Dark Star Pictures will release the horror film What Happened to Dorothy Bell? this October, 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.

Written and directed by Danny Villanueva Jr., 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.

The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2024 and features a standout cast of horror veterans, including Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5) and Michael Hargrove (Candyman, dir. Nia DaCosta). Rounding out the cast are Asya Meadows, Arlene Armone Bibbs and Steven Alonte.

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.