YouTuber Chris Stuckmann’s horror film Shelby Oaks has been picked up by Neon, the distributor behind Longlegs.
Longlegs distributor and production company Neon has picked up the worldwide rights for Shelby Oaks, the debut feature film from YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann.
A hybrid of conventional horror storytelling and found footage, the film’s about a woman looking for missing sister, the co-host of a supernatural podcast who vanished with her two fellow investigators.
Stuckmann, perhaps best known for his successful movie review channel on YouTube, made Shelby Oaks independently, having managed to crowdfund an impressive $1.4m on Kickstarter (his minimum goal was $250,000). That sum set a new record for a horror project on the platform. Stuckmann both co-wrote (with his wife, Samantha Elizabeth) and directed the film, with production taking place in Ohio in 2022.
Shelby Oaks stars Camille Sullivan as Mia, the sister looking for her missing sister, while the supporting cast includes Sarah Durn, Brendon Sexton III, Michael Beach and the great Keith David (The Thing, They Live). Here’s an appropriately ominous-sounding synopsis:
Shot as a traditional feature, but with some elements of found footage, Shelby Oaks is a horror film about missing paranormal investigators (the paranormal paranoids), the dark legacy they uncovered, and the far-reaching effects their investigation has as Mia searches for her sister Riley, the lead paranormal investigator, 12 years later.
As Mia uncovers new and disturbing leads related to Riley’s disappearance, she uncovers evidence of a hidden supernatural evil dating all the way back to her and Riley’s childhood.
As the finished film readies to make its debut at Montreal’s Fantasia Festival, Neon has signed up to distribute, meaning Stuckmann’s debut joins a company with an impressive track record behind it – award-winning movies such as Anatomy Of A Fall, Triangle Of Sadness, Ferrari and Parasite were all distributed by Neon.
Most recently, the indie studio saw writer-director Osgood Perkins’ low-budget horror Longlegs make $22.6m on its first weekend – a record for the firm. Deadline reports that, as well as Shelby Oaks, Neon also has the US rights to Perkins’ next two films – Stephen King adaptation Monkey and secluded cabin horror Keeper, starring Tatiana Maslany.
We’ll bring you more details on Shelby Oaks’ release as we get it.
