‘Shelby Oaks’ Review: Chris Stuckmann Goes From Critic to Director in His Horror Debut

The big picture

• Chris Stuckmann’s debut film takes risks that pay off.
• The shots stand out because they capture the creepy atmosphere of the woods with clarity.
• The story gets a bit lost in the fusion of sub-genre perspectives, but the overall experience is still a gripping thriller about a person’s disappearance.

Whenever subjects want to attack critics, variations of the same quote are thrown like a grenade: “He who can, does. He who can’t, criticizes.” Chris Stuckmanthe atmospheric horror debut of Shelby Oaks It’s the latest example of deflecting that counterattack as the famous YouTube film critic becomes a legitimate filmmaker. Genre author Mike Flanagan lends his mentorship with an executive producer credit, but this is and always remains Stuckmann’s project through vision and tone. An ambitious subgenre blend that tinkers with everything from procedural investigations to found footage faux-documentaries, tying them together rather than falling apart. While the story may get a bit lost in the film’s hybrid sauce, it’s still a thrilling found footage remix of everything from The Blair Witch Project TO Horror in the High Desert AND Lake Mungo.

What is “Shelby Oaks” about?

Stuckmann sticks to what is familiar in Shelby Oaks: a missing team of ghost-hunting vloggers known as “The Paranormal Paranoids.” The introductions begin as a documentary-style account of the team’s last known whereabouts, focusing on the show’s still-missing host, Riley (Sarah Durn). Riley’s sister, Mia (Camille Sullivan) is widely described as a talking head, unable to accept that her loved one is dead despite the discouraging words of local officers such as Detective Burke (Michael’s Beach). Mia tires of hearing pundits recycle hard statistics, so she takes matters into her own hands. Stuckmann abruptly changes the subject and lets his hero-protagonist follow Riley’s digital breadcrumbs into the eerie Ohio terrain of Shelby Oaks, abandoning the concept of a crime documentary before it fades.

Sincerely, Shelby Oaks gives me what Horror in the High Desert franchising is missing. All credit goes to Dutch Marich to build an audience for his low budget trilogy (so far), they focus on interviews alone for too long before giving us the goodness of found footage. Stuckmann charges ahead Shelby Oaks with law enforcement scrambling, grieving family members and other experts commenting on what happened at Riley’s Paranormal Paranoids, but before we know it, we’re watching Mia’s lone efforts to save her sister. It’s very Hell House LLC where horrific sequences permeate the entire experience, without ever creating conversational overload.

Photography director Andrea Scott Baird collaborates with Stuckmann to elevate traditional third-person imagery. As Mia begins chasing morbid clues through the abandoned forests of Shelby Oaks or paranormal landmarks like abandoned prisons, Baird accentuates the saturated darkness without darkening the screen. The cinematography vividly translates the terror and grim desperation above the standard depictions of “horror movie trees” that populate the average backwoods horror film. Stuckmann’s production team only has a few cabins, amusement park sites, and black mold-infested houses to decorate, but Baird’s location framing highlights this overwhelming sense of evil despite the stark architecture. Stuckmann’s years as a critic devouring horror films prove invaluable as he clearly understands the look and feel of a true genre nightmare.no doubt aided by Flanagan’s veteran leadership.

“Shelby Oaks” is a horror film that takes a surprising turn

There is a turning point in Shelby Oaks which made me gasp out loud, and I love how the experience evolves, but Stuckmann’s third act will divide the audience. In my immediate assessment, it’s not a slump—or, in my opinion, it’s not a slump. The predictability of Mia’s wild goose chase is overshadowed by stellar performances, the aforementioned vibes, and Stuckmann’s thematic certainty. That said, the film’s final minutes are strangely abrupt and quite trackable. Influences range from Zodiac TO Barbarian AS Shelby Oaks once again reinforces Stuckmann’s vast knowledge of terrifying titlesbut it’s more of a hodgepodge of inspirations that clash with its original narrative. I can’t say much more because we don’t spoil festival films around here, but Stuckmann’s climax and conclusion show some weaknesses.

Camille Sullivan shines as Mia poring over evidence footage and putting herself in danger while searching for the long-lost Riley. Veterans Michael Beach as a seasoned detective and David DiMatteo like a haunted prison guard helps give continuity to the scenes, but they are only additional support. That Mia gets involved in a dramatic argument with By Brendan Sexton III worried husband Robert, or following furry creatures into thin air in the dead of night, Sullivan always evokes the appropriate reaction. Mia is defined by her tenacity and selflessness, a heartbroken woman who refuses to accept Riley’s disappearance, and Sullivan gives it her all to nail the whirlwind of emotions that unleash the scenes. The moments of choice feel connected to Flanagan’s moving indie debut Contumacya film fueled by pain and driven by desperation that any independent creator would be lucky to imitate.

Shelby Oaks It’s a commendable debut for Stuckmann as a director.. Don’t expect a second coming: few films are. Stuckmann channels a career in online criticism into a fraternal nightmare that confirms he’s learned from every review thread. It’s chilling, well-acted, and underpinned by a rich folkloric narrative base that feels so lived-in. Shelby Oaks It’s a procedural horror film that tries to be anything but routine, and while some of the film’s atypical elements score higher than others, it still manages to be a fundamentally disturbing genre experiment with scares and soul.

Shelby Oaks It had its world premiere at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.