If you’ve ever talked to me about movies, chances are I have brought up a person whose videos I’ve watched on YouTube religiously for around fourteen years. That person is Chris Stuckmann. On a basic level, Chris and I shared the same taste in movies, but it was more his approach to talking about movies that really pulled me in. More than anything, Chris was a fan of movies first and foremost, and it was the passion above all else that has made me a long-time subscriber to his YouTube channel. 

In fact, it was Chris’s approach that inspired the very website you’re reading now. I started Screen Love Affair because I love movies and I wanted to share that feeling with the world. Like Chris, I wanted to put that passion out there with the hope that someone will discover a new movie that inspires them, because they read about it here. 

For Chris, though, talking about movies wasn’t enough. He has been a filmmaker since he was a kid and, as executive producer Mike Flanagan said tonight at the world premiere of Shelby Oaks, it was obvious that Chris would be here someday. 

I was able to attend the world premiere of Shelby Oaks as part of the coverage we’ve been doing of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. We got to hear from Mike Flanagan, who was also there to introduce Chris before the movie. The cast and crew in attendance stuck around for a Q&A afterwards as well. If you’d like to see that and our coverage of the rest of the Fantasia Film Festival, be sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)!

Shelby Oaks is a mystery-horror movie written, directed, and produced by Chris Stuckmann. The film stars Camille Sullivan as Mia, Brendan Sexton III as Mia’s husband Robert, Michael Beach as Detective Burch, Robin Bartlett as Norma, Keith David as Morton Jacobson, and Sarah Durn as Mia’s sister Riley. 

As for the plot, I’ll only provide you with a fraction of the synopsis because I think it gives you more than enough detail to know what kind of movie to expect:

“Mia frantically searches for her sister Riley, after Riley ominously disappeared in the last taping of a show by a group of paranormal investigators called the Paranormal Paranoids.”

Before we get into the review itself, rest assured that like all of my reviews, this will be SPOILER FREE. Also, for full disclosure, I was a backer on the Shelby Oaks Kickstarter campaign. I have no financial stake in the movie or anything, but when Chris announced the Kickstarter, it was important for me to give something back to the person that had given me so much for so many years.

So, without further ado, let’s get Stuckmannized! 

My Thoughts

To state it right at the top, I’m thrilled to report that this was a strong feature film debut for Chris Stuckmann! There was plenty of buzz and excitement around this one, especially amongst the sold out theatre in Montreal that came to watch the premiere. 

The performances were great all around, but the real standout here is the lead performance by Camille Sullivan. The whole movie rests on her shoulders and she does a fantastic job conveying the grief and the hope that her character carries throughout the movie. Another standout for me was Robin Bartlett as Norma. She had the entire theatre in the palm of her hand for every second she was on screen and was a genuine delight to watch.

Sticking with what I liked, Stuckmann’s direction was probably the biggest highlight of the whole thing for me. There was a confidence I could feel throughout the movie with almost every shot. Stuckmann isn’t just a fan of horror movies, he’s a student of the game, and he knows how to use the frame and audio to create specific feelings of dread in the audience. Even I, as a seasoned horror veteran, found myself getting drawn into these moments and experiencing some genuine scares. When I anticipated a jump scare approaching, Stuckmann would linger a beat or two longer than most horror movies. This restraint causes just an extra notch of suspense that really goes a long way when it comes to building and then releasing tension. 

To contrast the horror, though, this movie is also really funny. There were plenty of laughs to be had, not in the form of annoying quips or forced jokes, but in recognizing the humour that can only be found in the horror genre. Oftentimes in horror movies, there are certain moments that are so absurd that you can’t help but laugh. Shelby Oaks succeeds where most horror movies fail in this regard, because it recognizes the humour in those moments, while lesser movies insist on trying to make the absurd scary, which causes a disconnect with the audience. 

Another highlight was just the perspective of the movie itself. I won’t give anything away, but this was one of the best and most unique aspects of the movie. In a genre as populated as horror, it’s always impressive to me when you can do something new, and that’s what Stuckmann was able to do here. 

When it came to the sound, I was a little more mixed. One of the things that really takes me out of a tense scene in a horror movie is when I notice the audio drop out completely. It’s not just a subconscious thing that makes it easier for me to pay attention to every little sound, it makes me acutely aware of the fact that something loud is going to appear on the screen suddenly. I lose all sense of tension as I sit there simply waiting for that thing to happen. When it comes to the sound mixing and design, I find a more subtle approach, with a very limited score throughout, keeps me a little less aware and prepared for those jump scares. Then if you do drop the score, it may take more time for me to realize, and you can execute a great scare. 

The score was a little more mixed for me, too. There were genuine moments where the music itself was interesting, but, in other moments, it was a little too present and noticeable. 

One thing that I wasn’t as keen on, though, was the writing. Unfortunately, I can’t talk too much about these specific things without spoiling plot points in the movie, but what I can say is that there were a lot of little things that didn’t come together for me. Whether it was the way characters reacted to certain events, or just massive gaps in logic that occurred as we began piecing the mystery aspect of the movie together. It’s possible that some things were left on the chopping block in the edit that would clear up a lot of these minor issues that I had with the script, though. 

Unfortunately, at least in the cut that was shown at Fantasia, there were enough of these issues that it did detract a bit from the movie overall for me. 

This was a definite surprise for me, though, because going in, I expected the direction to be what lacked in this movie, if anything, given that it’s Chris Stuckmann’s first time directing a feature. Over the years, I had heard him discuss the numerous spec scripts he wrote, so I expected the script to be a bit tighter overall. 

To be clear, this wasn’t a dealbreaker by any means. These are just small details that I found myself thinking about after the movie was over.

Verdict

This is a great start for Stuckmann, who demonstrates how far genuine passion and love of the medium can carry you. This wasn’t the tenth sequel to a decades old franchise or some heartless cash grab produced by a big studio. This was a low budget DIY movie that was funded by fans and, despite that fact, Shelby Oaks has more juice than the vast majority of horror movies today. 

I definitely see why NEON has opted to distribute this movie too. Off the heels of Longlegs setting box office records and dominating the headlines, NEON took the opportunity to announce that it would be distributing Shelby Oaks in 2025. This has elevated the buzz and excitement around this movie to a whole new level, and I’m excited for this to be seen by more people. 

The singular creative hold that Stuckmann has on this movie is what ultimately sets this apart from its peers. While it’s not a perfect movie, it’s clear that Stuckmann is a very capable director. If I was an executive in Hollywood, I’d give Chris Stuckmann what he needs to bring his next vision to life. If this is what he is capable of, handcuffed with limitations, I can’t begin to imagine what awaits us when those cuffs come off.