Get stuckmannized with popular YouTube creator's directorial debut
Chris Stuckmann's debut film 'Shelby Oaks' is out now!
Design by Zoey Lawrence.
"Shelby Oaks" is Chris Stuckmann's directorial debut and just in time for the fall season.
The film follows Mia, played by Carmille Sullivan ("The Unseen"), and a documentary crew in search of her missing sister, Riley. Riley was last seen in Shelby Oaks.
Starting from humble beginnings, Stuckmann has been on YouTube for more than 15 years, reviewing movies and inspiring people. He inspires me to put my work out into the world.
Stuckmann was picked up by producers Mike Flanagan and Neon to produce and promote his film, all because he put his content and passion out, turned on a camera and decided to make a difference in the world in media.
I had very high expectations going into this movie, as Stuckmann is one of my biggest inspirations and is what got me to start doing movie reviews. If it wasn't for him, I would not be doing this today, and I have so much to thank him for.
I will say that this is an impressive feat for someone, especially considering he made the movie on a kickstarter budget of $1 million. To compare, the typical horror movie budget ranges from $20 million to $50 million. That being said, the movie itself is...fine. It is a well-crafted movie that has a great setup but feels torn apart by two scripts.
Sullivan was great in the movie. She has a very intense script to work with, and I think she does a good job with what she is given. Her character makes some really dumb mistakes, but it's all followed by believable acting. Thus, the script really hurts her character.
Keith David ("They Live") was also great to see in this movie. He has a fun cameo and is always a pleasure to see on screen.
Sarah Durn ("Renfield") is the star of the show as Riley, as we get to follow her journey into hell through some great found footage sequences. Unfortunately, that's where my problems with the film start.
I will give Stuckmann the benefit of the doubt that he had limited resources during filming, but this film suffers greatly from two different ideas.
The film is split up into two segments, one following Riley in a found footage style of filming, and the other following Mia in a normally shot film production.
Mia's segments feel way more underdeveloped than Riley's, and the balance of the stories is thrown off as we switch perspectives constantly. Mia's segments are also much more stale and boring than Riley's segments, which is probably due to a limited budget. I feel like this film should have been found footage only, as those segments were really intense and scary. I jumped a few times during those scenes!
The lore introduced in the film is also confusing, as it tries to be a version of "Hereditary" but with half of the proper buildup in order for the twist to pay off.
The CGI is also questionable, but that's also probably due to a limited budget. I thought the monsters were cool, as there are three types of supernatural antagonists in the film. This causes the movie to feel super overcrowded and distracted.
All of these supernatural threats had to be explained and wrapped up under a limited runtime, and the ending felt like a cheap wrap-up rather than a satisfying conclusion. I can see Stuckmann's vision, but I do think he should have pulled back rather than pushed more into a film that already has a lot going for it.
Overall, if you want to have good original movies with aspiring creators that aren't A.I., then you should absolutely go see this movie. But for the first time, I'm not going to give a score to this movie. This was a hard thing to do, and Chris Stuckmann did the impossible and made his dream a reality. I tip my hat to that.
Carter Salley is Central Michigan Life's resident film reviewer and co-host of the pop culture podcast "Raving Geeks." He is majoring in media arts.
