By George & Josh Bate
Career transitions in the movie industry are commonplace (e.g., established actors who pursue directing), but the evolution of a film critic into a filmmaker is most certainly not. With over two million subscribers on YouTube, Chris Stuckmann stands as one of the most well-known film critics, with a reputation for being passionate, kind, and insightful with his commentary. Sixteen years after staring this journey as film group, Stuckmann actualizes his greatest aspiration – to make a feature film of his own.
Premiering at this year’s Fantastic Fest and marking the feature film debut of Chris Stuckmann, Shelby Oaks picks up years after the disappearance of paranormal investigator Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn). Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) remains determined to discover what happened to Riley and begins an investigation that unearths disturbing details of their past.
Early reports about Shelby Oaks have characterized the film as found footage horror, but that is an oversimplification. Before any opening credits roll, the film begins with a lengthy, fast paced introduction designed to mirror a true crime documentary (if you saw Strange Harvest in theaters recently or at Fantastic Fest last year, then you’ll know how Stuckmann’s film feels at first). This beginning suggests a mockumentary horror flick will follow, although such a suggestion is abruptly dispelled when the film cuts to its opening credits and transitions into a more traditional, scripted narrative. From there on out, Shelby Oaks unfolds as an interesting blend of traditional narrative feature, true crime mockumentary, and found footage horror, collectively making Stuckmman’s debut feature a consistently engaging endeavor.
Shelby Oaks proves more captivating as a mystery than a horror film. There are shades of The Mothman Prophecies and Se7en sprinkled throughout as lead character Mia investigation’s into the disappearance of her sister is populated with all sorts of shadowy figures in the background, ominous music, and, more generally, an unsettlingly spooky atmosphere. The unraveling of clues and queries into recovered video tapes is when the film is at its most interesting, as the reason for Riley’s disappearance still remains unknown and speculation is welcomed.
Despite Shelby Oaks serving as his debut feature, Stuckmann shows a mastery of crafting atmosphere. Every scene is embedded with a sense that a scare is right around the corner, that something is off or natural in the background. The film is beautifully shot by Stuckmann and his cinematographer Andrew Scott Baird, who balance scenes that would fit in to a David Fincher or Ari Aster film with all sorts of lofi YouTube video footage designed to look like it’s from 2009. Regardless of what stylistic camp a given scene operates in, there’s a clear confidence and sophistication in filmmaking seldom seen in feature debuts. Unfortunately, the journey proves more successful than the destination as the scares that often culminate points of tension and palpably unsettling atmosphere are largely flat and routine. A couple decent jump scares aside, Shelby Oaks never evokes true terror in the way the films it is inspired by does, instead growing somewhat tired in its middle act due to the lack of satisfying pay-off for its atmosphere.
Thankfully, Shelby Oaks recovers from its middle-act lull with a decidedly creepy finale. Borrowing several elements from the infamous basement scene in Zodiac, the film finally moves beyond unsettling atmosphere to genuinely get under your skin here. Stuckmann and cinematographer Baird creatively manipulate lighting and deliver a range of memorable shots in this finale as the intrigue of the mystery and stakes for Mia reach a suspenseful apex.
The fall-out from this apex, however, sees much of the suspense dissipate. Once again, the journey compels more than the destination, this time in regards to the core mystery. After uncovering clues and following various investigative threads, all the pieces of the puzzle come together in rather underwhelming, muddled fashion. Stuckmann ultimately does just enough to explain what’s going on, but the wrap-up simply isn’t worthy of the preceding story and leaves one desperate to know and feel more.
VERDICT: 7/10
In his feature directorial debut, film critic-turned-filmmaker Chris Stuckmann creatively blends found footage, true crime mockumentary, and traditional narrative to craft a horror film with a more effective journey than destination (in a number of ways). The core mystery at the heart of the film intrigues in a manner stylistically similar to The Mothman Prophecies and Se7en and culminates in a genuinely unsettling finale, although all the pieces of the puzzle ultimately come together in rather underwhelming, muddled fashion. Through clever manipulation of light and numerous memorable shots of evil lurking in the background, Stuckmann finds greater success in his cultivation of a creepy atmosphere, something he demonstrates a mastery over despite this being his first movie. With the exception of a couple decent jump scares, however, the scares that close out atmospheric, spooky scenes fall flat. Despite these issues, Chris Stuckmann confidently announces himself to the film industry as he crafts a polished, atmospheric horror movie that creatively blends various stylistic approaches and affirms his second feature will be a must-see.