Shelby Oaks (2025)
🎬 Shelby Oaks (2025) – A Complete Review and Preview of Chris Stuckmann’s Horror Debut
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| Official Poster |
🕣 Quick Information
- 📅 Release Date: October 3, 2025 (U.S. theatrical release)
- ⭐ Genre: Supernatural Horror / Mystery
- 🎞 Runtime: 102 minutes (1h 42m)
- 💵 Budget: $1.4M – $2.8M (Kickstarter + additional funding)
- 🎬 Director: Chris Stuckmann
- 🎼 Music: James Burkholder, The Newton Brothers
- 🎥 Cinematography: Andrew Scott Baird
- Distribution: Neon
🎭 Cast
- Camille Sullivan as Mia Brennan
- Sarah Durn as Riley Brennan
- Brendan Sexton III as Robert Brennan
- Michael Beach as Detective Burke
- Keith David as Morton Jacobson
- Robin Bartlett as Norma
- Charlie Talbert, Emily Bennett, Rob Grant, and others in supporting roles
🔍 Plot
At its heart, Shelby Oaks is the story of grief, trauma, and supernatural mystery.
Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan) has been haunted for over a decade by the mysterious disappearance of her sister, Riley. Riley wasn’t just anyone—she was part of a ghost-hunting YouTube team known as The Paranormal Paranoids, a small group that rose to online fame by investigating haunted houses, abandoned factories, and eerie backroads across America. Their videos always struck a balance between entertainment and unsettling realism.
But twelve years ago, the team vanished. No bodies, no official explanation—just rumors, whispers, and one final disturbing video.
Now, Mia is still trying to move forward. She has a husband, Robert, and a life that looks steady on the surface. Yet, she cannot escape her obsession with Riley’s fate. When a documentary filmmaker approaches her, claiming new tapes of the Paranormal Paranoids have surfaced, Mia’s world is turned upside down.
The film follows Mia’s emotional descent into obsession as she retraces her sister’s steps, investigates abandoned sites like an old prison and a rusted amusement park, and slowly uncovers evidence suggesting Riley’s disappearance wasn’t just human foul play—it might be supernatural.
And through it all, the question lingers like a shadow: Who took Riley Brennan?
🎯 Hook Moment – Why You Can’t Miss This Movie
- A YouTuber’s Dream Realized: Chris Stuckmann, a well-known YouTube film critic, makes his feature directorial debut here. Horror fans and Stuckmann’s followers have been eager to see whether his years of critiquing movies would translate into creating one.
- Crowdfunded Passion Project: Shelby Oaks broke records as one of the most successful horror films funded on Kickstarter, proving that fans genuinely believed in this vision before a single frame was shot.
- Found Footage Meets Traditional Horror: While it borrows elements from found footage and documentary-style storytelling, the movie blends it with traditional horror filmmaking, offering a hybrid style that feels fresh.
- Reshoots Elevated the Gore: Thanks to Neon’s backing, reshoots added more practical gore and visceral horror, satisfying hardcore genre fans.
- Emotional Core: Unlike many horror films that focus only on scares, Shelby Oaks ties its terror to grief, family trauma, and the longing for closure.
This isn’t just another jump-scare horror movie—it’s a deeply personal, haunting journey wrapped in supernatural mystery.
🔥 Fan Buzz
From the moment this project was announced, the horror community couldn’t stop talking about it. Here’s why fans are buzzing:
- Kickstarter Hype: The film raised over $650,000 on Kickstarter, later surpassing $1 million, making it one of the biggest horror projects in crowdfunding history.
- Chris Stuckmann’s Name: Having built a reputation on YouTube as an honest, thoughtful film critic, Stuckmann’s transition to filmmaker carries weight. Fans feel invested in his success.
- Trailer Speculation: The official trailer teased eerie found-footage snippets, unanswered questions, and the haunting tagline: “Who took Riley Brennan?” This alone set off endless online theories.
- Horror Community Support: From Reddit threads to Twitter/X conversations, horror fans have rallied behind this indie production, calling it one of the most anticipated supernatural thrillers of the year.
- Festival Reception: Its premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2024 earned praise for atmosphere and emotional weight, even if some critics noted familiar horror tropes.
The excitement is real—and with Halloween season release timing, it’s perfectly positioned for maximum impact.
😲 Shocking Scenes That Will Blow Your Mind
⚠️ Minor spoilers ahead ⚠️
- The Second Tape Reveal: Mia receives a long-lost tape showing the Paranormal Paranoids’ final days. The footage is raw, disturbing, and suggests Riley might have encountered something beyond human comprehension.
- The Prison Sequence: One of the creepiest settings—a derelict prison—becomes the stage for tense moments where shadows and silence play tricks on both Mia and the audience.
- Amusement Park Horror: An abandoned amusement park sequence delivers surreal dread, turning rusted rides into grotesque symbols of forgotten joy.
- Practical Gore Moments: Thanks to Neon’s reshoots, certain scenes showcase more explicit violence, grounding the supernatural in tangible, shocking brutality.
- Blurred Reality: Some sequences intentionally make you question whether Mia is hallucinating or experiencing real hauntings—leaving viewers unsettled long after the credits roll.
🎬 Facts About Shelby Oaks
- Kickstarter Record-Breaker: Raised more than $1 million, setting a benchmark for indie horror crowdfunding.
- Director’s Debut: Chris Stuckmann went from film critic to filmmaker, making this a rare YouTube-to-Hollywood success story.
- Reshoots Funded by Neon: The distributor financed new scenes to ramp up violence and supernatural elements.
- Cinematic Roots: Shot partly in Ohio, using authentic abandoned buildings to enhance realism.
- Music by The Newton Brothers: Known for horror scores (The Haunting of Hill House), adding emotional depth to the scares.
- Dual Editors: Patrick Lawrence and Brett W. Bachman handled the editing to balance documentary style with cinematic narrative.
- Delayed by Strikes: Post-production was slowed during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
- Festival Buzz: Premiered at Fantasia Festival in July 2024.
- Mixed Early Reviews: Praised for atmosphere and emotion; critiqued for familiar horror beats.
- Neon’s Backing: The studio known for edgy films (Parasite, Titane) is betting big on Shelby Oaks.
🔥 Trending Moments Everyone’s Talking About
- The tagline “Who took Riley Brennan?” is trending across horror communities.
- The reshoot gore scenes are sparking curiosity, with fans eager to see how much darker the final cut became.
- Critics and fans alike are praising the sound design, saying silence has never been this terrifying.
- Discussions about whether the film is psychological horror or pure supernatural are dividing audiences—some argue it’s about trauma more than ghosts.
- Horror fans love spotting easter eggs that reference YouTube culture and Stuckmann’s own history as a critic.
🔊 Marketing Strategy
The marketing for Shelby Oaks is as creative as the film itself:
- Viral Lore Building: The fictional “Paranormal Paranoids” was promoted like a real ghost-hunting group online, blurring fact and fiction.
- Kickstarter Engagement: Thousands of backers essentially became ambassadors, spreading word organically.
- Festival Rollout: Premiering at horror-focused festivals to build critical buzz among genre fans.
- Tagline Power: Using “Who took Riley Brennan?” as the main marketing hook invites audience participation and speculation.
- Leveraging YouTube Fanbase: Stuckmann’s followers provide a built-in fan army for promotion.
- Social Media Clips: Short teasers highlighting the most chilling found-footage moments keep the buzz alive.
- Halloween Release Slot: Perfect timing ensures strong audience turnout for spooky season.
🎬 Behind the Scenes
- Personal Vision: Stuckmann has openly said this film represents years of dreaming about directing.
- Found-Footage Challenge: Balancing realism with cinematic polish required multiple cameras, editing techniques, and creative framing.
- Practical Effects First: Blood, gore, and scares were done practically whenever possible, in line with old-school horror philosophy.
- Tough Shoot: Shooting in real abandoned locations brought logistical nightmares—cold nights, unsafe structures, and limited power sources.
- Reshoot Enhancements: In March 2025, Neon funded new gore-heavy sequences to satisfy hardcore horror audiences.
- Editing Puzzle: Because the film shifts styles—from faux-documentary to narrative—the editing team had to carefully pace transitions without losing immersion.
Final Verdict
Shelby Oaks (2025) is more than just another horror movie. It’s a passion project that bridges internet fandom, indie filmmaking, and mainstream horror distribution. With its mix of found footage, emotional storytelling, and supernatural dread, it’s positioned to become one of the most talked-about horror releases of the year.
It won’t be for everyone—some may find its tropes familiar—but for fans of atmospheric horror, eerie mysteries, and stories rooted in grief and obsession, this is a must-watch.
Rating Expectation: 3.5–4/5 (based on early reviews + fan buzz).
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