What happens when one of YouTube’s most respected film critics decides to step behind the camera? You get “Shelby Oaks”, a haunting hybrid of found footage, mockumentary, and classic horror that feels as nostalgic as it does unnerving. Written and directed by Chris Stuckmann, the record-breaking Kickstarter project brings the paranormal to Ohio (and to your nerves) with a story rooted in personal loss, creative obsession, and the eerie nostalgia of early YouTubers. ABC4 film critic Patrick Beatty spoke with Stuckmann about his YouTube days and the challenges of transitioning to a director.
Patrick B: One of my first questions is because obviously, you have this incredible record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. Mike Flanagan is the executive producer of this movie. You’re going back to your YouTube roots, and you’re delivering on something that I don’t think the horror genre is really giving us right now. What made you decide that this was the story that you had to tell and that you had to put on a big screen?
Chris Stuckmann: I think it’s a combination of having this personal experience with having not seen my sister for as long as I did when I was a kid, and kind of wanting to find a way to tell that in a genre story. I had written a lot of spec scripts before I got this one greenlit, about 6 or 7, and this one was the one that kept getting attention back then. It kept rising to the top of the pile, and a producer would read it here and there and say, “I think there might be something here”. And when you don’t have any prior credits, and you just are so desperate to get out there and make stuff, you follow the heat. “Shelby Oaks” was the one that kept getting heat.
The meetings that I would try to get which was tough to get those meetings. But, I think it was because it was a combination of the found footage, the mockumentary, and the traditional narrative. There was a portion of the movie that could be shot very efficiently and not, like, be that difficult from a budget standpoint. And so I think it was like the combinations of, hey, I know I can get into these locations in Ohio where I live, and they’ll make our film look more expensive than it is. Also, there’s a portion of this movie we can do very efficiently, but also people like the story, and it was personal to me, and it had that juice in there. You go where the heat is, man.
Patrick B: A question about film criticism and making this transition to directing. When you were making the movie, were there any times when in your head, you started noticing that you were being critical in the sense of Chris Stuckmann, the film critic? And how did you try to work through that to make Chris Stuckmann the director be able to bring what you were trying to bring?
Chris Stuckmann: I think, honestly, every filmmaker that I know is immensely critical of their own work. I think more so than anyone really. I believe that wholeheartedly that all filmmakers are the harshest critics of themselves because most of us have imposter syndrome. Most of us tend to second-guess ourselves, or even triple-guess ourselves, so I don’t know that I was able to turn it off because I’m always in that state of mind, of feeling like I’m not quite like something. It’s just a balance of having a somewhat healthy amount of self-critical eye and then also just trying to sit back and be like, “making movies is supposed to be fun”. We’re supposed to have fun making this movie and ensure that the crew and actors are having a good time, that everyone feels safe, and that they’re having a good time. It is a balance, but it’s tough.
Patrick B: I want to talk about the level of, I guess, accuracy when it comes to this old-timey YouTube that really I long for, like back in the day, those, those old shows, they felt like they could be anything. And you really captured that well, what was it like working with those old cameras and making things feel as authentic as possible?
Chris Stuckmann: Thanks, man. I actually have the camcorder behind me right here that we shot the paranormal kidding. Episodes on. We shot ’em all on tape, you know, edited them on iMovie. We made sure all of our gear and the software were period accurate. And as far as the presentation of, like, 2008 YouTube, I had a conversation with a YouTube representative about showing that, and they were cool with it. And then it became like, okay, we use the Wayback Machine actually on the internet to like that site that lets you look at old screenshots of old internet, to just make sure that we were presenting the way YouTube looked properly. And I remembered, “oh, that’s right, you could do video responses”. You could actually reply to videos with a video. Of course, the five-star rating, you know, instead of a like or dislike, and yeah, you’re right. That was a very fun time on YouTube. It felt like a lot of folks were just figuring out their passions and just sharing stuff without really worrying about money, you know? And it really felt like an inviting and warm time in YouTube’s history.
Patrick B: Again, congratulations on this. I love it so much. I’m so proud of you and your journey. And again, this was incredible. I hope this is the new “Shyamalan twist”, but for Chris Stuckmann, everyone gets “Stuckmanized” after watching this.
You’ve watched his reviews; now it’s time to watch his vision. “Shelby Oaks” is in theaters this weekend—so grab your crew, silence your notifications, and get ready to be “Stuckmanized.” For more interviews and film coverage, catch the latest from Patrick Beatty and “See It or Skip It”.
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