystery. However, as the story progresses, there are too many unexplained elements, particularly surrounding the book. The revelation that reading the Latin section allows a demonic entity to possess the reader falters before its reveal. Because Ozzie never reads the Latin.
However, otherworldly phenomenon unfolds regardless. Thus, the revelation adds a layer of confusion. The mystery deepens as those around her also become possessed. Yet, nothing they discover explains that. The demonic entity’s abilities become a haunting catch-all for scares. So, as the movie presses on, the frights become more disappointing. What Happened to Dorothy Bell? lacks rules for the horror and strays from what few they set for the sake of frights, turning into a frustrating mess.
