‘Shelby Oaks’ Release Date Announced: Paranormal Mystery Coming to Theaters

‍Updated June 13, 2025

The paranormal mystery “shelby Oaks,” a crowd-funded horror film, will hit ⁢U.S. theaters Oct. 3. Neon acquired the film shortly before its Fantasia Fest premiere in Montreal last july.

Chris Stuckmann,a YouTuber and⁢ film critic,directed the movie,which gained important support through‍ a $1.39 million⁣ Kickstarter campaign. Mike⁢ Flanagan, known ⁣for his horror expertise, served ⁢as an executive producer and mentor to Stuckmann.

Recent reshoots in Cleveland,Ohio,enhanced the film,utilizing a new sound stage and⁢ the ‍real prison/museum ⁣from “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Neon’s supplemental funding allowed Stuckmann to amplify⁢ the ⁣film’s “gore and violence.” The plot follows a‍ group of internet ⁤ghost hunters searching⁢ for their missing friend, Riley, played by‍ Sarah Durn.

According to anonymous sources, the additional funding nearly doubled the original budget.

“We were able to go⁣ back into the movie at a couple key⁢ points and really punch up some particularly bloody elements,” Stuckmann said in a fundraising video.

Aaron Koontz from Paper⁣ Street Pictures explained that Neon’s enthusiasm for the script led to the reshoots. The studio identified scenes that could be enhanced ‍with a larger budget.

“We were sending ⁣Neon materials, and they saw the film. They loved it, and we were⁤ very happy with what we showed at Fantasia,” Koontz said. “But when⁢ Neon read the script and looked through it, ⁣they noticed ‍that there were ‍scenes we didn’t film and moments we had to tone down because we couldn’t quite pull them off⁢ with the ⁤budget that ‍we had. They said, ‘Would you have wanted to do that if ⁤you‍ could?'”

What’s next

with‍ the enhanced‍ gore and⁣ violence, “Shelby oaks” aims to deliver a more intense horror experience⁢ when⁤ it ‍premieres in October, capitalizing on ⁤the growing interest⁣ in paranormal ⁢mystery and found footage films.