Title: What Happened to Doris?
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: Nick Simon
Writer: Thomas Fenton
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Starring: Heather Graham, Mimi Rogers, Kevin Keppy
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2026.
In 1974, Culver City, California resident Doris Bither shared a terrifying story with a parapsychologist. She claimed that she had been the victim of multiple horrific sexual assaults conducted by a powerful supernatural presence in her home. Her claims were investigated by the University of California - Los Angeles’ former parapsychology lab and turned into a feature film, 1982’s The Entity starring Barbara Hershey. What Happened to Doris? attempts to answer the most important question related to this case.
A single mother of three children eldest son Ricky (Daniel Reed Ferrell), middle-child Brian (Kayden Koshelev), and the youngest, Sylvia (Island Austin), Doris Bither (Heather Graham) presents as a loving mother working to keep her life together. Refusing to tie herself to any one man or rely on help from anyone, she keeps a secret hidden from everyone around her. When she’s alone at night, she is visited by an unseeable force that takes whatever it wants from her, and it wants to use her sexually. When she can no longer keep her nightly attacks a secret from her kids, she seeks out professional help. Initially turned away and labeled hysterical, Doris eventually is believed by two researchers from UCLA: Gordon (Marcus Coloma) and Taylor (Morgan Peter Brown). As they work together with their supervisor Dr. Lillian Ross (Mimi Rogers), the team discovers the horrifying reality of what Doris faces every night.
Generic and ineffective, What Happened to Doris? is a toothless ghost story that is as serviceable as it is forgettable.
It’s always challenging to present a new take on a familiar concept, and What Happened to Doris? has the resolve to adapt a story to compete with the 1982 cult classic that came before it. Of course, that supernatural shocker has received plenty of criticism for its depiction of the haunting and the sexual violence Ms. Bither endured. This 2026 version of the story relies heavily on the performance of Heather Graham to give power back to Doris. Graham, along with the always magnetic Mimi Rogers, give commendable performances that make the terror feel real. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else going for the otherwise okay supernatural horror.
Perhaps the film’s greatest feat and fault is its dedication to the real-life inspiration. Focusing heavily on the idea of belief and how that relates to women’s experience with sexual assault, the film seeks to understand Doris’s perspective by granting her credulity. There’s nothing wrong with the film’s decision to fully endorse and support Doris. It is how it does so that sucks the life out of the narrative. Doris’s introduction works only because of the parallels that exist between hauntings and sexual assault, namely when someone claims they are a victim of either, they are often met with disbelief at best and ire at worst. These themes are dropped pretty quickly in the first act. It’s a necessary evil in terms of story progression but it gives the remaining two acts a problem in how to make its story effective.
What Happened to Doris? doesn’t seem interested in exploring much of anything beyond its version of the truth at the expense of its story. Operating like another iteration of The Conjuring franchise but without the iconic characters that audiences have come to love, What Happened to Doris? doesn’t do much to make its characters interesting. The initial friction promised in the first act falls apart the more the investigators and Doris’s loved ones believe her. From there, the film devolves into various cliches that fuel similar haunted house films. Executed with precision but not much emotion, the scares lack weight, especially as the paranormal antagonist gets more screen time. Sheets engulf terrified children, cabinets are emptied with ferocity, and darkness allows the entity to keep the family in a constant state of tension. It all feels familiar, which makes it hard to praise the film as it doesn’t do anything novel or engaging with its setup.
The independent film isn’t without merit. The production design effectively transports the audience back to the 70s without being obnoxious about it. Capable cinematography transforms the simple home into a suburban nightmare, making the nighttime appropriately dangerous and the daylight something that cannot be trusted. The rest of the cast, particularly the child actors, do a fine job selling the terror, despite their inclusion often feeling like an afterthought to the narrative. And a nice sense of humor makes some of the lighter moments feel more human and the characters more real, even if they aren’t fully developed.
With its greatest crime being its inoffensiveness, What Happened to Doris? is a fine but forgettable supernatural horror film that coasts on its intentions rather than its final product. Its generic approach to the real-life inspiration leaves audiences wanting more while dropping the narrative elements that make the story interesting and important. Strong performances and foundational production values keep the film from veering too off course but cannot completely save it. Fans of haunted house films may find What Happened to Doris? sufficient in execution while those seeking something more potent will find themselves searching for better answers.
Overall Score? 5/10
