Fresh off their insanely effective marketing campaigns for Immaculate and Longlegs (which just scored their highest opening weekend ever), NEON have acquired worldwide rights for YouTuber Chris Stuckmann’s Mike Flanagan-produced documentary-found footage horror Shelby Oaks.
Shelby Oaks stars Camille Sullivan (Hunter Hunter), Brendan Sexton III (Don’t Breathe 2) and Sarah Durn (Where the Crawdads Sing).
Plot-wise, Deadline reminds:
Launched from a 2022 Kickstarter campaign which raised $1.39M for the film in under a month – the most-funded horror film ever on Kickstarter – Shelby Oaks follows Mia (Sullivan) as she frantically searches for her sister Riley (Durn), who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her investigative series, ‘Paranormal Paranoids’. 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.
Producers are Stuckmann, Aaron B. Koontz, Ashleigh Snead, and Cameron Burns for Paper Street Pictures, and joining Flanagan in executive producer roles are Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka for Intrepid Pictures, alongside Adam F. Goldberg, Paul Holbrook, Sean E. DeMott and Tony Killough. The deal was negotiated by Neon’s Vice President of Acquisitions & Production Jason Wald with Koontz on behalf of the filmmakers.
Kicking off a festival run, Shelby Oaks will have its world premiere at Fantasia Film Festival later this month, before heading over to London for FrightFest.
Needless to say, with Flanagan working behind the scenes, we’re even more excited for Shelby Oaks than we already were.
Here’s what the Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep filmmaker had to say about Shelby Oaks:
“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago. It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”
If you’re heading to Fantasia or FrightFest, make sure Shelby Oaks is at the top of your watchlist. Everyone else, watch this space for updates and release news!
