Review – Shelby Oaks (2025) directed by Chris Stuckmann.
Watched on October 26th, 2025
Rating: 3/5 Stars
In March 2022, about 3 1/2 years ago, I decided to back Chris Stuckmann’s kickstarter campaign for Shelby Oaks. I had been a fan of his channel for a while, and it was super inspiring to see another YouTuber attempting the transition into filmmaking, similar to RackaRacka with Talk to Me (and now Bring Her Back too) even Markiplier with his upcoming feature adaptation of Iron Lung. At that time, I was a sophomore in college; while I already had a deep passion for film, I was still figuring my life out and ultimately what exactly I wanted to do with that passion/where my skills and interests lie. Seeing this YouTube pipeline was super inspiring, as not only was it motivating as an aspiring filmmaker myself, but seeing these YouTubers I followed “making it” felt like seeing a friend you’ve know for a long time finally succeeding. And so inevitably, I was super thrilled to pledge to this film.
I followed the journey over these 3 years, staying tuned into email and discord updates, eager for news about production and release. Eventually it began to screen at festivals, gaining some buzz and discussion. In summer 2024, when it was picked up by NEON, my anticipation and excitement went through the roof. I was just beyond thrilled and overjoyed that not only was the film now being distributed by one of the companies I most admire, but to know Chris Stuckmann achieved this incredible feat was additionally inspiring and moving.
A year later it the time finally arrived: I was finally going to see the movie. I was such a different person when I backed this campaign, and am now on a similar path pursuing filmmaking and production (most likely subconsciously inspired by stories like the journey of Shelby Oaks). In a lot of ways it feels weird that it’s even real, and that I was actually gonna see it. And then I finally got to watch this film that I had, in a way, been part of for 3+ years.
And I’ve been sitting on writing this review for a day now, partially because I simply haven’t had the time or energy due to a busy 24 hours post-film, but because of how I felt. I went in cautiously optimistic, but was ultimately hoping to leave feeling super satisfied and fulfilled with finally seeing the film in its full glory, one that I could say I truly enjoyed and loved. But I don’t think I really felt that way, and that was tough to come to terms with.
That’s not to say I’m not still incredibly inspired by the story or regretful of pledging at all; for what it represents and what it did for Chris as a filmmaker, I’m beyond proud to have helped with that journey and with the impact that I hope this film has in the eyes of the industry. But I think I just found that upon leaving the theater, the movie just left a good bit to be desired and I’m not sure everything entirely works.
There’s a good bit of really great scenes, scares, and performances (particularly from Camille Sullivan). The world-building too is really stellar with the intro and found-footage elements, I think maybe the strongest part of the film. But I think I just wished the movie reveled in its mystery a bit more, took a little more time with its journey, and maybe fleshed out a bit more of its lore and mythology. It may sound slightly contradictory to say the movie should lean into mystery and explain more lore, but strangely I found myself wanting both of these things. I think the movie and its pacing just felt really quick, and like it ended before it even started.
I do think I’d like to see it again if I can. Not necessarily because I think I’ll like it more, but maybe I can appreciate parts of it more as I do think there are strong things going on here, and ultimately things to be impressed at from a directorial debut.
It was a tough pill to swallow to have this reaction, but it would’ve felt off to pretend just because I was a part of it. I’m still so grateful and proud to have been a backer; I know this movie changed Chris’s life and have no doubt that this is the start of a long filmmaking career for him, and I’m sure he’ll only improve and will make some amazing films in the future.
After 3.5 years, I’ve finally closed this chapter in many ways. It feels strange, especially thinking of where I am in life now vs. then. Something Chris said in videos was that ultimately his hope is that someone sees Shelby Oaks and is inspired to make movies one day. While I can’t say the movie was entirely something I loved, this whole experience and journey supporting the film has undoubtedly inspired me to pursue my dreams of making movies, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Thank you, Chris Stuckmann, and thank you Shelby Oaks.
And lastly, it was super neat to see my name in the credits as a special thanks to backers of a certain pledge level :))))) hopefully this isn’t the last time I see my name in the credits of a feature film in theaters :)
Check out the original review posted on Letterboxd here.
