Shelby Oaks Director Decodes the Bleak Ending and the Clues You Overlooked

Horror folks are buzzing about Shelby Oaks, and for good reason: the movie saves its sharpest knife for the very last scene. Writer-director Chris Stuckmann is already talking about that ending, and yep, the bleakness was the point.

Why Stuckmann wanted the ending to hurt

In a recent chat with Variety, the YouTuber-turned-filmmaker said he always pictured his first feature finishing on a somber note, the kind of finale that sticks to your ribs. Even when some less risk-taking producers nudged him to soften it while the script made the rounds, he refused to budge.

"There was never any question for me. All of my favorite horror films tend to have an ending that sticks with you."

So the depressing closer was not a twist or a late-stage compromise; it was baked in from day one.

What actually happens at the end

• The film follows Mia (Camille Sullivan) on a relentless search for her missing sister, Riley (Sarah Durn).
• Mia finally tracks Riley to an occult ritual and drags her out, seemingly saving the day.
• Then comes the gut punch: Mia’s rescue sets off the very demonic prophecy she was fighting, and she ends up sending Riley to her death.

The metaphor behind the misery

Stuckmann breaks the finale down as more than just shock value. He frames it as a story about unhealed trauma: when something wounds you early, it’s like a crack in a window. Ignore it, and that crack spider-webs until it overtakes everything. That idea has been hanging over Mia and Riley for years, and in the film’s conclusion it’s not just thematic — there’s a literal window carrying that symbolism.

It’s a grim choice for a debut, sure, but Stuckmann wanted a closer that lingered. Mission accomplished.