[FrightFest 2025] FILM REVIEW: Dooba Dooba

Dooba Dooba - FrightFest UK Premiere Review

Director: Ehrland Hollingsworth

Starring: Betsy Sligh, Amna Vegha, Winston Hayes, Erin O'Meara

Written by: Ehrland Hollingsworth

Produced by: Joshua Sonny Harris, Ehrland Hollingsworth, Michelle Sabella Singh, Amna Vegha

Cinematography by: David Wright

Synopsis:

In-home security cameras watch as an awkward sixteen year old girl terrorizes her well meaning babysitter.

Thoughts:

There is something inherently sinister about found footage films. When done well you get the impression that you've stumbled upon something that really happened leaving you feeling shaken and disturbed for having watched something you shouldn't have. In recent years it has become a bit of a tired subgenre that relies on the same old tricks. One such route filmmakers have taken to break this cycle is that of low fi horror with films such as 'Skinamarink' or 'We're All Going to the World's Fair' which have left their mark on the genre. The latest to take this kind of approach is 'Dooba Dooba'. 

The basic setup for the film sees the Jefferson family hire a babysitter to look after their sixteen year old daughter so they can go to a party. This isn't any regular teenager though as they suffer from severe anxiety stemming from the brutal murder of her brother a few years ago. Whilst things start off awkwardly between them, they soon turn sinister as the babysitter realises that this is no ordinary job and without realising it, is in for the fight of her life. 

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From the get go you realise that this is no ordinary found footage film as the security footage that forms the majority of what we see in the film is interspersed with archival footage, evoking the dark side of America from a psycho-sociological perspective. This makes it feel less like a piece of footage of an incident someone stumbled across and more like the most demented high school video project you are ever likely to see. The analog approach is teasing something sinister before a word is spoken as we are given a tour of the house via the security footage with an unsettling buzzing sound in the background that perfectly sets the mood for the film and persists throughout. 

From here we are introduced to babysitter Amna (Amna Vegha), a young woman with ambitions to become a singer. The first signs that something is amiss is when she speaks to Wilson (Winston Haynes) and Taylor (Erin O'Meara), the parents of Monroe (Betsy Sligh) about their daughter's traumatic background leading to an awkward outburst over the mispronunciation of Amna's name. These red flags work really well at establishing an uncomfortable atmosphere akin to 'Speak No Evil' in how it plays upon the dangers of not being confrontational for the sake of social politeness. 

It is a testament to the performances all round which align perfectly to this aspect of the film and how it ties to the manner in which it is shot. As Amna, Vegha tries to instill a sense of normalcy to the erratic situation, rationalising everything that is happening in a sensible manner. The voyeuristic nature of the film heightens the sense of tension around her naivety to the things unseen to her making it stressful to watch in the best way possible. 

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As the parents to Monroe, Haynes and O'Meara play their roles as the stereotypical middle class parents in a measured way that keeps you guessing about them even though you can't help but feel that something is off with them. This persona is measured just the right amount right up until the end where eccentricities become extremely dangerous. Betsy Singh is the standout of the cast as her manipulative performance as the troubled Monroe is unpredictable and shocking leaving you terrified over what she is going to do next. 

From all aspects of the filmmaking in terms of the look, editing, script and even the production design (which has a hauntingly nostalgic quality to it) writer/director Ehrland Hollingsworth does an incredible job at creating an escalating atmosphere of oppression. It gives the film a choking quality as the noose of tension tightens as the film progresses. Even when you feel like the film is at breaking point and you tell yourself that things can't possibly get any worse, they do so in some of the most disturbing ways imaginable. 

The film can be summed up through its title, 'Dooba Dooba'. In the context of the film at the beginning it is there to serve as a strange form of comfort but by the end and long after the credits roll, it takes on a completely different chilling connotation that will haunt you for days to come. The word unique gets thrown around quite often within the horror genre but 'Dooba Dooba' truly feels unique. It takes a tired subgenre and twists it into something completely original and disturbing that makes it stand out from anything else within the genre right now. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

-Joseph McElroy

'Dooba Dooba' received its UK Premiere at FrightFest '25 on August 22nd