The dark tale of Dorothea Puente, Sacramento's most infamous serial killer, gets a new iteration in the campy horror film "Dorothea," slated for its world premiere at The Valley Film Festival in North Hollywood. The Los Angeles-based horror movie director Chad Ferrin draws from the sinister legacy left behind by Puente, who was known for poisoning her boarding house residents in the 1980s and continuing to cash their Social Security checks postmortem. Ferrin brings a fictionalized account with added violence and dark humor, a departure from the true crime approach, and is distributed by Dread, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Despite Ferrin's admission of not having witnessed the boarding house firsthand, or even watched the episode on Netflix's "Worst Roommate Ever" that profiled Puente, his creation is also largely removed from the factual specifics; for budgetary reasons and the quick-paced nature of his filming process, the project reshaped the narrative. According to The Sacramento Bee, "Dorothea" was written within two weeks and shot over only a dozen days in March on a budget of $100,000. Ferrin's practicality in filmmaking is apparent in his approach of utilizing a Los Angeles Queen Anne Victorian as the primary location, despite the fact that it stands miles away from the original scene of Puente's grim crimes.
Tracey Adlai, founder and executive director of The Valley Film Festival, spoke highly of Ferrin's work, explaining how his films although unsettling, offer compelling effects and performances. "Dorothea" is set to open the festival, taking a prestigious slot, Adlai revealed in a statement obtained by The Sacramento Bee. This isn't the first time Ferrin has made an impression on the festival's audience; his previous submission "Unspeakable" reportedly resonated well with viewers.
Meanwhile, the infamous Puente house continues to captivate public attention, as evidenced by the quirky yet morbid details maintained by its current owners, Tom Williams and Barbara Holmes. In a nod to the property's dark history, they've decorated with items like crime tape-themed shower curtains and a yard plaque warning: "Trespassers will be drugged and buried in the yard." Moreover, a mannequin stylized after Puente and holding a shovel stands prominently at the home, adding to the house's macabre appeal. As noted by KCRA 3, the property was showcased during the Sacramento Old City Association’s Home Tour, sharing its renovated state alongside its eerie past.
The fascination with Puente’s legacy persists, with people continually drawn to the story due to the sheer contrast of Puente's grandmotherly demeanor masking the horror of her actions. As Martin Kuz, a journalist who interviewed Puente prior to her death in 2011 for Sactown Magazine, eloquently put it in his conversation with The Sacramento Bee: “It is the story on which I have received the most interview requests of any piece I’ve ever done."
