Chris Stuckmann‘s terrifying horror debut Shelby Oaks promises to be one of 2025’s notable releases in the genre, and fans of modern horror are already lining up for it. His first feature film releases in theaters on October 24, courtesy of Neon and their support for the content creator turned filmmaker. Judging from the final trailer, Shelby Oaks will go heavy on the scares, the result of Stuckmann’s strong passion for horror. But as any film critic making the bold jump into filmmaking would know, he understands that his film will come under scrutiny. So far, the opinions are positive, but can he handle what’s coming?
The director recently spoke to The Direct at Fantastic Fest, where the film premiered and received strong reviews. The festival run has been good for Shelby Oaks, and though everything may change during the theatrical run, Stuckmann seems to be prepared:
“It’s fair game. If I made couches and sold couches online, people would be like, ‘Oh, this couch is great. This guy didn’t like this couch.’ It’s just part of the thing. You make something, you put it out there, people are going to have an opinion on it. So far, so good. As far as currently, it seems like the majority are enjoying the film, which is great.
“But also, I made this film because I want to inspire other hopeful filmmakers like me, who can see someone who’s a YouTuber from Ohio with very little to his name, who’s able to get this done with the help of so many amazing backers. And the goal is to spread the love and the inspiration right back to people who’ve inspired me for so long.”
Shelby Oaks was written and directed by Stuckmann, from a story he came up with alongside Samantha Elizabeth. The feature met a few bumps along the way during post-production, but eventually, Stuckmann was able to finish the passion project with the support of horror master Mike Flanagan, who became involved with the project as executive producer.
The Inspiration Behind ‘Shelby Oaks’: Real-Life Trauma and Horror Mockumentaries
Chris Stuckmann faces the challenge of standing on the other side of film criticism, but there’s reason to believe that his attempt at original horror will make an impression. It looks like a film made by someone who is fond of the genre, and knows how to touch a nerve with fans. Stuckmann also shared the inspiration behind the movie, citing horror mockumentaries as inspiration for the film’s found footage elements, but also a personal experience with his own sister. Ultimately, his objective was to achieve a genuinely scary movie:
“That was kind of the goal from the beginning, to tell a film that I felt was creepy or sort of unnerving. The types of horror movies that have always done that for me are films like Lake Mungo and Noroi: The Curse, both of which are mock docs. Both of them are very, very strange and creepy like that.
“And I think that there is something about eerie, creepy vibes that have always actually made me feel fear in horror. I’m not always scared by some things that are more common in horror, but specifically movies that feel like they’re getting under your skin. And for me, I just wanted it to feel like something that was personal to our hero, Mia, in the movie. The search for her sister.
“As a young kid, I didn’t see my sister for many, many years because of the way I was raised, and I was ostracized from her and didn’t know exactly where she even lived. And so that sort of personal element of taking that part of my life and trying to put it into a story that also had a genre element, hopefully it pays off in that way, of making it feel emotional and personal, because usually those are the types of stories that scare me, the ones that feel like there’s actually something personal about it.”
- Release Date
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October 2, 2025
- Runtime
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99 minutes
- Director
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chris stuckmann
- Writers
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Chris Stuckmann, Sam Liz
- Producers
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Trevor Macy, Aaron B. Koontz, Mike Flanagan, Cameron Burns, Sean E. DeMott, Melinda Nishioka, Ashleigh Snead