Dark Star Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to found footage horror movie What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, from writer/director Danny Villanueva Jr.
Look for the found footage horror movie to arrive this October 2025.
The found footage 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.”
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child star Lisa Wilcox and Michael Hargrove (Nia DaCosta’s Candyman) star alongside Steven Alonte (The Cathedral), Sargon Odicho, Arlene Arnone, Yera Constable, and J. Anthony Ramos.
“What Happened to Dorothy Bell? is a bold and unsettling vision that pushes the boundaries of found footage horror,” says Dark Star president Michael Repsch. “Danny Villanueva Jr. masterfully blends psychological depth with supernatural terror, crafting a story that resonates long after the credits roll.”
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an obsession with ghost stories,” said Villanueva Jr previously. “I wanted to play in the found footage realm because it’s such a powerful format to explore the paranormal. Those supernatural elements feel much more accentuated when set in a reality grounded, diegetic world.”
The film, which premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, was produced under Danny Villanueva Jr.’s independent production company, How Bizarre Pictures, with Villanueva Jr. serving as Editor and Producer, Tim Shircel as Executive Producer, and Michael Thomas Determan as Cinematographer and Co-Producer. Production design was done by Jody Sekas.
Expect the trailer for What Happened to Dorothy Bell? to arrive soon.