‘Shelby Oaks’ Review: Promising But Haunted By Its Flaws

Shelby Oaks has been anxiously anticipated by horror fans since 2022, when Chris Stuckmann made history raising 1.39 million dollars on Kickstarter, and finally it is coming out. I assume it has been a wild ride getting this film from conception to screen, with the initial Kickstarter campaign, getting picked up by Neon, Mike Flanagan jumping on as an executive producer, filming reshoots, and I’m sure many other hurdles or surprises influencing the final product. No matter what negatives I give, it is imperative to recognize how inspiring and important it is that this film was able to get made. Chris Stuckmann delivered a very strong debut feature, based on an original idea and offering some interesting atmospheric horror. I personally will be there for whatever Stuckmann has coming next. Read our full review for Shelby Oaks below. 

Shelby Oaks follows Mia, who is in search of her long-lost sister Riley. The search becomes an obsession after Mia discovers that there might be something more sinister and personal at play. On the surface, the film has a very simple story, but there are many thematic layers that you are given to play with. Unfortunately, my main gripes with the film have to do with the narrative. I was into the film full-heartedly the entire runtime, but the ending was incredibly abrupt and did not wrap up the many threads the story unwinded. I think the film should have been longer, something I do not wish for a lot. An extra ten to twenty minutes would have done Shelby Oaks a lot of good. Saying this I fully understand that people do not want the entirety of a film to be explained in the end, but Shelby Oaks explains so little that it gives you little to stand on. Things happen because narratively they have to, providing the action but not the why. Though the roots of the film were interesting enough to keep me interested and on the edge of my seat. 

The rich atmosphere created by Stuckmann and cinematographer Andrew Baird stands out as the film’s crowning achievement. Utilizing found-footage along with narrative filmmaking made Shelby Oaks feel more real and visually interesting. These found-footage sections of the film worked really well for me, reminiscent of other films in the medium like Lake Mungo, Blair Witch, and other low budget found-footage films. I am sure Stuckmann’s background as a Youtuber helped make these scenes work as well as they did. Initially I was worried once the film switched from found-footage to standard filmmaker, since it was working so well, but thankfully Shelby Oaks maintains a dark and captivating atmosphere throughout the entire runtime. For being a lower budgeted, indie horror film it looks great. 

Despite the narrative shortcomings that made Shelby Oaks a tad disappointing, I still had a great time. It is a promising first feature for Stuckmann, that makes him stick out as an up-and-coming new face of horror. There was no point in the movie where I was not entertained, which is the bare minimum we can ask for from horror. I feel lukewarm on Shelby Oaks, but excited for the future career of Stuckmann. I would totally recommend seeing this in a crowded theater, where you can be engrossed in the bewitching atmosphere and surrounded by fellow excited horror fans. 

Shelby Oaks was written, produced, and directed by Chris Stuckmann. Mike Flanagan is a main executive producer on the film, which stars Camille Sullivan and Sarah Durn. Shelby Oaks was released on October 24th.

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