Shelby Oaks
Directed by Chris StuckmannJaren na de mysterieuze verdwijning van haar zus Riley ontvangt Mia een verontrustende video-opname waarop Riley levend, maar angstig te zien is. De video leidt Mia naar het afgelegen stadje Shelby Oaks. Maar hoe dichter ze de waarheid nadert, des te verstrikter ze raakt in een duister web van jeugdherinneringen en een sinistere kracht die ooit werd afgedaan als een kinderlijke fantasie.
Shelby Oaks Ratings & Reviews
- Austin Burke25 oktober 2025Shelby Oaks features more than a few interesting stylistic choices in the beginning, blending unique filmmaking techniques together to create a compelling first act. The haunting imagery showcased throughout delivers in an unsettling way, and the cinematography is rock solid. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t deliver on the ideas initially presented, and the third act fails to bring it all together. Some of the decision-making (from Mia specifically) is odd, and there just isn’t enough depth to land the plane smoothly… Love seeing this film get made regardless, and I’m rooting for its success.
- Magnus Carlbaum16 maart 2026Well this was a major disappointment. Disjointed, boring and what's worst for a horror movie; not scary.
- Timeless Cinema26 oktober 2025A weak story, with a decent mystery & some well presented horror. The pivot from story driven to character driven narratives slows the pacing. Resulting in a 2nd half that isn't compelling enough following the buildup & intrigue. A tepid experience overall.
- shadow24422 november 2025happy for Chris. this is def. better than some of the recent Horror Films. But still nowhere close from the oldschool Horror Movies. i havent found what i'm looking for since 30 years. and probably never will again.
- gforce246 maart 2026This was a horrible boring so-called horror movie I was bored.
- vangh130 oktober 2025So as I always try to do, I stumbled into this blind. I'd never heard anything about it, so I went in with zero preconceived notions. Formally this movie is really well made. There's some pretty shots, some really interesting editing, and the mix of and slightly new take on mockumentary and found footage styles played really well. But the script I can't praise quite as much. At a high level it relies a little too much on usual fare, and on a deeper level I have no idea what this movie is supposed to mean. Both literally and metaphorically I don't understand anything. I don't know why Riley was the chosen victim or why she needed to be stalked for years and years. I don't know what the demon or anything else is made to represent. I feel like there's no clear meaning or theme, which would be less of a problem if at least the events of the movie were really tight and amazing, but they're not. Big up's for the major Alan Wake vibes tho.
- cherrygrove.16 januari 2026A cliche’d mess. Laughably bad at times, I had high(ish) hopes going into this. Shocked that Flanagan and Neon attached their names to this. Far fetched to call this a horror movie.
- shogothx23 november 2025Delivers the scares. Entertaining to find directors sources of inspiration and there are many.
- Doc Worm29 december 2025Yes-this is a generic and derivative horror movie. However the first act, found footage style, as familiar as it is, is pretty enjoyable and I found myself hooked with where it was going. The second half sags immensely. The third act delivers on everything it sets up- but it’s everything you’ve seen before. I was not stuckmanized.
- Paul Walsh3 maart 2026I love found footage films. I love supernatural horror. And I was really looking forard to this film. I was mostly disappointed, however. The scares are rote and predictable, and the movie does nothing to engage the viewer in any way that has not been worn to death in previous movies.
- Scott Thomas24 januari 2026I really wanted to like this film and I was even one of the backers. For a first try writing and directing it was okay. Not great, not bad, but okay.
- shirazesat6 december 2025New level of craziness: you leave a dead man's blood on your face for hours, and you decide to go to an abandoned prison by yourself in the dead of night. Not worried about infection? Not worried about falling down some rotten stairs with no-one to help? Then, for good luck, go to a deserted fairground, after having been chased by a hell hound. Anyway, well edited, and good acting, and scary. But so is driving on country lanes without lights on, or taking someone else's random pills. The choices made kill this movie.
- JRPosse22 november 2025I wish I could say this was amazing. I really do. I like Chris Stuckman. I think his opinions on movies are valid and he has always seemed like a real down to earth guy. But this movie just wasn't my cup of tea. In a year that brought us genuinely creative and different perspectives in the horror genre, this one felt like it was too familiar. Some movies can operate on a similar premise and still offer an enjoyable experience, but this movie just didn't do that for me. It's a well acted movie, I can give it that some of the shots are very well done. I just couldn't get into the script.
- Niztradamus21 november 2025While it is an alright horror movie with some fresh ideas, Stuckmann sadly didn't deliver on the multiple years of hype his debut was building up. While Michael Beach and Keith David are some known figures, their parts are really small and nothing more than cameos. Camille Sulivan did a good job portraiting a griefing sister but she can only deliver so much with the script she was given. As with his reviews, Stuckmann makes some weird choices throughout the movie and as do his characters. The ending also felt rather uprupt and left me unsatisfied. If you have 1.5 hours to spare it won't offend you and might surprise you with some fresh new angles of horror story telling but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it.
- KGM SOSA22 december 2025Shelby Oaks was one I’d been quietly hyped for. I first discovered it a few months back while watching The Conjuring 4 in cinemas, the teaser played before the film & immediately caught my attention. I found it peculiar because I hadn’t heard of it before & didn’t feel like it had big budget studio marketing around it, it looked amazing & I wrote it into my notes to google later, that rabbit hole made the movie even more interesting. Turns out this is a low-budget indie horror film from YouTuber Chris Stuckmann, entirely crowdfunded by fans who simply wanted to see the idea exist. The reported budget was just under $1 million, which is tiny in film terms & yet it went on to earn around $6.5 million at the box office. This proves that Hollywood can’t gatekeep the film industry & small indie passion projects can still shine if the idea is strong enough, That alone is awesome. Story-wise, the film follows a woman obsessively searching for her sister, who disappeared 12 years earlier after her friends were found dead. The sister had been part of a paranormal investigation internet show, as the story unfolds, her disappearance appears connected to disturbing demonic phenomena that plagued her childhood. Strange events stack up as the mystery deepens. I’d normally break this down further, but the story is fairly complex & more importantly, I don’t want to spoil it. I’m actively rooting for this films success. One thing I really appreciated is how the film uses found footage without being trapped by it. Found footage is my favourite horror subgenre, I can watch an entire movie in that format no problem, but I also know it’s divisive. Shelby Oaks strikes a smart balance: it incorporates found footage elements early on to establish tone, mystery & backstory, then transitions into traditional cinematic style. The found footage itself is split between mockumentary segments & raw cam footage reminiscent of Paranormal Activity, it’s handled tastefully. My rating lands at a 7/10 — Good / Enjoyable / Worth watching once or twice. I wanted to give it an 8, but I didn’t want to appear biased although as I’m writing this I feel it truly is an 8/10. There are areas where it could’ve pushed a little further. Personally, I would’ve liked to see more of the creature, though I know I’m often in the minority there. Many people prefer leaving things to the imagination, this is the exact reason The Blair Witch Project is so critically acclaimed. That’s fair, but I’d also like consistency from those critics; if you praise Blair Witch for hiding the creature, don’t turn around & fault Shelby Oaks for doing something similar. Overall, this is a fantastic independent horror film that absolutely maximised its limited budget. Every dollar feels stretched & purposeful, the passion behind the project is obvious. For a crowdfunded indie feature, this is genuinely impressive work. It’s a 7.5/10 in spirit, but since IMDb only allows full stars, I’m confidently landing on a 7/10. But don’t be surprised if I edit this down the line to an 8 as I think giving it a 7 may eat at me until I change it to an 8 lol.
Shelby Oaks Trivia
Shelby Oaks was released on 2 oktober 2025.
Shelby Oaks was directed by Chris Stuckmann.
Shelby Oaks has a runtime of 90 m.
Shelby Oaks was produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, Chris Stuckmann, Ashleigh Snead.
Jaren na de mysterieuze verdwijning van haar zus Riley ontvangt Mia een verontrustende video-opname waarop Riley levend, maar angstig te zien is. De video leidt Mia naar het afgelegen stadje Shelby Oaks. Maar hoe dichter ze de waarheid nadert, des te verstrikter ze raakt in een duister web van jeugdherinneringen en een sinistere kracht die ooit werd afgedaan als een kinderlijke fantasie.
The key characters in Shelby Oaks are Mia (Camille Sullivan), Riley (Sarah Durn), Robert (Brendan Sexton III).
Shelby Oaks is rated 16.
Shelby Oaks is a Horror, Thriller, Mysterie film.
Shelby Oaks has an audience rating of 5.3 out of 10.
Shelby Oaks had a budget of US$ 1,4 mln..
Shelby Oaks has made US$ 2,4 mln. at the box office.