Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 21, 2026

Horror can be a tough business, and it’s even harder when there’s limited imagination for frights in charge of the picture. Making his filmmaking debut is YouTuber Chris Stuckmann, who hopes to deliver a thoroughly terrifying feature in “Shelby Oaks,” though he doesn’t have much to work with in what’s truly a very dull endeavor. Lifting from movies such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” Stuckmann doesn’t have drive to really launch into disturbing behavior. Instead, he’s positioned himself somewhere between a found-footage endeavor and a chiller, never quite settling on a single approach to make sense of his main idea. “Shelby Oaks” aims to be creepy, but it’s painfully generic and poorly paced, resembling most other low-budget genre efforts in the marketplace with its strange appreciation of suspense and uneventful plotting.

Riley (Sarah Durn) was one of the hosts of the YouTube channel, “Paranormal Paranoids,” joining Peter (Anthony Baldasare), Laura (Caisey Cole), and David (Eric Francis Melagragni) as they investigate supernatural happenings for clicks. And then one day it all stopped, with Riley disappearing, leaving behind a final video that hints at an abduction, while her pals end up dead. 12 years after Riley went missing, her sister, Mia (Camille Sullivan), remains as determined as ever to find her, participating in a documentary on the case. One afternoon, Wilson (Charlie Talbert), a disturbed man, shows up at Mia’s doorstep and commits suicide, leaving behind a videotape in his hand. The footage contains more information about Riley’s whereabouts, inspiring Mia to pursue information concerning Wilson’s history, leading her to the secrets of the abandoned town, Shelby Oaks. Venturing into the area, the investigator is confronted with strange pagan symbols, evil dogs, and a house in the middle of the woods, trusting she’s getting closer to understanding what happened to Riley so long ago.

“Shelby Oaks” commences as a documentary on Riley and her disappearance. Stuckmann doesn’t provide a reason why were watching this footage, and it’s not even completed, as there’s a director calling the shots. There’s some confusion to help kick off the movie, but focus is quickly placed on Riley and her history as a YouTube personality, using her special way with the Other Side to generate videos for “Paranormal Paranoids,” creating a fanbase that eventually grows obsessed with her vanishing, turning her whereabouts into a movement. Mia is the star of the documentary, desperate to find any information leading to Riley, finding her own life and dreams of motherhood with husband Robert (Brendan Sexton III) dashed as her depression and confusion grows.

“Shelby Oaks” abandons the faux documentary approach after 15 minutes, switching over to Mia’s perspective on the case, which explodes into potential leads with the suicide of Wilson. He’s a mystery man handed a less than interesting history in the screenplay, while Riley is revealed to have a certain obsession with the unreal happenings at Shelby Oaks, including the town’s once famous amusement park. Stuckmann doesn’t escalate tension in the least, and his appreciation of the unknown is hackneyed, returning to the usual in experiences with evil symbols and demonic leads. “Shelby Oaks” relocates to the ghost town in its second half, putting Mia on the hunt for evidence of Riley’s presence, taking her inside an abandoned prison. It’s a lengthy sequence of Mia walking around in the dark, holding a flashlight as she surveys her surroundings. And it’s immediately followed by the character’s trip into a nearby forest, which is a lengthy sequence of Mia walking around in the dark, holding a flashlight as she surveys her surroundings. So much for variety.

Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation for "Shelby Oaks" does provide strong detail during fully illuminated scenes, especially with skin particulars, which supply a pore-ous look at the cast. However, these moments are rare, as the viewing experience is plagued by significant compression issues, especially during sequences with limited lighting. Banding is common, with a few major flare-ups, and posterization runs throughout the viewing experience, eliminating textures around locations and blurring set tours. Blockiness is also present. Color is acceptable, working with the movie's colder looks at concrete and steel prison life and woodsy forest visits. Clothing favors more autumnal hues, and skin tones are natural. Demon-y sightings and blood reds are appreciable. Delineation is passable when not swarmed by video anomalies.

Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix delivers crisp dialogue exchanges and interview footage, preserving emotionality throughout different environments. Scoring delivers support with sharp instrumentation and dramatic emphasis, and musical moods feel out the surrounds, creating intended intensity at times. Atmospherics are acceptable, exploring spooky locations with echo and movement. Sound effects are distinct. Low-end perks up with more shocking events.

Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Chris Stuckmann.

• "The Making of 'Shelby Oaks'" (HD) is broken up into chapters titled "From YouTuber to Director" (4:53), "Shaping the Vision" (4:37), "Shooting at the Brennan House" (3:28). "Mapping the Unknown" (3:47), "Trust Under Pressure" (4:41), and "The Final Frames" (5:06). The featurettes provide a brief examination of the production process, following writer/director Chris Stuckmann into the filmmaking experience after building an audience online, looking to test his helming skills in the world of horror. The creative process is followed from script to shoot, exploring how the low-budget endeavor was assembled, dealing with special effects and location work. Interviews with cast and crew are provided, highlighting the labor involved and vision secured, with pleasantries mostly shared. There's no post-mortem here, with cameras capturing the formation of "Shelby Oaks" to its final shoot day, putting stress on the team to deal with scheduling and setbacks. No footage of the movie's extensive reshoots is included here either.

• "Paranormal Paranoids" (SD) include "Mary Talbert" (10:38), "Suicide Shed" (4:59), "Darke County Correctional" (16:31), and "The Haunted Halls of Lincoln Elementary" (8:08). These are "episodes" of the paranormal investigation show featured in "Shelby Oaks," following Peter, Laura, David, and Riley as they seek out the unknown, armed with a video camera and friend interplay.

• "Crime Scene Gallery" provides three graphic images of dead bodies that are censored in the film.

• "The Final Tape" (13:18, SD) delivers the last episode of "Paranormal Paranoids," tracking Riley's growing unease as the gang speculates on her mental state and gets involved with unexplained events around a spooky dwelling.

• T.V. Spots (HD) offer "Find Out" (:32), "Knock" (:32), and "Footage" (:32).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:13, HD) is included.

Shelby Oaks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The picture is listed as "presented" by Mike Flanagan, and reshoots reportedly occurred in 2024 to give the film more violent content. It's easy to spot these additions, as complete screen stillness is suddenly interrupted by the occasional bloody event, but jolts aren't enough to magically make "Shelby Oaks" interesting. Stuckmann doesn't have a story here, he has mood, and even that is too derivative to capture attention. There's a little more to Riley and her experiences with evil, but originality isn't present to give the glacial feature a needed boost of hellraising. Instead, there's a day old bread vibe to the whole effort, and if you've seen a few horror movies in the last ten years, you've already seen "Shelby Oaks."