Saagar Kote
‘Shelby Oaks’ delves into the mysterious disappearance of Riley Brennan, a paranormal investigator who went missing in 2008, after venturing into the isolated town of Shelby Oaks. Twelve years later, her sister Mia Brennan, the protagonist, obsessively looks for the missing girl. The media coverage of Riley’s disappearance initially sparked national curiosity due to the popularity of Riley’s YouTube channel, “Paranormal Paranoids.” The channel, which was previously run by the missing girl and three of her friends, becomes inactive after all four paranormal investigators vanish without a trace.
In the present, Mia must go beyond her limits to solve the case and bring her sister home. As she struggles to find anything concrete, a shocking incident turns the story upside down, leading Mia down a rabbit hole full of more profound mysteries. Towards the end of the narrative, the protagonist reaches a point of crisis, where she discovers something that could potentially be the difference between survival and death. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Shelby Oaks Plot Synopsis
The story begins with the inexplicable disappearance of Riley Brennan, a member of the ghost-hunting and investigating YouTube channel called “Paranormal Paranoids.” Along with Riley, three of her friends and fellow channel runners, Laura, David, and Peter, also go missing. The last clue left behind by Riley is a video recording in which she investigates the happenings in a dilapidated house. Despite media coverage of the issue, the trail goes cold, and the vanished individuals remain mysteriously out of sight and memory. Twelve years later, Riley’s sister, Mia Brennan, narrates her perspective on the case to a documentary crew investigating the issue. She reveals that her sister used to experience nightmares in childhood, with even a strange crack in her bedroom window.
The cops find the bodies of Peter, Laura, and David after a distressing call, which leaves Riley as the only one still missing. During the documentary interviews, Mia is disturbed by a knock on her door. When she opens it, a strange man shoots himself in front of her, after uttering the words “she let me go.” Mia finds an old cassette tape in the dead man’s pocket, which says “Shelby Oaks.” The tape reveals that the Paranormal Paranoids were investigating supernatural phenomena at Darke County prison in Shelby Oaks, which is where three of them were killed. Riley is taken away by the same man who killed himself outside Mia’s door, leaving her fate uncertain. The footage also shows Riley drawing the words “RM” on a tree in an abandoned amusement park, which is a reference to “Riley and Mia.” As Mia refuses to hand over the tape to the cops, her husband, Robert, starts worrying.
She then investigates and finds the identity of the dead man, named Wilson Miles. The former warden of the Darke County prison tells Mia that Wilson was involved in strange happenings in the prison, especially a violent riot where prisoners killed each other. The warden reveals that Wilson was seemingly possessed and acting strangely during the incident. Mia digs deeper into Riley’s belongings and finds clues about demonic rituals and an entity named “incubus.” To learn more, she daringly goes to the abandoned prison, where a hound attacks her. However, a seemingly “demon-like” hand grabs the hound before it can kill Mia. She runs to the amusement park to take a look at the “RM” symbol drawn by Riley in the footage. Unexpectedly, a woman named Norma, who is the last resident of Shelby Oaks, invites Mia to her home.
Shelby Oaks Ending: Is Riley Dead or Alive? Is Mia Possessed by Tarion?
At Norma’s house, Mia shockingly discovers that the old lady is Wilson’s mother. Norma exhibits strange behavior, seemingly unnatural and spooky. After distracting the old woman, Mia frantically goes through certain photographs, which reveal that Wilson kidnapped Riley in the past. Following this, he repeatedly taped her and impregnated her after many failed attempts. Norma is revealed to be a follower of the incubus named Tarion, a demon. The photographs also reveal that Riley gave birth to a healthy child. Mia discreetly texts Robert to call the cops. Norma, without showing any fear, opens a trap door on the floor, which leads to an isolated basement. Mia follows the woman downstairs and finds Riley in a cell, looking exhausted and weak. After a twelve-year search, she is finally reunited with her sister.
Mia finds a key and unlocks the cell, but instead of heading out, Riley shows signs of distress. While climbing the stairs, Mia notices Tarion standing behind and controlling Norma. The old lady later performs a strange and bloody ritual, where she knives her arm and bleeds over Riley’s newborn boy. The demonic ritual leads to Norma’s death, after which Riley and Mia take the baby and escape the house, aided by the cops. At this point, signs point towards a happy ending, where the sisters and the baby live happily together. But a disturbing twist leads to violent consequences. Mia finishes answering questions for the documentary crew and tells them that Riley is recovering and that the baby is healthy. After the documentary crew leaves, Mia just hopes that everything will be alright.
But, late at night, Riley is seen trying to choke her baby boy to death. Shocked by the act, Mia immediately stops her sister from going through with it. Despite her sister pleading, Riley says that the child is evil and should be destroyed. As she reaches to harm the baby again, Mia physically intervenes, leading to a scuffle between the sisters. In the ensuing chaos, the cracks in the bedroom window widen, and Mia mistakenly pushes her sibling out the window, saving the baby. But multiple hounds, seemingly possessed, converge on Riley and tear her to death, ripping her body apart. Despite surviving rape and imprisonment, Riley’s journey comes to a tragic end, leaving her isolated even in death. As Mia looks at her sister’s death in horror, Tarion appears behind her and grabs her shoulders, possessing her.
It is revealed by the narrative that Tarion has haunted both Riley and Mia since their childhoods. He has been in control of their actions ever since. He has been the personification of fear in their lives, without them even realizing it. It is most likely that he was the one who caused Mia to push Riley out of the window, causing her death. He wanted to punish and possess Mia, which is why he led her towards Shelby Oaks. He most likely planned Riley’s death at the hands of her sister, being in control of Mia’s actions without her even realizing. Since Wilson was able to escape Shelby Oaks, it can be presumed that Tarion deliberately caused it so that he could motivate Mia to investigate and reach the abandoned town. From a symbolic viewpoint, Tarion represents the childhood traumas of both Riley and Mia.
He has always been lurking in the background, out of sight. Despite having the capacity to kill the sisters in their childhood, he chose not to do so. Tarion presumably wanted to make the sisters suffer for a long time and then eliminate them. His main purpose as a demon is not to kill, but to cause fear and chaos. Thus, Mia becomes his victim, just like Riley, Norma, Wilson, and the hounds. All in all, Mia never had agency in her life, and her actions were always meant to lead her to this point, where Tarion grabs her shoulder. She is essentially just a pawn in a demonic game of chess, beyond the limitations of human imagination.
Is Riley’s Baby Demonic? Why?
Riley’s baby is born under violent circumstances, after multiple instances of rape. She is forcibly impregnated by Wilson, whose actions are controlled by Tarion. Initially, Riley’s pregnancies ended in miscarriages, but she is finally able to deliver a healthy baby. The film doesn’t exactly reveal if the baby is possessed or not. However, there are significant clues that point towards the strong possibility of the child being possessed by Tarion. One of the most important clues is the ritual performed by Norma, during which she cuts herself to death and bleeds over the baby boy. This most likely ensured the boy’s possession by the demonic entity. Though the baby looks “normal,” Riley still wants to kill him because she has more knowledge about how demonic possession works.
She has seen the circumstances under which the baby was conceived and recognizes that it is not an ordinary child. Despite Mia’s requests, she makes up her mind to kill the boy. This suggests that the child is crucial to Tarion’s plans. The baby boy could even become Tarion’s successor. The demonic entity intervenes just as the baby is about to face more danger, which reveals that he is an integral part of Tarion’s scheme. Tarion would possess the baby eventually, just like he possessed all the other victims. The way in which the narrative portrays Tarion indicates that he is not a demon fond of straightforward violence.
He lurks in the darkness, making himself known only when it matters the most. The larger cycle of violence and obsession will continue to haunt the ordinary people, as the baby grows up to be an adult and realizes his demonic origins. Ultimately, the child is unique because he is the only non-adult possessed by Tarion. Unlike the adults, the child will have a greater purpose in Tarion’s grand scheme for vulnerable and fragile human souls.
Does Mia Die? How?
Towards the end of the story, Mia is possessed by Tarion, and her eyes glow under his influence. However, the narrative doesn’t reveal anything about her future beyond this point. There are multiple possibilities in this case, as Mia’s life is now under external influence. The most likely possibility is that Mia will be left alive by Tarion in order to keep control of her and raise the child. Her inability to become a mother has become a major problem in her marriage, which is why she would be manipulated by Tarion to assume that the demonic child is a gift. She was not able to let Riley kill the baby, which indicates that she has a role to play in nurturing the child into adulthood. Mia’s whole life has been a story woven by Tarion, without her even knowing. Tarion will continue to harm others through Mia’s actions and take full control of her actions.
Another possibility in this case is that Mia will die, but only at some point in the future. Now that she is a vital part of Tarion’s existence, she will likely be used in rituals similar to Norma’s blood sacrifice. Tarion may command her to take her own life for the sake of taking control of other souls. In this case, though Mia will not die immediately after the killing of Riley, she will face death at a later stage in the service of Tarion. In conclusion, Mia is not really alive, even though she breathes and speaks, as her soul is captured by the demonic entity. She will presumably die a violent death at a later stage, without even realizing that her actions are not her own. The film is a poignant navigation of trauma, liberty, and the meaning of life, which is narrated through Riley and Mia.
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