The Mosley Review: Shelby Oaks

As a fellow film fan and reviewer, I know my voice is in the pantheon of critics that will dissect the art that is presented to us. Sometimes one of us takes the leap of faith and dives into the film industry and makes their cinematic dream come to life. No matter how it comes out, the artist can sit back and say confidently that they've done it. That's exactly what the Youtube film critic, Chris Stuckmann has done and I applaud him for putting his money where his mouth was. For a debut title, it was a valiant effort to deliver a good and creepy supernatural tale. Like all films, it is not without its faults. The story was solid, but as it unfolds, it felt like a sometimes jumbled mixture of all of genres of horror that didn't quite mesh together well. It was very derivative, repetitive and the pacing was really hampering the second half of the film. The performances all around were definitely the shiny centerpiece of the calamity.

Camille Sullivan was fantastic as the lead of the story, Mia Brennan. Her determination to investigate her sister's disappearance was great. She gave off a classic horror heroine that you could respect and admire. Her emotional spectrum was fully explored throughout, but the shocking opening really illustrated how twisted up she was inside. I loved that she had no fear once she decided to seek out the truth of the mystery as it started to unravel itself. Brendan Sexton III was good as her sort of supportive husband, Robert Brennan. For a moment, we get to see the strain the investigation has taken on their marriage and you end up hating her husband completely. I felt his performance was pretty hollow at times. I get the tone of the film is bleak, but I wanted a little more life out of him to maybe match his wife's energy. Michael Beach was fun as the informative and charismatic, Detective Burke. The time we spend with him was good and he nailed the investigative tone that I enjoy in these type of films. Keith David was fun as the former prison warden, Morton Jacobson. You get the most creepy details from him as his powerful voice guides you through it. I loved that even though he gives alot of exposition, his charisma and delivery keeps you invested in every word. Robin Bartlett gives a great performance as Norma. She was the classic old hermit lady that lives alone and I enjoyed learning more about her. Now the real performance that really shines was none other than Sarah Durn as Mia's missing sister, Riley Brennan. I loved seeing the slow decent in despair through the many evidence tapes of her adventures investigating haunted areas. There were times where I wanted jump through the screen and grab her because I got so annoyed everytime she would stop, feel a presence and then runaway from the area. We eventually find out what happened to her and its disturbing, but dare I say stereotypical of the horror genre. She delivered a stellar and heartbreaking performance either way.

The score by composers James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers was good and eerie throughout. Visually, the film looked great as the cinematography was well handled in the more darkly lit scenes. There are some truly great still shots in the film that I could post up on my wall. Like I said before, it is a debut film and it is not without its faults. Loved the mystery of it all, but the pacing truly needed work in the third act of the film. You have your audience on the edge of their seat when you're traversing a dingy location, but we can only stare at the same shocked expression of the lead character so many times before we get bored. The atmosphere is there, but not every shot needs to linger for fifteen seconds to establish presence of something spooky. The entire premise is derivative of other familiar supernatural stories and that was fine, but I felt it didn't have anything new to say or portray. The entity is cool and how you use it, but that's about it. I wasn't a fan of the ending as the last shot felt over done. Overall, for a debut film, I applaud writer and director Chris Stuckmann for fulfilling his promise to not only the audience, but to himself. He proved that anyone can make their dream come true in the film industry if you have the same level of determination and dedication. This was a great starting position to a new career that I believe has great potential. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!