| Director: | Chris Stuckmann |
| Screenplay: | Chris Stuckmann |
| Cinematography: | Andrew Scott Baird |
| Editing: | Patrick Lawrence |
| Music: | The Newton Brothers |
| Distributor: | Neon |
| Runtime: | 102 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $1.4 million[1] [2] |
Shelby Oaks is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, Emily Bennett, and Sarah Durn. The film is also produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.
Shelby Oaks had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 20, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Neon in 2025. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise directed toward the first half, the atmosphere, and Camille Sullivan's performance, while the second half was derided for its lack of originality.
Mia frantically searches for her sister Riley, after Riley ominously disappeared in the last taping of a show by a group of paranormal investigators called the Paranormal Paranoids. As Mia's obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley's childhood may be real.
In July 2021, YouTuber and film critic Chris Stuckmann signed on to write and direct a supernatural horror mystery film titled Shelby Oaks for Paper Street Pictures.[3] The film is based on an online marketing campaign depicting a series of found footage videos about a fictional paranormal investigative team named the Paranormal Paranoids.[4] The film was produced by Stuckmann, Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.[5]
The production was scheduled to begin in late 2021, but was delayed due to insufficient funds and a potential strike by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) trade union.[6] Funding was achieved via a Kickstarter campaign that began on March 1, 2022. On March 21, Shelby Oaks became the most-funded horror film project on Kickstarter after raising $650,000.[7] The campaign crossed the $1 million mark from 11,200 backers by March 25.[8]
During the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, Emily Bennett, and Sarah Durn were revealed as the cast.[9] Stuckmann and his wife Samantha Elizabeth co-wrote the story, while Andrew Scott Baird served as cinematographer.[10] [11]
Principal photography commenced on May 9, 2022,[12] and concluded on June 5.[13] Filming took place at various locations in Ohio, including Greenwood Farm, Ohio State Reformatory, Chippewa Lake Park, and Cleveland Public Library.[14]
By August 2023, post-production was suspended due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[15] The film's producer Koontz stated that Shelby Oaks was "in the final stages of post-production, including the all-important automated dialogue replacement, when actors re-record their lines. We need the actors in, but we are not a priority project because we are not in production, but we're trying to finish this film in the next month". In January 2024, Stuckmann announced that post-production was finished and that he and the studio were searching for film festivals to screen the film.[16]
Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka served as executive producers on Shelby Oaks, under their production company Intrepid Pictures.[17] On joining the project, Flanagan said: "I was impressed with Chris' work ethic, his intellect, his talent and his determination ... I watched his Kickstarter campaign for Shelby with great interest as it really took off ... There was so much about Chris' experience and story that reminded me of what I went through on my first film Absentia, he's on a really exciting path, and it has been a pleasure to share a few small steps with him on his way."[2] Flanagan provided Stuckmann with notes and feedback from the script stage to post-production as well as offering additional industry connections.[2] The film was scored by the Newton Brothers, frequent collaborators of Flanagan.[18]
During post-production, filmmakers David F. Sandberg, Sev Ohanian, and Scott Beck and Bryan Woods also gave notes after watching a rough cut.[19]
Shelby Oaks had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 20, 2024, where it competed as part of the New Flesh 2024 Competition Titles.[20] [21] [22] It is set to screen at the 25th FrightFest film festival on August 23, 2024[23] and the 57th Sitges Film Festival in October 2024.[24] The film is set to have screenings in Austin, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and New York City.[25] [26]
In July 2024, Neon acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film.[27]
BJ Colangelo of /Film gave the film a 8/10 rating, writing that "with Sullivan's phenomenal performance and Stuckmann's keen eye, Shelby Oaks allows us to witness the start of one of the most promising new voices in horror."[28] Alison Foreman of IndieWire gave the film a B–, saying it "was obviously written by a critic, one with a near-legendary knowledge of the pop culture archives, and it's directed with a palpable confidence that could lead to better things."[29] Michael Gingold of Rue Morgue gave a positive review, praising "the doomy atmosphere Stuckmann elicits through both the accumulating detail in the found-footage material and the eerie visuals he and Baird conjure up as Mia gets closer to the town's heart of darkness."[30]
Matthew Donato of Collider gave Shelby Oaks a 7/10 rating, describing it as "a horror procedural that tries to be anything but routine, and while some of the film's atypical flourishes score higher than others, it succeeds as a substantially creepy genre experiment with scares and soul."[31] Arash Nahandian of Gazettely also gave a 7/10 rating, summarizing "while Shelby Oaks certainly has flaws holding it back, Chris Stuckmann's debut shows considerable promise."[32] Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting commented that "even if the film's closing moments are something of a fumble, the scenes set in the spooky cabin, as well as the film's strong first hour, confirm that Stuckmann is one to watch, particularly when the first time writer/director sets out on his own path."[33]
In a more mixed review, Katie Rife of IGN gave an "okay" rating of 6/10, commenting that "the first half of Shelby Oaks creates an intrigue that the second half just can't sustain."[34] Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com gave a similar review, writing that "the first half has a fascinating DIY investigatory feel to it – it channels the true-crime impulse to pore over footage to zoom in on new details, or chase down leads late at night despite all warnings. But as the clues start to take shape, the central mystery starts to feel a bit too familiar, an uninspired gumbo of everything from The Blair Witch Project to Rosemary's Baby, with even more obvious cues eagle-eyed horror hounds will recognize.[35] Jason Adams of Mashable also noted the Blair Witch inspiration, and drew further comparisons with Lake Mungo and Barbarian, summarizing that Shelby Oaks is a "hodgepodge of horror".[36]
C.J. Prince of The Film Stage gave the film a C–, writing "at the very least, Stuckmann's earnestness as a horror fan is apparent throughout Shelby Oaks, even though his admiration doesn't translate effectively to his filmmaking."[37] Jason Gorber of The A.V. Club also gave a C–, stating "while Stuckmann mines everything from Rosemary's Baby to The Omen, it's only in the early sequences that he seems to actually do anything with these elements, and soon it all becomes bogged down by the necessity of sating the expectations of horror movie fans rather than subverting them."[38]
Julian Malandruccolo of High on Films summarized that "little in Shelby Oaks strikes as the work of someone who felt compelled to bring a new dimension to the conversation, but rather someone who wanted to enthusiastically join in on the existing discussion."[39] Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com gave a 5/10 rating, saying that "In the end, Shelby Oaks is certainly not a trainwreck and decent enough that Stuckmann may indeed have a solid career ahead of him as a filmmaker. But it's far from the brilliant debut one might expect, given that Neon is giving it a major release it doesn't really deserve".[40] David Cuevas of Next Best Picture gave the film a 3/10, concluding that "as an admirable genre attempt, Stuckmann's passionate directorial voice brings home a few note-worthy scares and compelling ideas to the table. However, throughout its timeline, Shelby Oaks aimlessly intersects formulaic cliches and other predictable beats with non-existent punctuation."[41]