I am a fan of found footage and although Shelby Oaks isn’t quite that, but it incorporates the concept into its narrative in a unique and satisfying way. It’s a horror film that’s largely told through a traditional narrative structure, but uses the disappearance of a group of content creators and the last footage they shot to lay the groundwork for a mystery that takes audiences through a crazy web of real and supernatural horror.
The film was directed by Chris Stuckmann from a screenplay he co-wrote with Sam Liz. Shelby Oaks begins as a pseudo-documentary telling the story of the disappearance of a number of Youtube personalities. In the world of film, the Paranormal Paranoids found success in the early days of the platform by creating a show that explored various paranormal locations. One day they went to film in Shelby Oaks, Ohio, a ghost town that had been abandoned years ago under mysterious circumstances. Some people said it was a curse, others that the land had started to decay, but no one really knows for sure why the residents packed up and left. The Paranormal Paranoids crew became part of this mystery. They never returned home.
A few weeks later, the bodies of three of the hosts were found in a remote cabin in the woods, but Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn) remained missing. This is where our story begins. Her sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) never gave up the search. For the past twelve years, she has struggled with uncertainty, dead ends, and a police force that simply left her sister for dead. But Mia can’t move on until she finds out the truth about what happened to Riley.
The fake documentary provides the backstory to the mystery, ending with a mysterious stranger appearing at Mia’s door during an interview and shooting himself in the head. After that, we turn to a traditional narrative, focusing on Mia as she tries to follow a new chain of evidence that could lead to her sister. Why wasn’t Riley found with the others in the cabin? And what had happened to them? To figure out the answers, Mia must revisit some of the footage from her last episode. She finds clues here and there—enough to keep digging, but nothing solid enough to convince those around her that she’s discovered something solid. But she knows she’s discovered something. She knows her ten-year journey is finally leading her to the truth, and every new piece of information she uncovers brings her closer to her sister.
The impact Riley’s disappearance has had on Mia’s life is palpable. Although Riley has been missing for twelve years, it might as well have been yesterday. There is a void in Mia’s life that just can’t be filled, and she can’t seem to move on from this moment. Her husband Robert (Brendan Sexton III) has tried to support her, but he is understandably frustrated. Mia’s obsession continues with no end in sight, and it has ruined any plans they had for themselves.
It’s details like these that really ground this story and give it weight. We don’t just hear Mia say that Riley’s disappearance affected her and accept that as fact. We see the impact it had, and we see that impact spread, and understand how deeply she is mired in grief and uncertainty. At one point, Robert says he hoped she could use the documentary to finally bring closure to the past, but it becomes clear that this is just the latest step in her decades-long search for answers.
Stuckmann creates a gripping mystery with this film. There are certainly supernatural aspects and some genuinely scary moments, but the question of what happened to Riley Brennan is the lynchpin that holds everything together. It’s that question and Mia’s need to know the truth that keeps everything moving. And as she begins to put the pieces together, it’s not immediately clear how they’re all going to fit together. This is one aspect that could divide audiences. The investigation gets a little murky in the middle and the direction it’s taking is a little unclear. It brings together a lot of elements from Riley’s childhood, footage from her last day of filming, and some pieces of folklore and history from the town of Shelby Oaks. It’s not immediately clear how many of these pieces fit together, which can make for an interesting mystery, but also has the potential for a frustrating viewing experience that will require a lot of patience from the audience.
If you are willing to have that patience, the film is genuinely scary and keeps you hooked until the end. It is a story that really depends on the unknown. The mystery of what happened to Riley and her friends, the setting of an abandoned ghost town and the fact that Mia is stuck in the moment her sister disappeared all combine to create an atmosphere that begs to be explored. It somehow lives in the space between Lake Mungo And The Ring – anchored by something emotional and searching for a terrible truth at the center of a ghostly mystery.
Movie rating: 4/5
