The found footage horror film What Happened to Dorothy Bell? written and directed by Danny Villanueva Jr., will be released in the Fall by Dark Star Pictures.
The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2024 and stars Lisa Wilcox, Michael Hargrove, Asya Meadows, Arlene Armone Bibbs and Steven Alonte.
It will be released in theaters beginning October 3 in Los Angeles (Lumiere Theater) and Brooklyn (Film Noir Cinema), expanding to Alamo Drafthouse locations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Austin on October 10, before arriving on Digital and VOD platforms October 21.
Ahead of Halloween, the film will return to its roots on October 24 with a special screening at the Kenosha Public Library in Kenosha, WI —where parts of the story were filmed—as part of a community event.
The film follows Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows), a young woman confronting her own mental health struggles. As Ozzie begins to unpack her trauma, she uncovers unsettling truths about a violent incident from her childhood—when her grandmother, Dorothy Bell, attacked her under mysterious circumstances. Her investigation leads her back to a haunted library in her hometown, long tied to a sinister urban legend. There, Ozzie must face buried secrets and an unnerving supernatural presence.
What Happened to Dorothy Bell? is a genre-defying exploration of generational trauma, mental illness, and the ways families conceal pain in the name of protection. Villanueva Jr. uses an inventive mix of found footage formats—video diaries, security camera footage, and vintage camcorder tapes—to create an atmosphere of disorientation and dread, keeping audiences on edge and uncertain about the true nature of the threat.
Watch the official trailer for What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, above.
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