After years spent dissecting movies online, Chris Stuckmann has finally made one of his own. His debut feature, Shelby Oaks, has just dropped its first official trailer — and it’s got all the hallmarks of a late-night, lights-off watch.
Shot in Ohio and produced with horror specialists Paper Street Pictures, Stuckmann not only directs but also writes the script, diving headfirst into one of cinema’s most marmite formats: found footage. Love it or loathe it, when the style works, it gets under your skin. Judging by the trailer, Shelby Oaks could be one of those rare ones that actually sticks.
The plot follows the cold case of the “Paranormal Paranoids,” a ghost-hunting crew who disappeared without a trace. Over a decade later, Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan, Hunter Hunter) starts digging into the fate of her sister Riley, the group’s missing leader. But this isn’t just about vanishing investigators. Childhood fears and half-buried trauma soon come clawing back, and the footage gets darker the deeper Mia goes.
Sullivan is joined by Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Emily Bennett, and Derek Mears, with Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House”) on board as executive producer alongside his Intrepid Pictures partners Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.
Flanagan’s mentorship proved key. “I was impressed with Chris’ work ethic, his intellect, his talent and his determination,” Flanagan said. “I watched his Kickstarter campaign for Shelby with great interest as it really took off … There was so much about Chris’ experience and story that reminded me of what I went through on my first film Absentia, he’s on a really exciting path, and it has been a pleasure to share a few small steps with him on his way.”
That path started strong: Shelby Oaks premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2024, where critics praised its atmosphere, slow-burn tension, and Sullivan’s performance.
Now, with the trailer out in the wild, audiences can get a taste of what’s to come. Shelby Oaks opens in U.S. cinemas via Neon on October 24, 2025.
