Review – Shelby Oaks (2025) suggests otherwise but fails to deliver on its promises Cinemax

Review: Shelby Oaks (2025)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)

“Shelby Oaks” arrives with the promise of being a bold, realistic descent into supernatural paranoia – and it has to be acknowledged that it begins like a film ready to do something ambitious. Unfortunately, this ambition gradually disintegrates into a confused, uneven experiment that never quite figures out what it wants to be.

One of the film’s biggest missteps is its refusal to commit to a narrative format. It oscillates between filmic sequences, documentary fake interviews and found footage snippets with little cohesion. Instead of adding to the mystery, the constant change of style becomes a persistent distraction. Rather than melding forms into a unified whole, Shelby Oaks feels like three different films stitched together, each interrupting the flow of the last. The result is a jarring viewing experience that undermines the narrative tension the filmmakers are clearly aiming for.

What’s even more disappointing is how quickly the film falls back on all-too-familiar tropes. From the haunted house beats to the missing-persons rabbit holes to the predictable third-act spiral, “Shelby Oaks” borrows from so many of its predecessors that its initial spark of originality is snuffed out. What starts as a promising premise erodes into a greatest-hits compilation of genre clichés – the jump scares you see coming, the ominous clues that go nowhere, and the supporting characters that feel like echoes of better films.

And then there is the end. Instead of rewarding the buildup, the film tends toward ambiguity in a way that feels less thoughtful and more like a narrative shortcut. Shelby Oaks leaves you with more questions than answers, but not in the haunting, lingering way that effective horror often does. Instead, it feels like the story simply refuses to explain itself and shirks the responsibility of solving its own mysteries. It’s another example of modern horror confusing vagueness with depth.

In the end, “Shelby Oaks” becomes another entry in a genre that desperately needs a dash of originality. There’s talent here and moments where you can see what the film could have been, but they’re lost in the noise of tropes, tonal whiplash, and unanswered questions. A promising idea that deserves a more confident and coherent implementation.