‘They are not alone’
Project Dorothy is a 2024 sci-fi horror film about two thieves who take refuge in a remote seemingly abandoned scientific facility, inadvertently awakening an AI monster within.
Directed, co-produced and co-starring George Henry Horton (Dreadspace; Dark Obsession) from a screenplay co-written with Ryan Scaringe (Useless Humans; Eradication). Also produced by Ryan Scaringe. Executive produced by David Andrew and Danielle Harris.
The American Kinogo Pictures-Liberty Atlantic Studios production stars genre icon Danielle Harris (the Halloween franchise, the Hatchet franchise) as the titular AI, alongside Tim DeZarn (The Cabin in the Woods), Adam Budron, Emily Rafala and Olivia Scott.
Plot:
Small-time criminals James (Tim DeZarn) and Blake (Adam Budron) flee the police and take refuge in an abandoned scientific facility. Their attempt to restore power activates an AI named Dorothy, responsible for the former occupants’ demise. The pair of thieves realise their predicament is worse than evading the law and they must use their streetwise instincts to thwart Dorothy’s escape into the outside world…
Reviews:
“The film needs extra characters, purely so some could die, and demonstrate the danger posed by the machines. But for all the silliness, it’s just about salvaged by the performances. DeZarn is particularly good, and Harris does a fine job, given her role is entirely vocal […] The actors sold the situation well enough, to get me over the scepticism hump.” Rating: C+ Film Blitz
” …if I have no idea where these characters came from, don’t understand how they got here, don’t believe their relationship for a second, and don’t accept this empty factory as some kind of research institute don’t expect me to just swallow the fact that some flirty, feminine computer program is poised to take over the world […] The real secret to making a good low-budget film isn’t saving money on the shoot. It’s spending time on the script.” ★★★ Film Racket
“While there’s a chance some people might find that innovative, I just found it laughable. The fact that the screenplay by George Henry Horton and Ryan Scaringe runs so thin that it is neither able to capitalize on the conflict it wants to create nor make its emotional stake feel real is another one of its issues, resulting in a product that is just a loud and abrasive attempt at creating an evil AI picture.” High on Films
“Co-written with Ryan Scaringe, Horton’s technophobic thriller pits two generations of humanity’s exiles against an artificial brain interested only in its own expansive empowerment, and perfectly ready to slaughter the species that created it […] Project Dorothy, not unlike the sophisticated processing package at its centre, manages to accommodate ambitious, topical ideas within what is for the most part a single if atmospheric location, a low budget, and a very small cast.” Projected Figures
“For all the limitations of the budget, and the gaps in logic that this caused, I found myself getting into Project Dorothy, even if it does require you not to think very hard about the ridiculousness of it all. Thanks to the likeable protagonists, a great-looking location, and a spirited voice performance, this remained entertaining, if unable to fully realise the ambitions it had.” 6 out of 10, The Rotting Zombie
“Horton and Morris have come up with the basis for a good film, the factory and the access tunnels underneath it make an effective location. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the budget to make proper use of it or the creativity to come up with a workaround to that lack of cash. If you’re a fan of microbudget films, the final act might make Project Dorothy worth a watch […] but there are too many better films about malevolent AI to make it a priority.” ★★ Voices from the Balcony
For YouTube reviews, the trailer and more movie info please visit page 2
