The feature film debut of writer/director Chris Stuckmann has a solid, albeit slightly familiar, premise. In 2008, four YouTubers known for a ghost hunting show called ‘Paranormal Paranoids’ go missing near the deserted town of Shelby Oaks, sparking conspiracy theories and suspicions it’s a hoax to increase the channel’s notoriety.

When the bodies of Laura (Caisey Cole), Peter (Anthony Baldasare), and David (Eric Francis Malaragni) are discovered, however, the focus shifts to the fourth member: host Riley (Sarah Durn), whose disappearance prompts nationwide speculation around the question: “Who took Riley Brennan?”

That’s the question that Riley’s older sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) can’t stop thinking about. Twelve long years after the disappearance of her supernaturally gifted sibling, Mia is being interviewed by a documentary team led by Janet (Emily Bennett). It’s something of a hail mary by Mia’s husband Robert (Brendan Sexton III), who hopes that this new development will offer closure so that they can finally start a family.

When a stranger (Charlie Talbert) appears on Mia and Robert’s doorstep in a moment of shocking violence, Mia obtains a new clue to Riley’s disappearance that feeds her obsession. The rest of the film documents her fevered investigation into her sister’s disappearance, which intersects with revelations about Riley’s childhood nightmares, a string of incidents that left Shelby Oaks a ghost town, and other dark, possibly supernatural, elements.

Mia’s investigation is easily the best part of the film. Approximately the first fifteen (pre-title & credits) minutes is a prolonged synthesis of ‘Paranormal Paranoids’, the timeline of the case, snippets of various YouTube episodes, and news footage documenting the disappearances. It’s a lot of information to process even before the film’s main characters appear, which then introduces even more specific information about the interceding twelve years and Mia’s relationship with Riley.

Still, the deluge of character backstory and exposition moves quickly (thank editor Patrick Lawrence) and before long Mia is in full-investigative mode. It’s here that Struckmann shows his hand as both a critic and horror enthusiast: not only is the found footage/documentary-style approach heavily reminiscent of Lake Mungo and The Blair Witch Project, there are spooky segments set in an abandoned amusement park, a decaying jail and even a micro fiche sequence in a dimly lit library.

There’s a risk that Mia’s actions render her a challenging (at best) or unlikeable (at worst) protagonist. This is especially true of the numerous instances when she discovers a new clue that sends her driving out to isolated locations in the middle of the night. Thankfully Sullivan’s fully committed and believable performance makes Mia a compulsively watchable character, even when Mia is making extremely questionable and dangerous decisions.

The other characters exist primarily to tease out exposition or reinforce to the audience that Mia is spiralling out of control. Robert is very nearly a foil for Mia: although he clearly loves his wife, Robert’s scenes primarily highlight that Mia isn’t sleeping, eating, or being present in their marriage.

Everything culminates in a third act climax that delivers a wobbly, if slightly unsatisfying, resolution. Here Stuckmann’s reverence for a variety of horror greats, from older films like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen to newer titles like Hereditary (and, interestingly, Jaume Balagueró’s The Nameless), tips Shelby Oaks into the realm of pastiche. The result is a film that plays more like a blend of horror titles that Struckmann appreciates and admires, as opposed to something wholly original.

With that said, the climax of Shelby Oaks easily offers the film’s scariest visuals and at least one A+ jump scare. This is due, in part, to an exceptionally creepy and memorable antagonist, as well as director of photography Andrew Scott Baird’s tense framing and a discordant score by James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers.

Even if the film’s closing moments are something of a fumble, the scenes set in the spooky cabin, as well as the film’s strong first hour, confirm that Stuckmann is one to watch, particularly when the first time writer/director sets out on his own path.

Shelby Oaks isn’t a slam dunk, but it is definitely worth a look.

Shelby Oaks premiered at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival