Shelby Oaks Review

Chris Stuckmann was one of the first successful film critics on YouTube. He also harboured filmmaking ambitions, which he has fulfilled with his debut feature, Shelby Oaks.

Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn) was a paranormal investigator and a YouTuber who disappeared in 2008 when exploring the ghost town of Shelby Oaks. Her older sister, Mia (Camille Sullivan), believes Riley is still alive, and she finally gets a break in the case when a man arrives at her doorstep with a videotape. It leads Mia to investigate a prisoner who was held in the abandoned town’s prison.

As a film critic, Stuckmann was perfectly decent. He reviewed films as an ordinary guy with a passion. I have periodically checked out his reviews. Stuckmann has also been honing his filmmaking skills by making shorts, and he has shown a lot of improvement since those early efforts. He got a lot of attention since he was able to raise over $1 million through Kickstarter, and the film was picked up by Neon (Immaculate, Longlegs, and Together) for distribution. Mike Flannagan, the director of Oculus, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck, lent his name to the production by becoming an exclusive producer.

Films made by YouTubers have varied in quality. Bo Burnham’s coming-of-age film Eighth Grade, and the horror films by the Philippou Twins, Talk to Me and Bring Her Back, have been the standout films made by YouTubers, but there have also been plenty of flops.  The Angry Video Game Nerd Movie underwhelmed, The Nostalgia Critic’s movies were amateurish, and The Critical Drinker was roasted when he released his short film, Rogue Elements. Shelby Oaks didn’t match the highs of Burnham’s or the Philippou Twins’ efforts, but it was much better than the latter films mentioned.

Stuckmann was wise to make a horror movie. Many filmmakers start their careers making horror films since they can maximise a low budget and make it profitable. They can also be a great canvas for filmmakers. It was a solid debut offering. I enjoyed it more than Good Boy, which sold itself on its gimmick.

Shelby Oaks was a personal expression for Stuckmann. He set the film in his home, and Riley was a YouTuber in 2008, like the film critic turned filmmaker. Most importantly, he based the film on his experience with his sister because Stuckmann was a Jehovah’s Witness, but when he left the religion, he wasn’t allowed to contact his sister. The love Mia had for Riley was clear, thanks to Sullivan’s performance. It was felt when Mia viewed Riley’s last tape, where she was happy and sad in equal measure. Sullivan anchored the film since her character was smart and determined, showing enough awareness to take precautions if she went into a dangerous situation. When Mia entered an abandoned prison cell, she was shaking and clearly scared, which made her more believable and sympathetic as a character.

Shelby Oaks looked like it cost a lot more than its budget, estimated at $2.8 million at the highest. Andrew Scott Baird did an impressive job as the cinematographer since there was a lot of atmospheric and moody lighting, even when scenes took place at night. Shelby Oaks will be a great calling card for him. There were VFX shots that looked good considering the budget. The creature effects looked a lot better than in Death of a Unicorn, whose budget was nearly 10 times more than Shelby Oaks. Because of Flanagan’s involvement, The Newton Brothers worked on the music, and it was notable since it sounded big and expensive. Shelby Oaks’ production values were comparable to other horror films made by Neon, A24, and Shudder. It’s a great skill for Stuckmann and his crew to be able to make a film feel more expensive than it really is.

The biggest issue with Shelby Oaks was that it felt like four different horror films smashed into one. It started as a found footage/documentary like the Poughkeepsie Tapes, then became a story about what happens when the footage gets discovered, a bit like Sinister. When Mia arrived in Shelby Oaks, it was a bit like a Silent Hill game where the main character was exploring a haunted, abandoned town. Finally, it was a film about battling the occult. It was ambitious but eclectic, and it ended up reminding me of Doomsday, where the film kept changing style and genre. Stuckmann would have benefited from being a bit more focused.

Shelby Oaks was at its most interesting when Mia was given the newly discovered tape, since it turned the story into an actual found footage film. It was a unique twist on the subgenre, and I wanted to see more of it.

Shelby Oaks was a decent first effort from Stuckmann, telling an interesting horror story. The Ohio native shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker and gives hope to many film critics that they can make the jump to filmmaking.