SHELBY OAKS

SHELBY OAKS

A terrifying horror and the directorial debut of Chris Stuckmann

Riley was an online personality — an influencer and a member of a popular paranormal investigation crew. Then, one day, she vanished without a trace. Was her disappearance just a marketing stunt meant to boost her channel’s popularity? Or did something truly happen to her? As the questions pile up and the police fail to make progress, the only person determined to uncover the truth is her older sister, Mia.

Driven by obsession and willing to risk her marriage, Mia embarks on a relentless search — one that forces her to confront the possibility that the childhood monster she and Riley feared might not have been imaginary after all.

“Shelby Oaks” is a chilling two-part horror film. The first half is crafted in the best tradition of found-footage cinema, infused with the spirit of “The Blair Witch Project,” true crime docuseries, and the fascination with the unexplained. The second half plunges into full-blown horror — primal, skin-crawling, and suffocating — showing that some truths are best left buried, especially if we are not ready to face them.

“Shelby Oaks” marks the directorial debut of Chris Stuckmann, a hugely popular youtuber and film critic with over two million subscribers and nearly a billion video views. He crowdfunded the project through Kickstarter, with genre maestro Mike Flanagan on board as a producer. What could have been a flashy failure turned out to be a full-blooded, genuinely frightening horror film — the kind that makes a nighttime walk to the bathroom feel like an act of courage.

The film had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival, where it garnered glowing reviews, particularly for Camille Sullivan’s raw and emotionally charged performance as Mia.