Disclaimer: The writer of this review was a financial contributor to the Kickstarter initiative, which helped Shelby Oaks come to life. Additionally, the writer has been a fan, champion, and subscriber to writer/director Chris Stuckmann’s YouTube channel for over a decade. Recognition of this disclosure is critical to alleviate any bias; this writer has separated his adoration for Stuckmann, his channel, and his cultural impact from the experience of this film to present an objective report. 

 

Transitioning from film critic to filmmaker is a challenging feat. Chris Stuckmann, the pioneering YouTube movie critic, has made this leap with his horror film debut, Shelby Oaks. Propelled by personal ambition, a love of cinema, the most successful Kickstarter campaign to date, a producing endorsement from horror maestro Mike Flanagan, and some good faith from distributor NEON, Stuckmann has done it. Shelby Oaks is here, and the critic has now put his money where his mouth is. 

 

While that is respectable, the fact remains that his debut falls sadly short of expectation. The expectation comes from the director having a deep knowledge and analytical lens to view cinema, especially horror, only to fall into the trap of tropes, clichés, and redundancies. The student took all the notes on what does not work, but forgot to bring them to the open-book test. 

 

There is a lot to love with Shelby Oaks, however. The film opens with found footage style filmmaking before transitioning to the usual narrative feature. This blending type, while not original, does well to set up the plot of the film and distinguish two separate time periods. 

 

Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn) and her cohorts are the Paranormal Paranoids, a YouTube channel from 2008. Riley and the team investigate spooky locations on the lookout for supernatural encounters. The early YouTube days were definitely something else, and this opening segment feels like a genuine time capsule. 

 

On their last outing, the crew ends up dead, and Riley is missing, her body never being recovered. We are told this through camera footage left behind at the scene, showing Riley giving a personal testimony to the lens à la Blair Witch Project before being abducted. 

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Cut to 12 years later. Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) has ignored the claims from the police that Riley has perished. She still believes Riley is out there somewhere. Her investigation ignites when a timely violent act occurs at her front door, leaving behind a second tape showing a different perspective on the night Mia disappeared. The new footage sends Mia on her quest through libraries, prisons, and the rundown carnival grounds outside Shelby Oaks, Ohio, to find the answers she seeks. 

 

Stuckmann’s story, co-written with his wife, Samantha Elizabeth, is what needs the most work. Shelby Oaks contains meandering investigative scenes, questionable character choices, and clunky dialogue. Often, the beats of the film are laying track for the next jump scare to come barreling through. This pacing choice with some scenes often grinds Shelby Oaks down to low gear when it should be picking up steam. It is not a terrible movie, it’s just not particularly interesting. Clichés like telegraphed jump scares, repetitive sequences, demon research, and even a broken flashlight all make an appearance. These speed bumps are more noticeable than all the good bits that are happening, which makes appreciating the great qualities of Shelby Oaks a tough pill to swallow. 

 

That’s the main issue with Shelby Oaks – it is a competently made, effective horror film. Stuckmann’s choice of settings and scenes (also sometimes questionable) is chilling. This is a filmmaker who can generate a haunting atmosphere; I was legitimately creeped out in some parts. It’s just that this is a rote story wrapped with great packaging.  

 

Speaking on the technical side, Shelby Oaks is a low-budget film, but it sure does not look like one. Cinematographer Andrew Scott Baird has shot a million-dollar indie film to feel like a big-budget, big-boy feature. The score by the Newton Brothers accents the dread and tone wonderfully. And star Camille Sullivan delivers an absolute clinic in acting. Even with often stunted dialogue, Sullivan still manages to deliver depth and conviction. 

 

Shelby Oaks may be a disappointment; however, the dedication of Stuckmann to work hard and take a big swing is evident. He is not getting graded on a curve; a bland film is a bland film. If Stuckmann works with a co-writer or adapts another writer’s script for his sophomore project, he will make a massive positive step. 

 

Stuckmann’s love for horror is evident, as Shelby Oaks pays obvious homage to so many films. His commitment to this attribution, while passionate, is more a detriment than a compliment. This is also a deeply personal film for Stuckmann, who has dealt with religious trauma with his family and fertility issues with this wife – two themes that are both present in this debut. Deftly blending themes with personal catharsis in the horror genre is an ambitious chord to strike. Stuckmann is learning the notes, and hopefully, with his second film, he can play the music. 

 

Narratively, this outing falls flat. Atmospherically, Shelby Oaks punches with conviction, and for that, I must respect it.