Ever since The Blair Witch Project made the format super famous, the found-footage film has been a constant subgenre, especially within the realm of horror. Not a year goes by without several movies embracing the narrative style, with many filmmakers hoping to replicate even just a fraction of that experienced by directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. The latest film hoping to tap into the subgenre’s magic is Danny Villanueva Jr, with his new film, What Happened to Dorothy Bell?
The film follows Ozzy Gray (Asya Meadows), a young woman trying to piece together her history via her late grandmother, Dorothy Bell (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Having always believed a scar that adorns her own face was the result of a car accident, Ozzy has recently learned that her grandmother was actually involved. Adding further intrigue to the story is the rumour that, since her passing, Dorothy has begun to frequently and haunt the local library where she used to work. Armed with a video camera, Ozzy begins exploring the library in an effort to communicate with Dorothy, with disastrous results.
Ozzy’s reasons for documenting her investigation are unclear, the closest idea that seems to fit is that she grew up in a house where much of her life was recorded by her parents. Growing up in this way has left her very comfortable being on screen and so capturing her adventure on video is natural and normal to her. Whilst the found footage elements, especially those within the library, are very effective, Villanueva does stretch the believability substantially. A common critique of found footage is that at some point the camera would be stopped, but that is not quite the exact issue with What Happened to Dorothy Bell. The main issue comes via the family home videos. The camera seems to have been set up at strange angles and is left filming empty rooms with little reasoning. It mostly works, but does provide a thread from which the film can unravel.
The scare sequences themselves are intense, Villanueva utilising the power of silence to ramp up the fear factor. The first couple of nocturnal wanders around the library as especially effective with Villanueva creating the spookiest library since Ghostbusters. Most importantly, What Happened to Dorothy Bell doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares in these moments. Instead it takes a keen eye to witness the nightmares lurking within the shadows of the frame. Once spotted, blood runs cold and the audience’s heart sinks. Villnueva’s work crafts a much more effective, and long-lasting, scare.
That Ozzy is working on this project solo leaves little room for character progression. She is seen talking with her therapist on several occasions, and she has brief conversations with the library caretaker, but those scenes don’t afford much opportunity to get into the character’s intricacies. This is another common complaint about found footage, but that typically applies to stories set over the course of one day. The longer narrative structure of What Happened to Dorothy Bell allows the space for deeper exploration, but much like her deceased grandmother, Ozzy remains shrouded in mystery. Although a missed opportunity, thankfully the dread and tension built up within the scare sequences override the issue.
In 2012, Villanueva began his own YouTube channel ‘How Bizarre’, which hosted a variety of mini documentaries, short films, and cartoons, all of which embraced horror. Then in 2017, the channel expanded out to become a production company and since then Villanueva has started directing feature films. Villanueva’s extensive experience online has provided a solid foundation, with What Happened to Dorothy Bell being a slickly put together found footage story with some very well crafted moments of fright.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell?
Summary
Director Danny Villanueva Jr. wields the power of silence to create some genuinely creepy moments in found footage fright fest, What Happened to Dorothy Bell?
What Happened to Dorothy Bell was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2024.
