Despite the potential during the midpoint, Shelby Oaks loses its way in the final lap.
Shelby Oaks, which played at Fantasia Festival, begins on a promising note but soon prolongs its stay while relinquishing the audience’s ability to suspend disbelief. It has good ideas but mistakenly jams them together in a haphazard manner, knocking one out of immersing in the movie’s world. The acting and choices of the cast do not help as all of them feel less like a cohesive team and more like random people acting out a film even they do not fully understand. Despite the potential during the midpoint, Shelby Oaks loses its way in the final lap.
Chris Stuckmann makes his directorial feature with Shelby Oaks. Stuckmann’s partner, Sam Liz, helped him write the screenplay. Part mockumentary, the film follows Mia, played by Camille Sullivan (Hunter Hunter, The Disappearance), as she searches for her sister, Riley (Sarah Durn, Where the Crawdads Sing), who’s been missing for twelve years. It begins in a documentary fashion but soon forgoes it for sensational horror. Unfortunately, it feels too pointless and has limited frights.
Shelby Oaks Would Work Better As a Short
Too much of the dramatics in the film lack the tension needed for a full-length feature. The swelling music would work in a short film where the terrifying payoff occurs sooner. Good examples of those are 3 Versos and Suckablood. With this music, audiences are likelier to laugh as its soap opera-esque theatrics pull down whatever tension the movie attempts to thread. Unfortunately, the music has the opposite effect and the plot lacks a sturdy foundation.
Chemistry Takes Too Long to Build
Throughout the film, it isn’t easy to care about Mia or her sister, Riley. Mia’s obsession with finding her sister is twelve years brewing at the point where she forfeited having children with her husband, Robert (Brandon Sexton III, Don’t Breathe 2). Speaking of the couple, some choices stretch believability. If they are estranged yet residing together, make it clear. Do not walk it back. Mia’s covered in blood after a shocking event, and Robert just goes to bed. Then he does not reappear, despite her watching a loud, disturbing recording in the next room, until she runs outside, and then there’s concern.
While horror movies relied on the poor choices of their cast to ensure terrifying outcomes, it’s grown tiresome. Plus, there are moments that lack sense. For example, the scene with Keith David (Spawn, The Thing) where he explains a man standing in his cell is creepy. But it is difficult to picture. Perhaps the dialogue is the most lacking part of the movie.
With Shelby Oaks, many of the decisions are head-scratchers. It is possible to make a horror film where, despite stellar choices, the protagonists still wind up in circumstances beyond their control. Camille Sullivan’s performance is the film’s core, but not enough happens that makes sense or fosters interest despite her acting. At times, Shelby Oaks focuses so much on style that it bypasses attempts at tension.
Visually Works But Emotionally Lacking
Like the saying about crawling before walking, Shelby Oaks bypasses the former to attempt the latter and falls flat. Stuckmann knows how to make scenes look ominous but lacks the additional emotional weight. The only tense moment is when Mia investigates the prison and part of the amusement park. Instead of mixing a documentary at the beginning, making the film a found footage horror entirely would’ve worked better. The reveal is not shocking or earned. While Shelby Oaks looks good, through a murky plot, odd character decisions, and even purposeless directorial shots, the film fails to find enough tension to keep audiences on edge.
