Shelby Oaks (2025)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- A determined Mia Brennan-Walker (Camille Sullivan) refuses to give up on the search for her missing sister, Riley (Sarah Durn). Riley, the host of Paranormal Paranoids, a ghost-hunting You Tube show, mysteriously disappeared with her co-hosts and friends Laura (Caisey Cole), Peter (Anthony Baldasare), and David (Eric Francis Melaragni), while filming footage in a town named Shelby Oaks. 

Mia, hoping to piece together more clues, travels to Shelby Oaks to find answers, after her husband, Robert (Brendan Sexton III) rejects Mia’s claims of supernatural interference. In Shelby Oaks, Mia learns more about the town’s past, and the troubled story of a man named Wilson Miles (Charlie Talbert)….

My Thoughts- Camille Sullivan delivers a solid performance in the leading role. Playing the distraught and dedicated sister, who’s carrying a heavy heart, it’s easy to believe that Mia will do ANYTHING she can do to find Riley. She’s not afraid to take risks, including searching a spooky abandoned prison, or walking through the woods at night to find a house out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a case, where you can excuse the usual stupid horror movie mistakes or cliches, because it’s all up to Mia to find Riley. 

The police? One dead end after another. Robert coldly urges Mia to seek help for mental health problems. Robert wants to support his wife, but he also knows the stress of trying to find Riley is draining Mia. He’s conflicted, and Robert hits a breaking point during Mia’s search, because he realizes she’ll never move on with her life, until she knows Riley is safe. But Mia refuses to give up, because she believes Riley is still out there somewhere.

Riley is alive! But it’s not a happy reunion for the sisters. Riley was kidnapped by a possessed Wilson Miles, after he murdered Laura, Peter, and David. Who possessed Wilson? A demon named Tarion. Wilson’s mother, Norma (Robin Bartlett), a follower of and a servant for Tarion, worked with Wilson to hold Riley captive at her house, so she could give birth to Tarion’s child.

Shelby Oaks delivers an eerie, bloody, and tense finale. Kudos to Sarah Durn for her acting chops. Yes, the gray hair, Riley’s rotted teeth, and the dirty make-up helps, but you can take one look at Riley, and you’ll instantly know this is a woman, who’s been through hell, a broken survivor, who’s a shell of her former self. You have to feel for Riley. She was sucked into years of misery, without any hopes of possibly escaping one day. The shot of the blood-stained mattress with ankle chains is truly a disturbing visual. Think about Wilson, that bed, the baby, and it’s not hard to put two and two together to figure out how the child was conceived. 

So Riley tries to return to a normal life, living with Mia and Robert. But Riley, knowing her baby is pure evil, tries to kill the child. Riley is knocked through the window after a struggle with Mia. On the ground, Riley suffers a brutal death, as she’s viciously torn apart by Tarion’s hellhounds. The closing shot of the movie shows Tarion possessing a hysterical Mia…and the baby is still alive.

Throughout the movie, we’re lead to believe Tarion solely targeted Riley to birth his child, but a final flashback reveals Tarion had his sights set on both sisters. On one hand, it’s possible Tarion decided to use the hounds to kill Riley, because Riley crossed a line, when she tried to smother the child with a pillow. Although, there’s a chance Riley’s death after giving birth was the plan all along. Tarion targeted Riley AND Mia. Maybe Riley outlived her usefulness, and Mia was the more appropriate fit to be a mother. 

It’s a gut-wrenching finale. Mia accomplished her goal. She found her sister after years of heartache and setbacks. But it’s all ripped away from her in a matter of seconds. Mia wanted a child with Robert, but things just didn’t work out for one reason or another. Well, she finally has a child, but it’s a child that will undoubtedly grow into a pure evil being.

Shelby Oaks does a good of balancing found-footage, a documentary about Riley’s disappearance, news clips, and a traditionally shot full length feature film. They abandoned the found-footage POV during the early stages of the movie, but it’s a smooth transition. After that, you’ll only see the found-footage, if it adds something to the story, including shots of the evil force stalking Riley, Wilson Miles, and any other clues Mia might’ve missed on previous viewings. 

The setup for Mia’s documentary really works, especially towards the end. Director Chris Stuckmann’s approach gives you the impression you’re getting a behind the scenes look at the making of the documentary, while Mia tries to manage shaky emotions and a desperate mindset. There’s a sense of relief, when the documentary concludes, but Mia’s newfound sense of happiness doesn’t last long.

Shelby Oaks features an overall solid cast, and if I had to pick a standout star, I’d easily go with Robin Bartlett. Norma (Bartlett) perfectly encapsulates everything about the modern day version of Shelby Oaks: Old, evil, cold, and you wouldn’t want to cross paths with Norma, if you visited Shelby Oaks. And Keith David serves his purpose during a brief appearance, as the haunted prison warden, who tries to lend a helping hand.

No jokes, smart remarks, or playful scenes. Shelby Oaks does a great job of balancing the horror side of the movie and a drama about a woman searching for her missing sister, while effortlessly interweaving found-footage and mockumentary elements to shape a coherent and polished film. It’s one dark and disturbing reveal after another as the story progresses, and there’s no happy ending here. For me, it’s a perfect timing ending. Closure, happiness, smiles, and sunshine? Nope. All of the feel-good stuff evaporates instantly, as the movie concludes with a gory gut punch. 

Also, Shelby Oaks is a fantastic setting for the movie. The old small town with a dark past is a perfect fit for a horror movie. It’s eerily quiet, and a big thumbs up for the shots of the abandoned stadium, the abandoned prison, and the amusement park. 

Time and the modern world forgot about Shelby oaks. Too many incidents and tragedies to recover from, and unless you actively have a death wish, it’s way too risky to simply visit Shelby Oaks. The flashback footage paints the picture of a nice and homely all-American town, a place Mia and Riley enjoyed as kids, so it’s more tragic, when you look at the current state of Shelby Oaks. 

Rating- 8/10