Blessed to see this a month in advance. Too bad expectations are a motherfucker. Very scary, very freaky, very suspenseful, very cool…but far from the best horror of the year. Plays almost more like an amateur Edgar Wright film, in so much as it’s clearly more of a love-letter to the horror genre and horror films Chris Stuckmann loves most (the films in particular should become obvious by the end).
The cinematography, screenplay, atmosphere, and sets/production design are impressive. The way Stuckmann plays with the trappings of The Blair Witch Project but takes the proceedings in a different direction is nice and creative. Unfortunately, the end result winds up feeling a bit derivative by the end.
The approach is different, but the results feel too familiar and not as surprising, shocking, or satisfying as they should be. I’ll give Shelby Oaks this much, it doesn’t feel like an independent movie. It feels like a blockbuster horror film, made to appeal to large crowds.Whether this is a good thing, I leave up to you. There were also plenty of moments where I found myself taking a sudden, sharp inhale of breath.
Chris Stuckmann has made a very entertaining and fun horror film. If you go in expecting a fun carnival ride instead of a potential game-changer, you might get more out of this freaky flick.
3.5 STARS
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