Cannibal Holocaust. The Blair Witch Project. Paranormal Activity. Lake Mungo. No matter how many times you flip, slice, and remix the found footage horror subgenre, there’s always an appeal. It’s one thing to have nightmares of fictitious icons like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger – but something entirely different to imagine the haunts and shrieks of the underworld breaking through our own. “Shelby Oaks” is a little bit of a Frankenstein of worlds colliding. It’s styled in part like the 2000s era films, complete with obscured views and shaky cams.
At the beginning of the film, the host of the Paranormal Paranoids, a viral ghost-hunting YouTube series named Riley (Sarah Durn), is horrified at what is outside her bedroom door. The audience witnesses her last known moments alive through grainy VHS-style footage. Riley has gone missing without a trace for almost a decade, while the abandoned Ohio town in which she and her friends were investigating revealed little about their whereabouts. Her sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) has never given up on the search and is the subject of her own documentary, trying to track Riley down. In the first act, writer/director Chris Stuckmann intertwines mockumentary-style interviews with grainy footage reminiscent of the early days of “Ghost Adventures.”
“Shelby Oaks” / Photo Credit: Neon Pictures
There’s intrigue at first, squinting to notice obscured figures within the investigations and trying to piece the mystery together. Was Riley and her friends’ disappearance an act of a person or something more malevolent? The film looks to subvert expectations when there’s a revelation that three of Riley’s ghost-finding compatriots were brutally murdered. Yet, there’s no trace of Riley at all. It’s a steady, slow burn that will send Mia down a rabbit hole of odd occurrences inside an abandoned town of Darke County. Once “Shelby Oaks” ‘s method of fact-finding commences, it feels as if you are propelled in a moving car down the hallways of a haunted house – barely getting a glimpse of the puppetry and actors that make the experience worthwhile.
The film soon becomes a dealer’s choice of homages – only particularly concerned with ingraining themselves inside the lore “Shelby Oaks” would like to build. A character springs into action, tracking down any sort of information by doing extensive research. They then share that with a loved one, who informs them that it’s a bridge too far and they may need help. The character then embarks on an expedition alone, and it becomes clear why this would prove to be trouble. “Shelby Oaks” abandons an eerie premise at the service of checking off boxes.
As it turns out, Riley has spiritual sensitivity, and there’s a subplot regarding her and Mia’s childhood and a possible sinister force surrounding them. Yet, there is not enough investment in developing the bond between the sisters, or why the legend of the story matters beyond moving the plot forward. Other than the edition of Robin Bartlett’s creepy character of Norma, you can’t help but feel like you’ve missed something along the way. In his first feature, Stuckmann demonstrates his skill in crafting atmosphere and setting the tone to convey his intended message. The next step would be providing the why and the connecting pieces to keep the audience invested.
Darke County is indeed a playground for hidden secrets, speaking to our innate need to uncover them all. The film’s affinity for comfortability despite its fruitful setup would rather keep the interesting parts hidden.
