Movie · 2025 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 31m · R · English
Curator score: 0.7/10 (117.1K ratings)
Who took Riley Brennan?
Overview
A woman's obsessive search for her missing sister leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unknown evil.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.7/10
IMDb: 5.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.55/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
Metacritic: 40
TMDB: 5.7/10
Director
Chris Stuckmann
Production
Paper Street Pictures, Intrepid Pictures, HLBRK Entertainment, Title Media
Cast
Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Keith David, Derek Mears, Emily Bennett, Charlie Talbert, Robin Bartlett, Mason Heidger, Joe Quinn, Mariah Burks, C.L. Simpson, Sloane Burkett, Brenna Sherman, Caisey Cole, Anthony Baldasare, Eric Francis Melaragni, Lauren Ashley Berry, Lori Palminteri
Where to watch
Hulu
Curator Review
Verdict
A scrappy, horror-fan-forward mystery with a strong opening stretch and some effective scares, but the tonal split between faux-documentary dread and more conventional horror undercuts the payoff. It sounds most rewarding for viewers who enjoy style, atmosphere, and genre mashups more than airtight plotting.
Best for
found-footage and mockumentary horror fans
viewers who like mystery-driven ghost stories
fans of late-2000s/early-2010s horror textures
audiences tolerant of uneven but energetic genre debuts
Skip if
you want a tightly constructed mystery with a satisfying third act
you dislike jump-scare-heavy horror
you prefer fully committed found-footage storytelling
you’re looking for a polished, seamless tonal balance
Overview
Shelby Oaks plays like a filmmaker’s love letter to horror history, especially the era when online sleuthing, cursed footage, and missing-person mysteries fed each other. The opening is the strongest material here, with a creeping sense of unease and a format that immediately gives the story texture and momentum.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie seems to change its mind about what kind of horror it wants to be. Once it leaves the faux-documentary mode, the tension becomes less distinctive and the mystery starts to feel familiar, even generic. There are still a few well-staged scares and a clear affection for the genre, but the pieces don’t always lock together.
Bottom line
As a debut, it has personality and ambition, and that counts for a lot. But if you’re hoping for a fully satisfying mystery-horror hybrid, this one is likely to feel more promising than complete.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ChrisStuckmann · 6173 likes
Fantasia! I will forever remember this night. Thank you so much to everyone who came to see our film. Watching it with a passionate, enthusiastic crowd was one of the most surreal, out-of-body experiences of my life. On to FrightFest!
Marina May (3★) · 3342 likes
got me at the mockumentary intro, lost me at the third act
Bryan Espitia (2★) · 2614 likes
Crazy how this manages to be every horror movie ever
Kylo (3★) · 2329 likes
Finally got to see why Chris Stuckmann stopped criticising anything and won’t shut up about how hard it is to make movies.
rory 𖤇 (1.5★) · 1976 likes
the black mold all over those walls...jk rowling girl that's you in 10 years