Shelby Oaks

Coming out from Fantasia this was certainly an experience.

I honestly wish I had something insightful or even fun to say, but the truth is that I got nothing, because that's what this movie is, a nothing burger.

I honestly can't believe that this movie has Mike Flanagan involved, a master of slow burn horror and great series and movies like Midnight Mass, which in all it's 12 chapters of 1hr each, only had 3 jumpscares.

So why the hell does Shelby Oak's scare factor only relies on jumpscares? I thought this also came from a guy who thought the trope was overused and saturated.

Speaking of saturated, this is yet another found footage movie that looks like a budget version of Blair Witch (what a feat though, to make your movie look cheaper than Blair Witch). Watered down found footage horror that gets nowhere, ambiguity doesn't equal scary, Chris.

The main actress did a great job. I hope she does find a better movie than this slop. What a disappointment.

This review is following a screening from Fantasia Festival and I realize that this is a first feature film and Chris seems like a nice guy but this was amateur hour.

I'll start with the positives, the cinematography was excellent and the lead actress was for the most part pretty credible. This film also had a promising prologue, although mostly riffing on Blair witch projects premise. Finally Keith David classed the joint up in a small role.

On the negative side, the relationship with the husband and lead was beyond poorly written, with a poorly acted argument sticking out in my memory. I was stunned when I was advised the husband is a working actor with many credits to his name.

The worst sin is that it's a horror film that just isn't scary, relying on cheap jumpscares and poor cgi dogs. The third act and ending also leave much to be desired where the audience was audibly laughing at what I would think were serious moments. The abysmal ending left me ambivalent rather than shocked as I imagine Chris intended. The biggest ruse is that this has been picked up for distribution, I can't see an average audience unfamiliar with Chris' YouTube career connecting with this film.

A hilariocity this is not. This is Chris Stuckmann's first film, and he directs as though he is a veteran filmmaker. Having just viewed "Shelby Oaks" at Fantasia, I can honestly say that it did not disappoint. I am of course biased, being a long term fan of his YouTube channel, but I would argue that it has little to no effect on my 10/10 rating. This is a great film which will I believe will please both fans of Stuckmann and people unaware of who he is. It is no exaggeration to say I love this movie and would definitely recommend it to others looking for a new good horror movie. Can't wait to see what he does next.

I don't care for Chris Stuckman's YouTube presence or for most of those influencer folks because rarely do they set their subjective bias aside when talking about movies, but I was immediately intrigued by his feature film debut because Mike Flanagan is an EP and the indie circuit buzz was exciting. Having finally seen it, it's not an impressive film.

The first half is thoroughly captivating as we're pulled into a bizarre mystery that defies reason, but the second half is just a hodgepodge of horror cliches and missteps. It's worth a look for hardcore horror fans, but otherwise, Shelby Oaks isn't a must-see in any regard.

A YouTube content creator goes missing in the town of Shelby Oaks. Does her chilling last video clip contain the clues to the mystery of her disappearance?

It's not particularly unique but what it does, it does well.

I would have expected Shelby Oaks to be a blipvert, rapid fire absurdity for the TikTok generation but instead, it's a nicely paced, slow burn horror/thriller with some good touches and ideas.

The film looks very nice and performances are convincing. I saw the International Premier at FrightFest, London and it went down well.

It doesn't quite land the punches of genre movies, such as Sinister or Blair Witch Project but the viewing experience doesn't leave you feeling disappointed.

I don't think Stuckmann's name attached to this movie is going to affect its success one way or the other. The film stands on its own feet and will probably stick around for some years to come.