Fantastic Fest 2024 – Writer/director Danny Villanueva Jr.’s What Happened to Dorothy Bell? continually reminded me of The Taking of Deborah Logan. Both are found footage films. Both deal with aging relatives. What’s more terrifying and heartbreaking than witnessing severe changes in our loved ones as they age? Villanueva Jr.’s film also serves up plenty of scares and generally hair-raising moments, but it works best when it focuses on a very human story.

The film stars Asya Meadows as Ozzie Gray. For a school project, Ozzie documents her investigation into traumatic events from her childhood. In turn, she unravels the truth about her grandmother, Dorothy Bell (Arlene Arnone Bibbs), whose behavior turned strange and dangerous when Ozzie was just a little girl. So scarred by her trauma, both physically and mentally (Ozzie has a huge scar on the right side of her face, caused by her grandmother), she isolates herself from nearly everyone, including her dad (Michael Hargrove). She even stops showing up for work, no matter how many voicemails her boss leaves.

So much of this film features Ozzie situated in front of a camera, recounting various memories she has of her grandmother, who used to read to her. Ozzie does interact via Zoom with her therapist, Dr. Robin Connelly, played by horror queen Lisa Wilcox (Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master & Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child). It can’t be understated just how good Meadows is in this role, conveying her character’s sense of isolation and profound grief. It’s easy to feel for her character.

Much of this film works best when it studies the relationship between Ozzie and Dorothy, who passed down her love of literature to Ozzie. There are moments when Ozzie recites Emily Dickinson poems in front of the camera, for instance. This keeps her grandmother’s memory alive, as does the library where Dorothy worked. This setting plays host to the various seances Ozzie conducts, hoping to commune with her dearly departed. Though it’s a simple location, the library works well in establishing the film’s eerie atmosphere. Ozzie frequents it late at night, when only the janitor lingers in the hallways. Books and other objects move when Ozzie is out of frame. Is it Dorothy trying to send a message, or are more sinister forces at play?

Without spoiling the film’s second half, I will say that the reasons for Dorothy’s odd behavior become known, and the film toes occult horror territory. While some of the explanation didn’t quite work for me, I like the general premise and the way it all ties back to literature, books, and the way we tell stories. The film’s scares work best when more is left to the imagination and when objects move at the edge of a frame. The movie has its share of unsettling moments.

Villanueva Jr. started over a decade ago as YouTuber. With What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, he crafted a found footage film that’s generally creepy. It’s also an arresting story that could be read as a metaphor about losing our loved ones to the aging process. This film has its share of surprises and frights.