Neon and writer‑director Chris Stuckmann have unveiled the official trailer for Shelby Oaks, a long-gestating supernatural horror feature set to hit U.S. theaters on October 3, 2025. The trailer teases a hybrid narrative style—part traditional storytelling, part found-footage—elevated by the backing of horror veteran exec producer Mike Flanagan.
The trailer opens with a literal bang before moving on to Camille Sullivan’s Mia Brennan scrolling through eerie online footage as she digs into her sister Riley’s mysterious disappearance. Grainy found-footage clips blend with cinematic scenes, as the film transitions between horror documentary and narrative thriller.
Just the right amount of mysteries: flashes of abandoned carnival rides, shadowy forests, and Riley’s voice whispering, culminating in a jolting title card.
The teaser deliberately hides the heightened gore seen in Fantasia’s earlier festival cut, focusing instead on slow-burning supernatural dread.
Kickstarter Genesis
Initially conceived as a viral Paranormal Paranoids marketing campaign, Shelby Oaks took shape as a feature after Chris Stuckmann raised over $1.39M on Kickstarter—becoming the most-funded horror project in the platform’s history at the time.
The film’s found-footage and digital detective aesthetic is a direct evolution of that transmedia marketing, referencing a buried 2005 paranormal series within its fictional universe.
Chris Stuckmann (YouTube critic turned filmmaker) wrote, directed, and co-produced the film. Executive producers include Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy, and Melinda Nishioka—stamped as genre champions. The score, composed by The Newton Brothers, mirrors the unsettling tone of the visuals.
TL;DR
The Shelby Oaks trailer signals horror fans are in for a layered fright ride. By weaving true-crime zeal, digital urban myth, and found-footage authenticity, Chris Stuckmann positions his debut as a smart, haunting exploration of grief and obsession. With a cult-fueled Kickstarter foundation and genre-grade support behind the scenes, Shelby Oaks could be 2025’s most watched—and talked-about—horror film once October hits.
