REVIEW: SHELBY OAKS (2024)

 By Stephen Pytak

Chris Stuckmann's Shelby Oaks is a little better than I thought it would be.

While his cinematic influences are clearly evident -- fans of The Blair Witch Project (1999) will spot a whole bunch -- there are enough twists, turns and genuine scares to make it worth your time.

Shelby Oaks isn't the best film I've seen this year, but it certainly isn't the worst. It has its issues. But when it works, it really works. 

I support independent films. And I love the horror genre. And I may try to catch an encore screening sometime next week.

If you're looking for something to see during spooky season, give it a go. If you love nostalgia, the Blair Witch approach Stuckmann employs may work for you. And the ending may surprise you.

Huh?

What was the worst film I've seen this year?

Probably Cleaner (2025). I think Daisy Ridley does what she can with the material, but it's just a lackluster Die Hard knockoff. She's a really good actress. But unfortunately she doesn't always find the best projects.

What was the best film I've seen this year?

I'll be revealing my Top 10 Films of 2025 on Jan. 1, 2026. Be patient. 

Anyway it's best to go into Shelby Oaks knowing very little, or nothing. When I caught a screening of it on Oct. 20, 2025 at AMC Fairgrounds in Reading, Pennsylvania, I wasn't sure what I was going to see to be honest.

It was shown as part of an AMC Scream Unseen event. You plunk down six bucks to see a film which has not yet been officially released, and the title isn't revealed until the lights go down and the film begins.

Shelby Oaks is scheduled to open Oct. 24, 2025.

I didn't know all that much about Stuckmann's film before going to see it Monday night. 

I first heard about it through YouTube chatter. That was about two years ago. 

When I saw the trailer, I got the impression it was heavily influenced by found-footage horror films, in particular Blair Witch. 

Eventually I learned that Stuckmann and his wife, Samantha Elizabeth, co-wrote the story. And they raised more than $1 million to start production. I am not sure what the film's final budget was.

A screencap from the trailer for "Shelby Oaks (2024)." Copyright 2024 by NEON.

I think there are some interesting surprises in the film's second half. And I don't want to give them away. I think folks who enjoy discussing films like these should go out and experience it a theater. The less you know the better.

But I'll brief you on the gist of the story.

By the way, you can learn a lot from a website which will immerse you in the world of Shelby Oaks. It's here:

https://whathappenedtorileybrennan.com/

Yes, I know The Blair Witch Project (1999) did something similar with its own genius online campaign. Shelby Oaks owes its existence to Blair Witch, to be honest. And this will probably be my harshest criticism of the film. 

Some of its attempts to recycle the Blair Witch magic work nicely. Some, like the appearance of stick figures in the forest on the outskirts of Shelby Oaks, will make you want to throw something at the screen.

Black Phone 2 (2025) did something similar with its numerous nods to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and its franchise.

And as I said in my review for that film, I'm not sure how hard-core fans of the genre will react to this stuff. Will it ruin the film for them? Or won't they care at all? 

Okay. End of rant.

So, why am I giving Shelby Oaks a somewhat positive review again?

It really comes down to the twists and turns. And aside from one or two obvious steals, like those damn stick figures, I thought that for the most part it was well-made and well-edited.

The first 15 minutes or so play out like Curse of the Blair Witch (1999), the televised mockumentary about the legend and the three missing filmmakers from The Blair Witch Project (1999).

I recognized what Stuckmann was doing right away, smiled and said to myself: "Okay. Fine. It's a cool homage. Proceed."

I love the found footage genre. So I thought this was a cool way to get us into the story, and show us some of the puzzle pieces that will, hopefully, come together before the credits roll.

So, instead of three missing filmmakers, Shelby Oaks gives us four. They are a group of ghost hunters who call themselves the "Paranormal Paranoids" and they post their adventures on YouTube.

I'm not going to get off this Blair Witch kick, am I?

Among them is "Riley Brennan (played by Sarah Durn)," a 20-year-old who has had a fascination with the supernatural since she had night terrors as a child.

In October 2008, she and her friends have a run in with fate while they're exploring a ghost town in Ohio called Shelby Oaks.

All four disappear. And we get some grainy video that supposedly shows the moment before Riley goes missing.

One thing I like about found footage stuff like this is it kind of forces me to really sit up and watch, to see if anything unusual enters the frame and so forth.

The film then picks up 12 years later.

Riley's older sister, "Mia Brennan (played by Camille Sullivan)," is obsessed with the case. 

And when she gets a knock at the door and the opening credits start to roll, she finds a clue which inspires her to visit the dreaded Shelby Oaks.

One thing that Stuckmann and his crew did kind of well were transitions, elements put in place to smoothly take us from one scene to another.

My favorite one involved a photo album.

That one really blew my mind. 

I won't say what it contained, but when that beat up thing was cracked open, we caught a glimpse of some grizzly images, crucial information to the case. It might be the best scene in the movie.

In general, the filmmaking is pretty good. There are some nice set pieces and some very tense moments. 

There is a big twist in the third act. And it sort of reminded me of the kind of twist you'd see in something like Zach Cregger's Barbarian (2022).

It's not the same twist, by the way. 

But I didn't see it coming. So I appreciated that. 

Surprises are good. Originality is good. Not always easy to achieve. But it's always best if you can somehow do your own thing.

My biggest complaint is how the film handles homages and nods to other films in the genre. 

At times Shelby Oaks feels like a collection of big ideas previously employed by classic films, including Silent Hill (2006) to Rosemary's Baby (1968), and the cult classic TV show Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017).

But if you're okay with that, cool. Roll with it.

RATING (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3.5.