Shelby Oaks

YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann's feature debut shows promise, but doesn't stick the landing.

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I know YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann more by reputation than by his work itself. Despite my unfamiliarity with Stuckmann, I was very curious to see his feature directorial debut “Shelby Oaks” (now in theaters) as it’s interesting to see one of our critical ranks putting their money (or their Kickstarter backers’ funds as is the case here) where their mouth is by making something substantial.

Mia (Camille Sullivan) has been searching for her missing sister Riley (Sarah Durn) for 12 years after she disappeared while filming the YouTube series “Paranormal Paranoids” alongside her fellow investigators Laura (Caisey Cole), Peter (Anthony Baldasare) and David (Eric Francis Melaragni). They were investigating our titular, fictional ghost town of Shelby Oaks located near the very real Darke County, Ohio. The murdered bodies of Laura, Peter and David turn up in the house where they were staying. Riley’s never does.

Documentarian Jess (Lauren Ashley Berry) is making a feature about Riley’s disappearance with Mia’s assistance. Riley’s disappearance has taken its toll on Mia’s marriage to Robert (Brendan Sexton III) and was a hindrance in them having children. Jess and Mia talk with Det. Burke (Michael Beach), prison warden Morton Jacobson (Keith David) and a rural woman named Norma Miles (Robin Bartlett) in hopes of getting to the bottom of what happened to Riley.

“Shelby Oaks” alternates between found footage and more standard horror fare. It feels like an amalgam of “The Blair Witch Project” and Ari Aster’s first two features “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.” I greatly enjoyed the first and last thirds of the picture, but feel as though its center was a bit boring and repetitive. Much of the casting is good. I really liked Sullivan’s and Bartlett’s performances and it’s fun to have 1990s teen movie staples Sexton (“Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “Empire Records”) and Charlie Talbert (he was the title character in “Angus” – I’d prefer not to disclose his role here) on hand. I’m a big fan of both Beach and David, but their roles here are limited and honestly distracting. Whenever they turn up I was taken out of the movie.

Stuckmann doesn’t quite stick the landing, but he’s made a promising enough debut that I’d be curious to check out whatever he does next.