Published: November 10, 2025
Chris Stuckmann’s debut film, Shelby Oaks, opened in theaters on October 24th. Starring Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Keith David, and Michael Beach, the film is a horror mystery, and currently sits at a 58% critic score and a 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While audiences and critics alike find the film to be just okay, there are plenty of things to enjoy about this movie. The acting is superb, the story is good, the music is eerie and atmospheric, the overall look of the film is consistent and unique, and the story unfolding in the background of everything happening to the protagonist all come together to create a solid debut film from Stuckmann.
While some of the plot points were predictable, the plot moves along steadily and is easily digestible. The introduction fools viewers into thinking they’ll be watching something totally different, which was an interesting choice that I enjoyed. Most of the heavy lifting in the film was done by Sullivan’s character, Mia, who is searching for her lost sister, Riley, in the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. A majority of the plot followed Mia in her search for the mystery, with very few other characters gracing the screen. Mia’s husband, a crew of documentarists, a police chief, a prison warden, and the evil forces in the film all interact with her, but in small amounts. Sullivan’s performance added to the film significantly, creating the bridge between the story and the characters. In true horror movie fashion, this movie keeps you guessing as to what will happen next until the credits roll. While it’s not a perfect film by any means, it’s an enjoyable watch, it’s timely, and it’s the director’s debut film. For his first directorial project, Stuckmann created a solid horror movie for the Halloween season.
