Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows) suffered a traumatic event in her childhood that involved her grandmother, Dorothy Bell (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now, years later, she documents her attempt to find out what happened and uncovers more than she bargained for.

Presented with a mixture of handheld video, screen life (used particularly well for Ozzie’s therapy sessions), and CCTV, writer/director Danny Villanueva Jr’s film delves deep into a troubled past and disturbed present. Being allowed out-of-hours entry to the library where her grandmother worked – and hanged herself – gives plenty of scope for creepy goings-on, and it succeeds in delivering some decent chills. Flashback sections reveal Dorothy as an attentive gran, reading her stories until a dark force apparently takes her over, mirroring the power of the written word. Utilising the home-shot format (it’s not really ‘found footage’) gives the story an immediacy as we live with Ozzie and discover more about her own fragile mental state. Meadows is impressive as Ozzie, embodying the character flaws and all.

While we are growing more weary of the found footage (for want of a better word) trope, when it’s done well – like it is here – it still has the power to engage and impress.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? screened at Fantastic Fest 2024