Shelby Oaks – Film Review
Reviewed by Harris Dang on the 22nd of October 2025
Madman presents a film by Chris Stuckmann
Written by Chris Stuckmann
Produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, Ashleigh Snead, and Chris Stuckmann
Starring Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David, Robin Bartlett, and Michael Beach
Cinematography Andrew Scott Baird
Edited by Patrick Lawrence and Brett W. Bachman
Music by James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers
Rating: MA15+
Running Time: 92 minutes
Release Date: the 23rd of October 2025
Shelby Oaks uncovers the disappearance of Riley Brennan (Sarah Dunn). She was one of four young YouTubers made famous for investigating a supposed supernatural phenomenon. Under the name Paranormal Paranoids, their videos earned them minor notoriety as their posts were deemed fake and made for clout chasing. During an investigation, the Paranoids disappeared without a trace, which escalated their fame far and wide overnight. With the public forming their own investigations alongside the official one, the mutilated corpses of Riley’s friends are eventually found.
12 years later, Riley’s disappearance is unresolved, and the prevalent social media still obsesses over it. Unlike the true crime obsession in the guise of self-validation, it is a personal journey for Mia (a convincing, determined Camille Sullivan), Riley’s older sister. As she completes an interview about her sister’s appearance, Mia is greeted at the door by an unkempt man who shoots himself in the head. As he dies, Mia sees he is holding a video and conceals it from the police. As Mia dives deeper, she realises the video and identity of the deceased hold the key to finding her lost sister, much to the chagrin of her husband (a wasted Brendan Sexton III).
Shelby Oaks is film critic Chris Stuckmann’s directorial feature debut. Best known for his YouTube videos, he is beloved by cinema fans, filmmakers, and fellow YouTubers. With an insatiable passion for cinema and a vast knowledge for filmmaking (including several short films in his filmography), people were anticipating his feature-length debut. With support from acclaimed filmmaker Mike Flanagan (credited as executive producer), does Shelby Oaks live up to the hype?
While filmmakers are unbarred from paying homage to their revered artform, they must also resist recycling and have their own singular vision. With Shelby Oaks, Stuckmann (alongside his partner/co-screenwriter Sam Liz) is stuck in the “talent borrows, genius steals” type of filmmaking. A substantial amount of his film is littered with riffs from other movies. From the mockumentary side, there are notable nods to 2008’s Lake Mungo (complete with slow zooms, revealing hidden sights), The Blair Witch Project (1999), and Noroi: The Curse (2005).
Curiously, the film branches out of the found-footage/mockumentary storytelling and undertakes a traditional procedural route. While that allows Stuckmann to be more trusting of his own originality, the derivative nature hovers like a ghost piggybacking on one’s shoulders. There are fun supporting roles (including a scene-stealing turn from Keith David as an ex-warden), numerous easter eggs relating to Stuckmann’s status as a YouTuber, as well as story points that affect on a personal level (the references to cult escape are eerily reminiscent of Stuckmann’s past as a former Jehovah’s Witness). Nonetheless, the procedural side of the story is rote and at best generic.
While lacking storytelling discipline and a singular vision, Stuckmann shows solid directorial chops. He creates a haunting atmosphere with assured tonal control and the patience to deliver scares refreshingly without insistence. In the film’s best sequence, Mia ventures into an abandoned structure in her investigation. During that moment, Stuckmann trusts his audience in yielding small rewards for their commitment. With help from DP Andrew Scott Baird, Stuckmann brings the scares with proficiency and professionalism – even if the set-piece is reminiscent of the underrated horror film Session 9 (2001). The rest of the film follows suit, resulting in a climax that riffs off cults, home invasions, and backwoods subgenres that delivers on an entertainment level.
Unlike the best horror films, Shelby Oaks cannot reach a level of staying power that lingers with audiences after it ends. The film concludes on a tonally appropriate note, but the reveal’s predictability keeps the film from reaching greater heights and ambitions. Consequently, Shelby Oaks is a solid directorial debut from Stuckmann as it shows technical proficiency in delivering tension, suspense, and efficient scares. Yet the lack of originality, predictable storyline, and underwhelming ending diminish what could have otherwise been something special.
Summary: The technical proficiency aside, the lack of originality, predictable storyline, and underwhelming ending diminish what could have otherwise been something special.
3
Mixed
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