Based on the same true story that influenced the 1978 book The Entity (and the 1982 film), What Happened to Doris? portrays the haunting in a very human way.
Set in the mid-seventies, single mum Doris Bither (Heather Graham) suffers some brutal attacks from an unseen force during the night. The local paranormal investigators at the university are reluctant to commit to looking into it further, until they witness kitchen doors being violently flung open and a frying pan hurled across the room. Over the course of several nights, they attempt to find out what they’re dealing with.
Working as both a family drama and supernatural horror story, What Happened to Doris? manages to depict the period perfectly. With Mimi Rogers appearing as the head of the parapsychology team, it showcases the resilience and strength of the women involved. While Doris is far from a sympathetic character, she will do anything to protect her children – even the older child who has all but disowned her.
Memories of the bigger-budgeted eighties film are soon forgotten when director Nick Simon gets into his stride. Bolstered by a superb cast – Heather Graham is superb as the beleaguered Doris, plus even the younger actors make their mark – and the sharp script from Thomas Fenton, the movie uses its scares wisely. The night attacks are truly terrifying, eschewing the ‘sexiness’ of the Sidney J. Furie version of the story. There are plenty of moody moments, too, which easily rival anything from The Conjuring universe.
Films about hauntings are ten-a-penny now, and it’s a pleasure to say Nick Simon’s film stands out head and shoulders above its contemporaries. While the entity’s appearance is a bit of a let-down (it would work much better without it), it doesn’t derail what is a superb movie that deserves a wider audience.
WHAT HAPPENED TO DORIS? screened at Fantastic Fest 2026.
