FF26 REVIEW: What Happened to Doris? [20XX]

Rating: R | Runtime: 93 minutes
Director(s): Nick Simon
Writer(s): Thomas Fenton

Mom, the nerds are here.

The events that transpired at 11457 Braddock Dr., Culver City, CA in 1974 inspired a book and subsequent screenplay from Frank De Felitta under the title The Entity. It’s the story of Doris Bither, a single mother of four who was the victim of a rape orchestrated by an invisible figure tormenting her family. The case was documented and investigated by UCLA’s Parapsychology Department before it’s closure in 1978, and her son Brian believes it’s what killed her.

Fast-forward fifty years later to find screenwriter Thomas Fenton and director Nick Simon conducting their own research into the case with a mission to give the story back to Doris (Heather Graham). They are therefore quick to assure us that What Happened to Doris? is not a remake (that prospect appears to have died on the vine back in 2015). It’s a conscious effort to tell the “real” story with Brian’s input and leave the Hollywood version behind.

The result is obviously going for a The Conjuring feel as we meet Doris and her three children (Daniel Reed Ferrell’s Ricky, Kayden Koshelev’s Brian, and Island Austin’s Sylvia) dealing with the struggles inherent to their circumstances. With the first “incident” actually not being the entity’s doing, the film is trying hard to make sure we disbelieve what happens later. It leans into the misogynistic setting that would have us dismiss her claims as those of a promiscuous drunk.

It’s not just the paranormal investigators (Marcus Coloma’s Gordon and Morgan Peter Brown’s Taylor) who find zero evidence to move the case forward either. No, it’s also her eldest son Ricky shepherding his siblings away from her door by saying she “can handle” whatever violence (or pleasure) is unfolding on the other side. The ease with which we could blame it all on alcohol is so prevalent that it almost feels silly when Doris’ BFF Kandy (Candi Marie) actually believes her.

So, the first third of the film can prove a bit much. Simon and Fenton are trying to get all their characters on-screen so early that the narrative proves a steady helping of conveniences. Kandy takes Doris to the occult section of a bookstore rather than a psychiatrist. Gordon and Taylor just happen to be there for them to approach out of the blue. And their boss is serendipitously a woman (Mimi Rodgers’ Ross) who tells them to keep the investigation open.

I was desperate for something to finally happen that would get everyone on board because the desire to defame Doris grew tedious. Thankfully, a cast iron pan flying across the room and almost decapitating Gordon gets the ball rolling to bring in the good equipment and start coaxing Mr. Whosit (Kevin Keppy)—the name Sylvia uses for the “man” under her bed—into the light. Now the attacks can hold the dramatic weight of danger rather than delusion.

There’s some genuinely creepy imagery courtesy of how Simon handles the entity’s movements around the frame. Sometimes it’s visible in a flash of the edit. Sometimes it’s a shadow moving across the wall. One scene has Graham acting scared while saying it’s sitting on the couch next to Driver. It’s a great moment because we truly don’t need to see it to understand the potential violence coming. And everything culminates in a fiery blaze.

Despite some good theatrics, though, the whole ultimately proves flimsy insofar as how everyone beyond Doris is portrayed. We’re constantly teased with new developments (Sylvia’s doll being a charm for good, Ross’ own paranormal experience, etc.) that remain background color if they aren’t ignored altogether. Kandy is here to bear witness before the doctors can. And the children are so often not in the room that you forget they even exist.

The film gets caught in the rote machinations of what audiences expect from a ghost story without providing enough nuance to the characters for us to invest in their plight. The entity does something heinous, Graham comes in and yells at it, and we do it all again. The word “incubus” is used a couple times and a notion that it wants to specifically hurt men is alluded to after Ross “tries something,” but nothing is expanded upon. We simply wait to see if Doris will die.

Gordon and Taylor’s interns appear so they can be abused instead of their bosses. Brian has a camcorder at the start to feasibly catch the entity but doesn’t. And we’re supposed to think Ross did something to change the game with a wry smile at the end before text comes on-screen to admit Doris stayed haunted wherever she went until the day she died. The film’s sole accomplishment is “proving” she wasn’t crazy.

So, if that was the goal when Simon talks about giving Doris her story back, I guess they succeeded. She’s not just a drunk with a revolving door of suitors. She is that and a victim of paranormal rape. She’s a tortured soul for whom we never learn anything about. Why does she drink? Why does she date a lot? We can infer childhood abuse, but nothing is said. And when things are spoken aloud (like with the olives), the film ignores the obvious payoff.