The directorial debut of Chris Stuckmann, Shelby Oaks is a creepy, twist filled horror mystery led by a terrific Camille Sullivan.
From Francois Truffaut to Rod Lurie, cinema is rich with film critics turned filmmakers. Popular YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann is the latest to join the fray with his feature film debut Shelby Oaks, a horror mystery thriller that engrosses and frightens with its twist filled story and spooky scares.
Camille Sullivan stars in Shelby Oaks as Mia Brennan, the long-suffering sister of missing YouTube paranormal investigator Riley (Sarah Durn) who disappeared under strange circumstances 12 years ago. After the grizzly suicide of a strange man at Mia's doorstep leads to fresh clues in Riley's disappearance, Mia travels down a dark and disturbing road to the truth that will jeopardise her soul.
Beginning as a true-crime style mocumentary, Shelby Oaks does the old switch-a-roo into narrative film territory yet doesn't lose its intrigue while doing so. Stuckmann has long covered the horror genre on his million-plus subscriber YouTube channel and has clearly picked up a trick or two on how to create an engaging supernatural creep show, while adding his own flourishes in the use of a multiformat presentation in which (not surprisingly) features scenes from a fake paranormal investigation YouTube show.
Stuckmann also wisely invests in the humanity of his protagonist Mia, the sleuthing sister whose personal life is turned upside down while in pursuit of the truth. Camille Sullivan is fantastic in the role, delivering a masterclass of raw emotion and reactionary acting that heightens Mia's frightening confrontations with the many elements (wolves, killers, ghosts and more) that are part and parcel of this paranormal puzzle.
It all results in supremely solid, scary work from Stuckmann, with Shelby Oaks a promising debut from a filmmaker who takes his craft and themes seriously. It will be interesting to see whether Stuckmann can develop his own voice as he continues to do so.
