INTERVIEW: ‘Shelby Oaks’ Star Sarah Durn Unpacks Playing Riley Brennan In Chris Stuckmann’s Horror Film

After years in the making, YouTuber and film critic Chris Stuckmann’s feature directorial debut, Shelby Oaks, has finally arrived in theaters. At the heart of the story is Sarah Durn as Riley Brennan, the head of a once-popular paranormal investigative team that mysteriously vanishes. Told through a chilling mix of psychological suspense and found-footage terror, the film traces Riley’s disappearance and her older sister Mia’s obsessive search for answers more than a decade later.

I spoke with Sarah about stepping into her first major lead role, the years-long journey from Kickstarter to cinemas, and how she brought Riley Brennan’s haunting presence to life.

Congrats on your first major lead role! Such an exciting milestone for you.

Sarah Durn: Yeah, it’s all been so wonderful and wild.

How did it all come together?

Sarah Durn: Well, I was cast back in 2020, a long time ago. When I was cast, it was before even the full movie was confirmed — it was a proof of concept. The producers and Chris Stuckmann, the director and writer, wanted to keep things close to the chest. We ended up shooting a lot of the found footage elements when I was first cast and then we used that as the Kickstarter, which blew up and became the most-funded horror film Kickstarter ever, which is just insane. Ever since, this movie has been the little film that could, and I’m just so excited for people to finally see it in theaters.

Yes, so how does it feel to finally share something that’s been in development and conversation for so long?

Sarah Durn: It feels bittersweet, honestly. It feels wonderful. I’m excited for people to finally see it. I hope that people are excited by it and get something from it. And I hope they think I’m okay in it. But I’m just excited for it to finally be out there. It’s sad, too, because I’ve been with the project since 2020 — it’s literally been half a decade, which is a really, really long time. I can’t even fathom that it’s over, that we aren’t gonna go back for reshoots in a couple months, because I’ve gone back and shot stuff for this movie about every year since 2020. It’s sad to think that it’s coming to an end too.

This is also Chris Stuckmann’s directorial debut. What was it like being directed by him, and how did his vision shape your performance?

Sarah Durn: Oh, Chris is wonderful. He comes from a background as a YouTube movie critic, which I didn’t know when I first joined the project. But he is the same person on YouTube as he is on set. He’s even-keeled, and it’s really hard but he does a really good job of just being steady and keeping things level. That’s something you really need on a set, because it’s a 12-hour day, there’s stuff going wrong right and left, and you need a director who’s gonna be calm and make you feel like everything’s okay, even if it’s not. Chris does that amazingly well. He’s kind, and fun, and generous. When we first met, we were shooting a lot of the found-footage elements of this movie, and he really gave me so much freedom to play. A lot of those moments are improvised — and a lot are scripted — but there’s a lot I just played and found that ended up in the movie, which is really weird and wonderful to see.

At one point, Chris sent me home with a 2008-era little camcorder and said, “Why don’t you just take it home for a week and film some stuff?” And I was like, “Okay?” So I just did random stuff with this camcorder — me in my bedroom — which you can actually see little bits of in the film. It’s not obvious to most people, but my close friends are like, “That’s your bed!” It’s bizarre, and wild, and wonderful to see that end up in the movie.

Sarah Durn in Shelby Oaks. © Neon

It seems it became such a personal project for you. Much of your work is within that found-footage segment. What was it like performing in that style, and how did you approach becoming such a haunting presence in the story?

Sarah Durn: Oh, well, thank you for that! I’m glad I feel haunting! (Laughs) The found-footage elements are really fun. It’s different, because you’re aware of the camera. But as an actor, you’re constantly putting yourself on tape for auditions, so you already have an awareness of the camera. Even if you try to ignore it, you’re kind of turning slightly toward it — you always have that awareness. In found footage, though, the camera is almost a character. There’s an awareness that adds authenticity. You can’t bullshit when you’re just talking to a camera, you have to feel it. It’s almost a pared-down performance, because you’re talking to your YouTube audience as this character who’s posting about why they haven’t uploaded in a while. I even improvised an FAQ video where Riley, in character, answers fans’ questions — it was just me making stuff up.

Those found-footage moments feel very authentic and raw, which is great because that’s what the medium lends itself to. Then when you move into the more narrative half of the film, it feels more natural — what you’re used to as an actor. But I found it really fun to work within that found-footage realm because it’s just a little different, and that’s always fun.

The film also gets pretty bloody at times. What was it like being in the middle of all that on set, and how much of it was practical?

Sarah Durn: Chris really wanted as much of the blood and effects to be practical as possible. We did a lot of it on set. We had a big guy in a demon costume walking around, which was very fun. I love being on set so much that I just hang out past my call time. I’ll be dismissed but I don’t want to go!

I remember hanging out with the demon man, Derek Mears, who’s done so many wonderful things. He’s amazing, generous and not at all scary, even though the creatures he plays usually are. Seeing him get zipped up into this demon costume, with his head and arms and gloves — it’s just fun to peel back the curtain on movie magic. A lot of the effects were done right there: blood being sprayed on people, or on me, and even real dogs...

That dog scene! I had to look away.

Sarah Durn: I know! I love dogs, and yet, dogs are scary in movies.

Horror acting also demands extreme emotional states. How do you protect your energy and mental space between takes when things get especially intense?

Sarah Durn: That’s a really astute question. It’s definitely a balancing act. Riley really goes through it in this movie — she has a hard time. It became really important for me to find ways to compartmentalize, to be Riley but still be Sarah and enjoy my time on set. That’s why I do this, I’m not doing it to have a miserable experience.

I worked with my acting coach because I wanted to be able to leave that stuff at work and not bring it home. I’m not a method actor; I don’t stay in character the whole time. For me, part of the craft is being able to go in and out. To do that, you have to trust yourself — to believe you can go there and come back.

Sometimes the coming out is hard; it lingers. I try to keep happy memories close: me with my dog (who is not scary!), with my cats, or on the couch with my boyfriend watching goofy movies. Giving my brain those happy places helps pull me out of the darker moments in the film.

Okay, this one’s just for me! I’m personally curious. How did you feel when you first watched the movie? Were you scared?

Sarah Durn: It’s such a bizarre, wild experience watching yourself in a film. Honestly, my first thought is always, “How does it look? Which take did they use? Do I think I did well?” because I can be very self-critical. I’m a perfectionist. But acting isn’t about perfection and humans aren’t perfect. When I watch Shelby Oaks, I start out looking for that, but about halfway through, I just get drawn into the story. The movie really starts churning, becoming this thriller and mystery about what happened to Riley. I know what happened — I play her — but I still get pulled in.

Camille Sullivan, who plays my older sister Mia, is incredible: so powerful and driven. You can tell she’d go to the ends of the earth for her sister. The film reads more as a mystery-thriller to me, with supernatural elements. And yes, the jump scares still get me sometimes, even after multiple watches.

Speaking of doing anything for your sister — that scene where she goes to the abandoned prison, I was like, “Why would you do that?!” And then I thought, “Who would I do that for?” and was like, “Okay… my boyfriend, I guess.”

Sarah Durn: “I guess!” (Laughs) I mean, he has to be a good boyfriend. Like, if he goes missing and we were in a fight or something, maybe I’d just leave him in the prison.

Then you’d just feel guilty! Okay... Beyond Shelby Oaks, what’s next for you? Any upcoming projects you’re excited to share or new directions you’d like to explore?

Sarah Durn: I’m mostly just excited to fully embrace this crazy moment right now — to have Shelby Oaks coming out and, hopefully, for people to enjoy it. That’s my main priority. I do have some fun things in the works that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m really excited to see how people react once the movie’s out there.

Shelby Oaks is now playing in theaters.

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This interview has been edited for clarity.