The Duality of Mann
Despite our vanilla appearance and church-heavy childhood, the Langford family has bonded over horror movies more than any other genre. It starts with my dad, who was a thorough cultural critic. He would often regale us with suspenseful summaries of genre classics, summon routine trips to the video rental store, and encourage small doses of taboo at barely-less-than appropriate ages. Even today, it’s the principal point of our family’s pop culture conversation. Seen any good (horror) movies lately?
Naturally, my brother Johnny and I would fixate on horror in our teenage years. At the time, YouTube was taking off and two men swiftly rose to the top of everyman movie reviewers that sounded a lot like your buddy: Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann. However, Jeremy Jahns is far less interesting than the two principal characters of this creation.
First, Johnny. The creator to my critic. He can’t breathe unless he’s adding something new to the world, and I can’t breathe unless I’m digesting something from the world. I’m certain this is why we both locked into the YouTube movie review format equally. It’s a blend of both; addition by division. Our interests were fairly intertwined when we lived together, but life marched on - we separated, came together, parted again - ultimately diverging down different paths, each going further into our respective tendencies. I’ve since written nearly 600 movie and music reviews. Meanwhile, Johnny has built a rich music production hobby and home studio, a boat, remade a home, and more. Next weekend, he’s showing me how to change my own motor oil.
Then, there’s Chris Stuckmann. Chris was always the more venturesome of the two YouTube titans, so the shift to filmmaking isn’t at all surprising, nor is this the first time a critic has crossed the sacred line; Roger Ebert famously co-wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls amid his goat-ed critic career. Unlike Ebert though, I think Chris’ critic career has run its course, albeit rather gracefully. Nevertheless, they’re both courageous for making the leap, for they know that many people will have their knives out, hoping to dine on some delicious schadenfreude.
Courage isn’t the only asset Chris has over Jeremy. He was also the more idealistic one. It’s a wonderful trait to have, one that carried him through several public trials and tribulations (though perhaps caused a few too). However, this idealism comes at a cost. When news hit that Chris was going to be directing a horror film, I had some pretty steep doubts, for the negative image to Stuckmann’s idealism is his complete and utter lack of edge, or said differently: his incapacity for true transgression.
….
Well, I think I was pretty bang-on with my predictions. Shelby Oaks is woefully derivative and frustratingly safe, severely handicapped by the poor mystery at its core. For a B movie, however, these complaints aren’t actually as damning as they sound. I definitely underestimated Stuckmann’s ability as a basic filmmaker, which, when combined with high-quality horror influences like Lake Mungo, Hereditary, and The Exorcist, leads to a smooth and surprisingly solid thrill-ride, especially for $1.4 million (which is paltry by ANY film standard). It really depends on where your bar is set for Chris, with his first foray landing halfway between the embarrassment of watching a critic fumble in their own attempt at art, and the lowered standards of watching your friend try their best at something and demonstrate surprising competence in a very difficult field.
The film uses found-footage and faux-documentary forms to illustrate an abandoned town and a missing band of ghost hunters - the protagonist of the ensuing traditional narrative is the sister of one of the missing ghost hunters searching for her - and from this exposition the pros and cons of the film are clearly felt. For every well-chosen stylistic choice, there’s a real dud of an idea. Found-footage elements? Freaky AF. Ghost hunters? I just can’t take them seriously at all. Jump scares? Love it, and they’re pretty well done. Spooky dogs? Laughable. Truly, woof.
Fleeting as it may be, the film is paced pretty well, avoiding the lulls common to this kind of horror film. 80 minutes fly by, and the conclusion does find some new sensations, but the humble budget unfortunately demanded an abrupt ending. What the film really needed was a fourth act, something NEON and Mike Flanagan should have recognized and coughed up the cash for. The climax as it stands arrives out of nowhere, implements a truly sinful exposition dump, makes a few hackneyed homages, and proves that Chris had nothing to say beyond, “I just wanted to make a movie”. It wasn’t for his lack of trying to say something meaningful, though.
One of the most fascinating parts of Chris is his religious heritage. He has publicly spoken of his journey away from the Jehovah’s Witness faith, and how, when his sister made the same choice, she was shunned from their community and her family, not seeing Chris for almost 17 years. Funny…..Shelby Oaks is about a protagonist searching for her sister after a similarly long stretch of time.
Chris insists that he did not intentionally write the script with this personal connection in mind, but I don’t believe him. Chris is smart enough and endeared to the greats enough to know that this is the correct way to make a movie: find the universal through the personal. I think he just couldn’t make the emotional stuff work with $1.4 million, which again, is remarkably low. Hereditary cost $10 million. I know that budget shouldn’t matter too much to a critical take, but I can’t help but relate personally. As a teacher, I know two versions of myself professionally: who I would be if I had the time/money to be as good as I could be, and who I actually am given the circumstances. Hence why Chris has stopped dunking on bad films, which is fine.
Creating is tough. Criticism is good. Both statements can be true. I’ve been avoiding finishing this review for weeks because it has been tough, but with each return to it, I have felt an expanded appreciation for each of its principal characters. I’m positive that Chris will learn from the critical consensus of this film because he values educated criticism (without overvaluing it). Few traits are more effective for a creator. I’ll be there for his next outing.
And regarding Johnny (technically a “producer” of Shelby Oaks), there is truly no one I know of more tenacious, persistent, and determined to succeed, accomplish, and create. I would bet on him for anything, so when he eventually wants to make a movie, I’ll be first in line for his kickstarter.
Love you man!
The Duality of Mann
Despite our vanilla appearance and church-heavy childhood, the Langford family has bonded over horror movies more than any other genre. It starts with my dad, who was a thorough cultural critic. He would often regale us with suspenseful summaries of genre classics, summon routine trips to the video rental store, and encourage small doses of taboo at barely-less-than appropriate ages. Even today, it’s the principal point of our family’s pop culture conversation. Seen any good (horror) movies lately?
Naturally, my brother Johnny and I would fixate on horror in our teenage years. At the time, YouTube was taking off and two men swiftly rose to the top of everyman movie reviewers that sounded a lot like your buddy: Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann. However, Jeremy Jahns is far less interesting than the two principal characters of this creation.
First, Johnny. The creator to my critic. He can’t breathe unless he’s adding something new to the world, and I can’t breathe unless I’m digesting something from the world. I’m certain this is why we both locked into the YouTube movie review format equally. It’s a blend of both; addition by division. Our interests were fairly intertwined when we lived together, but life marched on - we separated, came together, parted again - ultimately diverging down different paths, each going further into our respective tendencies. I’ve since written nearly 600 movie and music reviews. Meanwhile, Johnny has built a rich music production hobby and home studio, a boat, remade a home, and more. Next weekend, he’s showing me how to change my own motor oil.
Then, there’s Chris Stuckmann. Chris was always the more venturesome of the two YouTube titans, so the shift to filmmaking isn’t at all surprising, nor is this the first time a critic has crossed the sacred line; Roger Ebert famously co-wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls amid his goat-ed critic career. Unlike Ebert though, I think Chris’ critic career has run its course, albeit rather gracefully. Nevertheless, they’re both courageous for making the leap, for they know that many people will have their knives out, hoping to dine on some delicious schadenfreude.
Courage isn’t the only asset Chris has over Jeremy. He was also the more idealistic one. It’s a wonderful trait to have, one that carried him through several public trials and tribulations (though perhaps caused a few too). However, this idealism comes at a cost. When news hit that Chris was going to be directing a horror film, I had some pretty steep doubts, for the negative image to Stuckmann’s idealism is his complete and utter lack of edge, or said differently: his incapacity for true transgression.
….
Well, I think I was pretty bang-on with my predictions. Shelby Oaks is woefully derivative and frustratingly safe, severely handicapped by the poor mystery at its core. For a B movie, however, these complaints aren’t actually as damning as they sound. I definitely underestimated Stuckmann’s ability as a basic filmmaker, which, when combined with high-quality horror influences like Lake Mungo, Hereditary, and The Exorcist, leads to a smooth and surprisingly solid thrill-ride, especially for $1.4 million (which is paltry by ANY film standard). It really depends on where your bar is set for Chris, with his first foray landing halfway between the embarrassment of watching a critic fumble in their own attempt at art, and the lowered standards of watching your friend try their best at something and demonstrate surprising competence in a very difficult field.
The film uses found-footage and faux-documentary forms to illustrate an abandoned town and a missing band of ghost hunters - the protagonist of the ensuing traditional narrative is the sister of one of the missing ghost hunters searching for her - and from this exposition the pros and cons of the film are clearly felt. For every well-chosen stylistic choice, there’s a real dud of an idea. Found-footage elements? Freaky AF. Ghost hunters? I just can’t take them seriously at all. Jump scares? Love it, and they’re pretty well done. Spooky dogs? Laughable. Truly, woof.
Fleeting as it may be, the film is paced pretty well, avoiding the lulls common to this kind of horror film. 80 minutes fly by, and the conclusion does find some new sensations, but the humble budget unfortunately demanded an abrupt ending. What the film really needed was a fourth act, something NEON and Mike Flanagan should have recognized and coughed up the cash for. The climax as it stands arrives out of nowhere, implements a truly sinful exposition dump, makes a few hackneyed homages, and proves that Chris had nothing to say beyond, “I just wanted to make a movie”. It wasn’t for his lack of trying to say something meaningful, though.
One of the most fascinating parts of Chris is his religious heritage. He has publicly spoken of his journey away from the Jehovah’s Witness faith, and how, when his sister made the same choice, she was shunned from their community and her family, not seeing Chris for almost 17 years. Funny…..Shelby Oaks is about a protagonist searching for her sister after a similarly long stretch of time.
Chris insists that he did not intentionally write the script with this personal connection in mind, but I don’t believe him. Chris is smart enough and endeared to the greats enough to know that this is the correct way to make a movie: find the universal through the personal. I think he just couldn’t make the emotional stuff work with $1.4 million, which again, is remarkably low. Hereditary cost $10 million. I know that budget shouldn’t matter too much to a critical take, but I can’t help but relate personally. As a teacher, I know two versions of myself professionally: who I would be if I had the time/money to be as good as I could be, and who I actually am given the circumstances. Hence why Chris has stopped dunking on bad films, which is fine.
Creating is tough. Criticism is good. Both statements can be true. I’ve been avoiding finishing this review for weeks because it has been tough, but with each return to it, I have felt an expanded appreciation for each of its principal characters. I’m positive that Chris will learn from the critical consensus of this film because he values educated criticism (without overvaluing it). Few traits are more effective for a creator. I’ll be there for his next outing.
And regarding Johnny (technically a “producer” of Shelby Oaks), there is truly no one I know of more tenacious, persistent, and determined to succeed, accomplish, and create. I would bet on him for anything, so when he eventually wants to make a movie, I’ll be first in line for his kickstarter.
Love you man!
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