Studio: DECAL - NEON
Release Date: 1/6/2026
Rating: R
Film Grade: C
The Story: Dark mystery surrounds the YouTube investigative team called the Paranormal Paranoids. Three of the group have been found dead near the abandoned city of Shelby Oaks, OH, but there have been no clues as to the whereabout of the last member, Riley. Undaunted, her sister Mia holds out hope that she may still be alive.
Fifteen years later a mysterious stranger shows up at her door with a new clue, one that pushes Mia to her own investigation.
My Take: Conceived by YouTube media reviewer, Chris Stuckmann, and based on a story from his wife, Samantha Elizabeth, we have a movie crowdfunded through Kickstarter. One might be curious how someone that watches and critiques all kinds of movies will handle a project like this, given the chance.
The story hook is a good one. You have a melding of the mysterious and gruesome, perfectly fitting for a YouTube styled documentary. The movie is even set up this way, as the Paranormal Paranoids fate is being covered by a documentary film crew. Archival TV footage and YouTube clips are used for background information and flavor. The first act works effectively in creating an atmosphere of mystery and menace.
By the time the movie stretches into the second act it starts to run out of steam. The investigation feels rote, with the audience connecting many of the dots before the script fills out the details. By the third act, we have the feeling that we’ve seen all of this before, with an ending that fails to shock or surprise.
Where the movie works best are the local settings and visual flair. Much of this was shot on location, as we visit an abandoned theme park (sadly, there’s not much left other than a Ferris wheel that’s overgrown by nature) and empty prison. They’re both shot in a creepy style, some replicating the look of consumer equipment that would have been available at the time, grainy footage an all. This gives the footage visual veracity that fits the story well.
It’s not enough to buoy the plot, though. Since we can already see where the movie is headed, the pace seems to meander, not offering as much as it could to entertain.
Visuals: The start of the movie caught me off guard. While the packaging labels it a 2.39:1, it begins with pillar boxed video in both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 footage. It’s not until the movie shifts away from the faux documentary framing device that the image widens to fill the full screen. It’s a bit distracting for those of us with cinemascope or variable screen aspect ratios, but isn’t an issue once the movie settles in.
Colors tend toward the muted and desaturated side of things, which works well for the subject matter. Contrast is good as well.
Audio: The disc features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that doesn’t distinguish itself. It could have benefitted from an Atmos mix, given some of its settings. There are some enveloping moments with spatial cues, but nothing overly noteworthy. Additionally, it misses the mark for a couple of jump scare moments that would have benefitted from some aural punctuation. The score ranges from subtle to deep, driving drumbeats and rich resonance.
Special Features: There’s a good selection of additional material here for those who want to dig deeper into the making of it. I did not find the hidden feature mentioned below.
- Six episodes of The Making of Shelby Oaks
- Four episodes of Paranormal Paranoids
- The Final Tap
- Crime Scene Gallery
- Director’s Commentary
- Special Hidden Feature
- Trailer, TV Spots, and More
Final Verdict: Stuckmann has made a perfectly average horror movie, which is not bad for an entry effort. While it has a great hook of a story, it’s too conventional by the halfway point to stand out in any particular way. With about thirty minutes left, my wife turned to me and asked if there were any tropes that hadn’t been included. While that may be a bit too hyperbolic, her point was valid. One might think that with his movie-watching history that some of those could have been avoided rather than cobbled together.
Recommended for anyone interested in seeing how the genre is handled by a YouTube personality or for those looking for a movie with an interesting setup and some creepy moments.
Interesting Fact: Elements of the story were inspired by Stuckmann’s own life, including struggles with infertility and leaving his family’s chosen religion.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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