Mia is the heart and soul of this Stuckmannized horror flick

 SHELBY OAKS (2024)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I only wish the best for anyone debuting as a film director in this climate of repetitive remakes and endless comic-book movies. Of course, that is not all there is because recent horror films have raised the stakes for imbuing some originality and thought rather than just mindless remaking. Some of the best horror output is from Neon Pictures and A24 and kudos to them for seeking out fresher material. You Tube Movie Reviewer Chris Stuckmann has accomplished his lifelong goal of making a movie (and he still reviews movies except only the ones he likes). "Shelby Oaks" is not the most inspired horror film (it feels like the third or fourth sequel in a series) and hardly one that will scare many out of their wits. It does, however, bear the stamp of something personal that never ventures as deeply as it could have. Still, got to give credit to Stuckmann for giving it a go and succeeding only partially.

The opening of this movie features some found footage in news segments detailing the disappearance of the Paranormal Paranoids, a group of five YouTubers that have a vested interest in finding ghosts or paranormal activity in abandoned buildings or haunted homes. Almost immediately we are entering "Grave Encounters" territory and any number of other ghostly encounter TV shows or YouTube streaming channels that you've seen millions of times. This is not a found footage film - it is actually about finding the clues in found footage in the rarest of mediums nowadays - a mini-DV cassette. Camille Sullivan is Mia who becomes obsessed with her sister's disappearance and somehow knows she's not dead (the other members of the Paranormal Paranoids were murdered). This leads to numerous scenes with typical flashlight searches inside a closed "Shawshank" prison, the dark forbidden woodsy areas, an abandoned amusement park, and finally some log cabin with a mysterious, unhealthy-looking woman whose home is filled with moldy walls. Oh, yes, and we shan't forget the ravenous dogs with glowing eyes. Mia's sister, Riley (Sarah Durn), might have encountered foul play with that other horror trope - an occult group.

"Shelby Oaks" builds itself on atmosphere and many scenes inside these dreadful, underlit locations do rivet the attention and cause one to occasionally shake their shoulders. Stuckmann might also have a gift for personal matters including Mia's fondness and despair over her sister and dark forces that always seem to surround them in their upbringing. The found footage of the forlorn Riley sensing something ominous in daylight shots in some corner of an amusement park, or in some room where something nasty and unseen this way comes, can also shock the system. Stuckmann doesn't quite the nail the depth that Mia needs on this personal journey, and her relationship with her unemotional husband (Brendan Sexton III) is lacking a pulse. 

"Shelby Oaks" needed to be deeper and more entrenched in Mia's relentless pursuit of clues to her sister's disappearance. Camille Sullivan gives it her every ounce of regret and passion she can muster and the scene of the unveiling of a photo scrapbook had me on edge. Ravenous dogs? Not so much. Cracks on the window had me on the edge of my seat. It is doubly wonderful to see veteran actors like the charismatic Keith David as a prison warden and Michael Beach as a by-the-book detective, though I did miss them as soon as they were gone. Ultimately, Camille Sullivan is the heart and soul of this movie and you kinda wish there was more of each to really give this film a jolt.