YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann blends horror genres to mixed results with his directorial debut Shelby Oaks.
In many ways, being a YouTuber is a gift and a curse. For all the freedom and independence one can have making their own videos, there’s also a sense of expectation. Sure you can get thousands of likes and cameos in a YouTube Rewind, but what else? Almost every successful YouTuber tries to make a jump into something else. Smosh made a movie, MrBeast makes snacks, and Jake Paul is still trying to be taken seriously. Now we have Chris Stuckmann, a YouTube film critic with two million subscribers who’s been covering blockbusters and indie films alike for nearly 15 years. With all that time spent talking about what makes movies good or bad, one has to wonder if he can put his money where his mouth is.
And so he has, co-writing, producing, and directing his own horror film Shelby Oaks. Funnily enough, he starts the movie about his field of expertise: YouTubers. Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn) is the host of a YouTube ghost hunting show that captures amazing spooks and specters, likely thanks to Riley’s odd connection to the unseen spirits. One day in 2008, Riley and her crew went missing near the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. 12 years pass and Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan), who’s been desperately looking for Riley, suddenly comes across a mysterious video tape that shows how her sister was taken. With that, Mia goes down a rabbit hole of haunted prisons and creepy woodlands to find out if Riley is still alive and who (or what) took her.
Double-dipping in dread.
Photo Credit: Neon
Stuckmann is clearly a fan of horror films. If Shelby Oaks is any indicator, he likes found footage features and minimalist supernatural movies. This is likely why the story and visuals harken back to The Blair Witch Project, Longlegs, Hereditary, and many other similar titles. The first 20 minutes of Shelby Oaks are almost a bait-and-switch, with it being played out like a found footage film/true crime documentary before the opening credits roll and it turns into a standard feature. It’s a bold move on Stuckmann’s part, but it also feels like a way to give exposition that’s more easy than clever.
Once the regular horror film kicks-in, Shelby Oaks manages to generate genuine scares. Stuckmann proves to be a solid director of actors by pulling moments of genuine fear and shock out of his performers. Of course that also comes from the skills of Durn and Sullivan, both being the most prominent actors in the movie and both delivering solid work onscreen. It also doesn’t hurt to have a cameo from the legendary Keith David. Stuckmann and cinematographer Andrew Scott Baird also know how to generate creeping dread in a variety of settings from camcorder footage to an abandoned prison. Shelby Oaks may not keep a consistent sense of fear through its 91-minute runtime, there’s enough here to leave a memorable impression or two.
Footage missing.
Photo Credit: Neon
Unfortunately those impressions are too few and too far between some holes in the script. Despite the exposition in the opening 20 minutes, the script from Stuckmann and co-writer Sam Liz doesn’t explain the rules of the movie’s boogeyman. The audience is only given some scary polaroids and ominous monologues that fail to clarify what the supernatural force can and can’t do to its victims. Not that Shelby Oaks needs to get bogged-down in exposition, but there should be some sense of why the audience should fear this invisible force. There are moments when the horror makes you jump, but even the most brief thought about why or how those moments happen leaves you confused.
Stuckmann also has trouble showing that force in an engrossing way. He uses CGI wolves as an encroaching side threat, but those creepy pups don’t look all that convincing even in the dead of night. The found footage moments also cheat a bit, giving the audience a somewhat clear view of the monster gnawing at its victims despite it also holding the camera for the scene. While Stuckmann understands the unknown can be scary, it’s a shame the score keeps dropping bland musical stings to shake the audience into knowing a spooky moment is happening. All of those years watching the golden age of A24 horror should’ve taught Stuckmann that silence is the secret weapon of scares.
The bottom line.
Shelby Oaks is by no means amateur hour. Stuckmann clearly knows how modern horror movies work and manages to craft a few haunting moments in his first feature. That said, he’s missing a memorable antagonist and something truly unique to distract from his obvious influences and weaknesses as a screenwriter. It makes you wanting more from Shelby Oaks, not out of excitement but disappointment. There’s plenty of potential in Stuckmann’s filmmaking skills and hopefully he can find it before he faces the horrors of today’s greatest monster: YouTube algorithms.
Shelby Oaks is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer here.
Images courtesy of Neon. Read more articles by Jon Winkler here.
REVIEW RATING
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Shelby Oaks - 5/10
5/10
