Horror Movie Review: Shelby Oaks (2025)

Arriving with a fair bit of social media hype, partially due to the involvement of Mike Flanagan, who served as executive producer on the film, and partially because it is the directorial debut of YouTuber/Film Critic, Chris Stuckmann. If all of that wasn’t attention grabbing enough, the film was also funded via Kickstarter and currently sits as the most funded horror film on the platform.

All of this means it’s not too much of a surprise that there was a fair bit of noise behind the release, and some corners of the internet were declaring it as the scariest film in years. Is it though? Or is it just another overhyped film?

Starring Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Keith David, Sarah Durn, Derek Mears, Emily Bennett, Charlie Talbert, Robin Bartlett, and Michael Beach. The film surrounds the mysterious abandoned town of Shelby Oaks and several paranormal YouTubers who went missing while investigating it. It’s the kind of basic synopsis that intrigues but doesn’t excite. Sounding fairly uninspired but also offering up potential if taken in a subtle, more atmospheric direction.

Which, to begin with, seems to be the case as the film’s first twenty minutes takes on a mockumentary form.

Twelve years ago, paranormal investigator/YouTubers Riley Brennan, Laura Tucker, David Reynolds, and Peter Bailey went missing within the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. The bodies of all but Riley were found, alongside footage (one of two cameras) that shows, seemingly, the last moments of Riley before she disappeared. It’s a case that has baffled law enforcement, fascinated the web, and taken a personal toll on Riley’s sister, Mia.

It is Mia that we meet at the start of the film, being interviewed for a documentary about her sister’s disappearance. She has never stopped looking and believes that the footage reveals a link to her sister’s childhood and that the other missing camera holds all the answers, if it can be found.

With very little to go on, her part in the documentary ends quickly, but on the crew’s way out, a man arrives at Mia’s door, says “she finally let me go” and shoots himself in the head.

It’s from this point that the film changes style, switching to a more traditional look. Albeit mixed with flashes of found footage as the man in question had a tape in his hand, the missing footage.

What does it reveal? Something that drives Mia to go even further to find her sister, dead or alive.

It’s a mystery that does intrigue and is built in satisfying fashion, but as it goes on, interest wanes as the film’s paranormal aspects deepen. Not only overly familiar but not done in a particularly enjoyable way. Subtly goes out the window in favour of demonic sightings (those damn demon dogs) and a lead character that switches between being realistically smart and utterly stupid.

It’s not Camille Sullivan’s fault, it’s the writing. She’s a good actor, as are many others (although some are clearly picking up a pay-check), but when characters are written to be unrealistic, stupid, or annoying, there’s little they can do.

There were many moments where I shook my head in exasperation. From Mia visiting the abandoned Shelby Oaks prison in the dead of night, to the police completely overlooking the house on the edge of the town, to the confusing motivations of the demonic entity, and how often the film relies on conveniences. Bit by bit, it lost me, and by the end I was thoroughly checked out. I just didn’t care anymore.

For me, the film’s biggest failings come down to the abandonment of mystery in favour of paranormal scares and demonic interference. The first twenty or so minutes grabs the attention, but Stuckmann can’t sustain that grip. As things get more and more egregious, the lack of genuine scares becomes more apparent, and atmosphere is replaced with jump scares. Is Shelby Oaks scary? In my opinion, no.

However, it is his directorial debut, and with that in mind, there’s plenty to be positive about. It’s a film with a beginning, middle, and end. The narrative is clear, most character motivations make sense, and there are good visuals and solid sound design. I also think a more casual horror audience will enjoy it, compared to those who have seen way too many films of this ilk already. In the end, I don’t really rate it, and that’s simply because by the end, I was unimpressed and annoyed by it.