Shelby Oaks: Taking Cinematic Tension to New Heights

Shelby Oaks is the debut film from Chris Stuckmann (as writer/director). Yes, the Chris Stuckmann of YouTube movie reviewer fame. He has been talking about his dream of making a movie on his channel for years, and all I can say is congratulations, Chris. This is a hell of a first outing, and I look forward to your next project.

Shebly Oaks follows Mia (Camille Sullivan) as she searches for her sister Rylie (Sarah Durn), who has been missing for 12 years. Rylie was last seen investigating the town of Shelby Oaks with her paranormal investigation team for their YouTube channel. All four of them go missing during the investigation, leaving behind one camera with mysterious and concerning footage. After a week of intensive searching, the other three investigators are found brutally murdered. Shelby remains missing.

I always pull up the IMDb page for a movie as I start a review. This is to get the cast and crew information and to remind myself of the characters’ names. I’m terrible with names both in real life and in fiction. I was not surprised to find out that I liked this movie a bit more than the average viewer. The only thing that fell flat for me in this movie was the ending. No spoilers in this section, but it lacked the impact of the rest of the movie.

Otherwise, Shelby Oaks was a masterclass in tension and mystery. It had me scouring the background of every shot for clues. I’ve always felt that the most impactful horror is the one that the audience needs to solve. The movie created and maintained tension with unnatural skill. What it lacked were those moments where the audience relaxes, the comedic relief or daytime lunches that let people put down their guard, prepping them for the next buildup. Shelby Oaks was high-tension nearly all the time. A lot of viewers might find that uncomfortable.

I enjoyed Shebly Oaks. The story was interesting. It was surprisingly scary. Definitely one of the scariest movies I’ve seen in a while. There was even a moment where I rolled my eyes at Mia’s complete lack of self-preservation skills and who doesn’t love a good horror character acting like an idiot? This is a tense, scary horror movie. Perfect for Halloween.

Ready for the plot breakdown?? The mystery is a big part of this one, so if you don’t want it spoiled, jet out now.

Rylie Brennan hosts a ghost-hunting show called Paranormal Paranoids. On YouTube. This part of the movie is told via a documentary about her disappearance. It’s a pretty interesting way to do an information dump. That’s basically what a documentary is. We see a videotape of the last time Rylie was seen alive. She is doing one of those confession style videos telling her audience that she is terrified. Absolutely wild noises are coming from outside the door. I think I hear a bunch of dogs. I’d die trying to pet them. She opens the door, for some reason, walks off camera and is never seen again. I assume she adopted all the puppies and lived happily ever after.

Police eventually find one of the team’s cameras, obviously because we just saw the video, but they don’t find the other one. I guess they used two for most shoots. People online are assuming that this is all a hoax intended to build their channel. I’d probably think that too. But it’s now 12 years later and Rylie is still missing, so she is either really committed to the bit or gone.

In the early days after the disappearance, police followed the team’s last movements. This led them to the abandoned Shelby Oaks amusement park. Very little is creepier than an abandoned amusement park. Partially because it is very dangerous even with no ghosts. That Ferris wheel is 100% going to fall on you. Somewhere in the overgrown foliage, they find the other three investigators. I’m instantly suspicious that Rylie murdered them, but the police are not. I listen to way too much true crime for my own good.

The police watch the video a thousand more times, but it is the internet sleuths who see a strange man appear near the window after Rylie walks out of frame. It transpires that Rylie dreamed about all the places they visited in Shelby Oaks as a child. She also dreamed of a strange man staring at her through her second-story window. In the last video she recorded, Rylie tells Mia the man is back. So, is that the dude we just saw? He did not seem two stories tall.

Mia is getting interviewed by the documentary crew. She still has hope that her sister is alive. They break from filming for a moment when a man comes to the door. He says, “She finally let me go,” and shoots himself. It is nuts. I’m asking why? Mia is asking why? The documentary crew are questioning their choice of career. Clutched in the dead dude’s hand is the missing Shelby Oaks tape. He probably could have just handed that to Mia, but this is certainly a more impactful way to deliver it. Mia snags it before the police arrive.

Hours later, Mia sneaks off to watch the tape. She has not bothered to wash the poor man’s blood off of her. I can’t tell you how bothered I was by how long she left it there.

In the video, we see way more of the spooky things the paranormal investigators and Rylie were experiencing. Weird sounds (more dog barking), shadows that disappear, crazy things in the background. We even see the moment the videographer is brutally murdered, and a man grabs Rylie and drags her off. The video ends, and in the reflection of the screen, Mia sees two glowing eyes in the window. We are on the second floor, folks. This was a very effective scare. Chills for days.

The police pop over to Mia’s with an update on the guy who just died on her front porch. He had been imprisoned in the abandoned prison that Rylie and her Paranormal Paranoids group once investigated. The police say this man, Wilson Myles (Charlie Talbert), is the person seen in the investigation videos. I don’t know how this regular dude could have torn everyone apart, but that’s what we are going with. The prison also had a terrible incident when Wilson was there where the doors in his cell block malfunctioned, letting everyone free. Those men were also torn apart and murdered. So this Wilson guy is at best, seriously bad luck. I’m going with he is full of demons though.

Mia is putting some things together now. You see, Rylie’s nightmares ended when Wilson went to prison. Now, I’m very confused about how prison would keep magically evil nightmares away but go with it. Then, when Wilson got out of prison, they started up again. Mia knows Rylie wasn’t nuts because she saw the thing in the window one night while in Rylie’s room. Mia’s husband suggests she needs therapy.

Instead, Mia researches demons, concluding this must be an incubus, which has hellhound buddies, explaining all the barking. And there is a hellhound outside. Except I’m pretty sure it’s a German Shepherd. Don’t do them like that. They saved my life repeatedly in Fallout. Also, I can see the demon creeping in Mia’s window. It’s a peeper. Gross.

Mia does the only reasonable thing and takes a road trip to the haunted prison, ALONE. I know her husband thinks she’s crazy, but this is proving him right. Take a buddy with you. She finds Wilson’s old cell, taking some time to check out his decor, which includes a carving of RM (Rylie/Mia) – something the girls’ mom used to do when they were little. Mia hears something terrifying but casually waits to be attacked. The puppies arrive and she runs to the car.

But notably, not home. Mia goes to the amusement park. Once again, I’m sure I see the demon in the background. Mia sees a hellhound and follows it to the house from Rylie’s video at the beginning. Now, why would you think hellhounds would take you anywhere good? We don’t follow demons. That’s just common sense, I fear. A random, terrifying woman invites Mia into the house. She goes in. I sigh. And this is about where the movie lost me a bit.

Mia finds a photo album full of pictures of Wilson and Rylie, who seems to be constantly pregnant. Of course she gets caught, and the lady offers to take her to her sister. Who is in the creepiest basement known to man. Or demon. Rylie isn’t doing great, but Mia gets her out of the basement. She won’t leave the house without going to find her…baby. I know. We are all shocked. This baby is eating that creepy, 100% demon-possessed lady’s blood, so I suspect it is beyond saving.

The nursery is covered in photos of both Rylie and Mia. Cool. Creepy. The demon lady is killed, and Mia saves both her sister and the baby. Rylie isn’t psychologically well. And I have a lot of suspicions about the baby. Rylie and I are on the same page there, with Mia being the only idiot around. As soon as Mia leaves her alone with the baby, Rylie tries to suffocate it. But Mia, not getting the memo that this is NOT A HUMAN BABY, stops her accidentally tossing her out the window. Mia barely has time to register what happened when hellhounds come and rip Rylie apart.

And the demon walks up behind Mia, holding her shoulder and possessing her. Because you see, it was Mia he wanted all along. This was a messy, complicated way to get to her. I feel he could have accomplished this much easier without involving Rylie and not wasted like 12 years, but maybe demons don’t care about time management.

Love mysterious horror? Check out Of Monsters and Men.