Chris Stuckmann is no stranger to film, but stepping behind the camera as a feature director is a whole new arena. However, with Shelby Oaks, he makes a pretty strong first impression. Premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025, the film finds Stuckmann experimenting with style and structure, blending found footage with traditional cinematic techniques to create a tense horror experience.
The Paranormal Paranoids
The story is a simple one, but effective. Mia (Camille Sullivan) is determined to uncover the truth about her sister, Riley (Sarah Durn), who went missing along with her friends, the Paranormal Paranoids, while investigating the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. What follows is a mix of creepy moments of exploration, unsettling video clues, and sequences that genuinely make you lean forward in your seat.
One of the film’s biggest strengths is its ability to continue building layers of suspense. There’s almost a tactile quality to the scares that keep you grounded in the story while delivering those bone-chilling visuals we crave. The atmosphere is consistently tense, even in quiet scenes that build up to a bigger payoff. The way Stuckmann balances found footage sequences with more polished cinematography gives the film a rhythm that helps sell both the mystery at hand and the horror surrounding it all.
For the Fans
Fans of atmospheric horror and layered storytelling will find a lot to enjoy here. While what Stuckmann has crafted isn’t groundbreaking, it feels fresh and breathes new life into the found footage subgenre. Yes, the film might seem familiar. However, it taps into the same kind of fear that defined the early 2010s, when movies like Insidious and Sinister reminded us why we love to be scared in the first place.
Beyond its story and scares, Shelby Oaks works as an ode to the found footage subgenre. Stuckmann leans into the format’s strengths with home videos, shaky cams, and online clips, while balancing them with more cinematic sequences. The result is a film that celebrates the tension and suspense that found footage can bring, paying homage to classics of the style while still feeling fresh and intentional in its execution.
