Shelby Oaks

Screened at Regal Cinemas, Rancho Mirage, California

I'd like to first acknowledge that no other horror film this year has given me a true chill all through me like Shelby Oaks did. Perhaps it was because I had the full theater completely to myself (not uncommon these days), and that I also had a feeling even before the film started there WAS someone else in the theater. So, external forces may have had an effect on me. But at the same time, there were other chilling moments throughout the film, but only one scene really hit me, so I'd like to give credit to the director. That director is film critic Chris Stuckmann, a YouTube star who crowdsourced his opportunity to make one of his own, and overall this is good.

Tension is built, creepiness is lurking, acting is solid, characters are believable, shots are beautiful at times. This is a very solid film for a novice director. I know people want to be critical as the inevitable backlash to someone finding success from the fruits of their labor can strangely breed resentment. Everyone was rooting for Mr Stuckmann when he raised over $1M for this project, but the mood shifted quickly and my sense is people were eager to see him fail. Sad and pathetic, but that's the worst of humanity for you.

At the same time though, Shelby Oaks definitely has its faults, despite its clear strengths. I suppose for a first film, it's hard to shake your influences, so Stuckmann should be given that grace in that regard. His passion for film, and horror film, is all there on screen, for good or for bad. We just need him to find his own voice, because he won't be awarded that leniency if he has a second chance behind the camera. The good outweighs the negatives here in my opinion, but it was far too easy to point to areas and say "that's Blair Witch" or "that's Midsommar" or, well I'm sure there are others I missed. I also don't want to pile on, because this IS an achievement and Stuckmann should be proud of what he accomplished here. I recommend it, its a tight and relatively effective little found footage horror flick, perfect for Halloween. It's not groundbreaking, it doesn't necessarily feel like "a fresh new voice in horror," but I can see that potential if he is able to get himself out from under the weight of what inspired his entry into filmmaking.