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Nov. 5th, 2025 06:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowhiveYesterday ended up, as I suspected after Monday, being a fairly lazy day. I didn’t do too much, just uni stuff and then flopping a bit.
It was the bake off finale and the result was predictable. (Mum wasn’t happy about that and thought one of the others deserved to win. Personally I thought having one person be star baker so often kinda took the fun out of it) Then we watched QI and I watched the Pokémon anime stream.
Last night though was odd. I just couldn’t settle and I dunno why. Maybe it’s cause there was a bit of a storm? But I dunno.
This morning I headed out to see Shelby Oaks. The trip to town was just to see the film so I went straight there. It’s a bit of a shame that this was the best time, every other showing was at about (or after) 8pm.
The trailers were the same as before (The Bone Temple, Keeper, Silent Night Deadly Night and Five Nights At Freddy’s 2) so you’ve already seen thoughts on them. However there was one I’d not seen and that was for Primate. And that is very much a no from me. It’s about a monkey that’s a member of a human family, only it goes feral and attacks people suddenly (seemingly cause something bit it). And, honestly, it just feels like it’ll be more upsetting than anything.
But anyway onto Shelby Oaks.
I had been curious about Shelby Oaks for awhile, ever since seeing the trailer awhile back. I was worried it would, like a few things, miss a uk release and then I was worried I’d miss it cause of being sick and it seemingly be limited. (It looks like it’s only been in cinemas for little over a week)
Synopsis from tv tropes
In 2008, four paranormal investigators disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Years later, Mia Brennan, the sister of one of the missing, travels to the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio, their last known location, to find answers.
Now that description alone is right up my alley, I love a good investigation horror (or even non horror). The opening, before the credits, is told in a documentary style. It covers the investigators as a group (who did YouTube video investigations of haunted places), their disappearance and has clips from people reaction and an interview with one of the police investigating and Mia. It’s a pretty inventive way of setting things up (though it being about 10 minutes or something did make me wonder how much of the film would be like that).
And then the film kicks off from the scene in the trailer. A guy shows up at Mia’s door and shoots himself after saying he’s been freed, but he has a tape in his hand, with Shelby Oaks written on it. And, after watching it, she decides to try and find her sister.
Overall I think Shelby Oaks is pretty good! The documentary part at the start was a nice way of starting things (and you have to applaud it for being different) and the found footage style of the tape was pretty effective too. It is a pretty good example of investigation horror, especially since the director is a first timer.
Like it does hit a lot of the standard tropes, with the protagonist going off to investigate alone, exploring creepy places and meeting someone who is… clearly off. (Also there’s the trope of her husband not listening to her, which I feel is one we should leave behind. Let us have people who actually believe their partners instead of writing them off! Especially when they’re showing you evidence!)
If there’s something that lets it down a little it’s that Shelby Oaks isn’t explored as much as I expected. A completely abandoned town is an interesting concept and yet it’s only seen briefly bar two locations. And yeah that’s a minor gripe, and it probably wouldn’t feel as bad if it wasn’t the title.
But other than that I thought it was pretty good overall (I ended up giving it 3 1/2 on letterbox, but I was close to giving it 4) and I am glad I got to see it. This year has been a really good one for horror films.
Next cinema adventure will be… I dunno when. I do wanna try and see Predator Badlands and Keeper but I dunno when. (If it wasn’t for the Stranger Things cafe I’d see badlands when I’ve got my gig next week)
And speaking of my gig ahhh James Marriott won’t Rock Sound award AND HAS HIS OWN COVER, (though damn I missed the signed posters, why do I keep missing signed posters of his?)
Anyway.
After the film I had 25 minutes before the next train so I popped in the Asda across from the cinema. There wasn’t too much interesting but as I was heading out there was a small Halloween section. I got a Hellfire Club glass which looks cool, plus some bags (2 Starnger Things, 2 Nightmare Before Christmas) which were nice. And on the way home I went in the co-op I got a Pokémon magazine that had spooky Pokémon to paint.
Tonight I’m gonna watch Planet Of Evil, the next ep from the Doctor Who boxset, then tomorrow is the trip out which will no doubt be so tiring.
It was the bake off finale and the result was predictable. (Mum wasn’t happy about that and thought one of the others deserved to win. Personally I thought having one person be star baker so often kinda took the fun out of it) Then we watched QI and I watched the Pokémon anime stream.
Last night though was odd. I just couldn’t settle and I dunno why. Maybe it’s cause there was a bit of a storm? But I dunno.
This morning I headed out to see Shelby Oaks. The trip to town was just to see the film so I went straight there. It’s a bit of a shame that this was the best time, every other showing was at about (or after) 8pm.
The trailers were the same as before (The Bone Temple, Keeper, Silent Night Deadly Night and Five Nights At Freddy’s 2) so you’ve already seen thoughts on them. However there was one I’d not seen and that was for Primate. And that is very much a no from me. It’s about a monkey that’s a member of a human family, only it goes feral and attacks people suddenly (seemingly cause something bit it). And, honestly, it just feels like it’ll be more upsetting than anything.
But anyway onto Shelby Oaks.
I had been curious about Shelby Oaks for awhile, ever since seeing the trailer awhile back. I was worried it would, like a few things, miss a uk release and then I was worried I’d miss it cause of being sick and it seemingly be limited. (It looks like it’s only been in cinemas for little over a week)
Synopsis from tv tropes
In 2008, four paranormal investigators disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Years later, Mia Brennan, the sister of one of the missing, travels to the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio, their last known location, to find answers.
Now that description alone is right up my alley, I love a good investigation horror (or even non horror). The opening, before the credits, is told in a documentary style. It covers the investigators as a group (who did YouTube video investigations of haunted places), their disappearance and has clips from people reaction and an interview with one of the police investigating and Mia. It’s a pretty inventive way of setting things up (though it being about 10 minutes or something did make me wonder how much of the film would be like that).
And then the film kicks off from the scene in the trailer. A guy shows up at Mia’s door and shoots himself after saying he’s been freed, but he has a tape in his hand, with Shelby Oaks written on it. And, after watching it, she decides to try and find her sister.
Overall I think Shelby Oaks is pretty good! The documentary part at the start was a nice way of starting things (and you have to applaud it for being different) and the found footage style of the tape was pretty effective too. It is a pretty good example of investigation horror, especially since the director is a first timer.
Like it does hit a lot of the standard tropes, with the protagonist going off to investigate alone, exploring creepy places and meeting someone who is… clearly off. (Also there’s the trope of her husband not listening to her, which I feel is one we should leave behind. Let us have people who actually believe their partners instead of writing them off! Especially when they’re showing you evidence!)
If there’s something that lets it down a little it’s that Shelby Oaks isn’t explored as much as I expected. A completely abandoned town is an interesting concept and yet it’s only seen briefly bar two locations. And yeah that’s a minor gripe, and it probably wouldn’t feel as bad if it wasn’t the title.
But other than that I thought it was pretty good overall (I ended up giving it 3 1/2 on letterbox, but I was close to giving it 4) and I am glad I got to see it. This year has been a really good one for horror films.
Next cinema adventure will be… I dunno when. I do wanna try and see Predator Badlands and Keeper but I dunno when. (If it wasn’t for the Stranger Things cafe I’d see badlands when I’ve got my gig next week)
And speaking of my gig ahhh James Marriott won’t Rock Sound award AND HAS HIS OWN COVER, (though damn I missed the signed posters, why do I keep missing signed posters of his?)
Anyway.
After the film I had 25 minutes before the next train so I popped in the Asda across from the cinema. There wasn’t too much interesting but as I was heading out there was a small Halloween section. I got a Hellfire Club glass which looks cool, plus some bags (2 Starnger Things, 2 Nightmare Before Christmas) which were nice. And on the way home I went in the co-op I got a Pokémon magazine that had spooky Pokémon to paint.
Tonight I’m gonna watch Planet Of Evil, the next ep from the Doctor Who boxset, then tomorrow is the trip out which will no doubt be so tiring.
