Movie Review: Shelby Oaks

YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann made history in March 2022 when he received over $1 mil in crowdfunding donations via Kickstarter in just 24 days to make his debut feature film Shelby Oaks. This was the realization of a long-gestating dream for the now 37-year-old Stuckmann-who has been making short films since he was a teenager. Three and a half years after the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, Shelby Oaks was released in theaters by indie juggernaut Neon-who acquired the film following its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal in July 2024. As inspiring of a story as the realization of Shelby Oaks is for the dreamers out there that are looking to make their own DIY movie, the movie itself just isn't very good.

Being a critic and stepping behind the camera to make a movie are obviously two very different skill sets. That being said, the one thing you would probably expect out of a movie made by someone who's been reviewing movies professionally for over 15 years is a passionate vision. Working up the courage to make a movie, particularly a crowdfunded DIY indie, is a conscious choice that's driven by a burning desire to create art. If I wasn't aware of the love Stuckmann has for the artform, I would've assumed that somebody put him up to making Shelby Oaks against his will. 

The biggest detractors of Shelby Oaks that I've come across over the past couple weeks have cited its lack of originality as its biggest issue. While I can't really refute that point as Shelby Oaks is effectively a hodgepodge of several found footage, supernatural, mystery and family-centric "grief" horror movies that have received acclaim from the 1960s through the present day, the flaccid execution was more off-putting to me than the fusion of recycled ideas that drive the story. There's a real clock-punching feeling behind the narrative as the protagonist (Camille Sullivan, whose does all she can to lift up a painfully underwritten character) suddenly receives a string of clues about the disappearance of her sister (Sarah Durn) 12 years prior that provides her the string of answers she's long been looking for in rapid succession and once she figures out who/what was behind her disapperance, the film promptly ends on the most ridiculous, unsatisfying note possible. Something that was rightfully framed as the product of years of hard work finally paying off shouldn't feel so rushed and half-assed, especially since the film underwent some reshoots and a full re-edit once Neon bought it. A labor of love that was rough around the edges would've been infinitely better than the dull, half-baked slog Shelby Oaks ended up being.

I'll be honest, I'm taking it a little bit easier on Stuckmann than I would've if a more seasoned director had made this exact some movie. Despite the lackluster results, his eagerness to make a movie is admirable and I have no doubt that this idea was birthed with the best intentions. I'd be lying if I said there was much here that showed Stuckmann is destined for a future in filmmaking beyond one eerie sequence set inside an abandoned prison and the faux documentary opening that lays out the backstory for the film in a pretty efficient manner, but if he does make another film, I hope he can learn from the mistakes he made here and put something into the world that more accurately reflects the love he has for the cinematic artform.                   

Grade: C-