Horror film “Shelby Oaks” by YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann sells

NEON

Following the success of last weekend’s “Longlegs,” Neon announced Tuesday that it has acquired the worldwide rights to “Shelby Oaks,” written and directed by filmmaker and YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann. It is Stuckmann’s debut as a feature director. The film is described as a crossover between documentary and found footage. It will have its world premiere on Saturday at the Fantasia Festival. Neon will release the film in U.S. theaters and handle international distribution.

“Shelby Oaks” stars Camille Sullivan (“Hunter Hunter”), Brendan Sexton III (“Don’t Breathe 2”) and Sarah Durn (“The Crawdads”). The film follows a woman named Mia (Sullivan) who is desperately searching for her sister Riley (Durn), who mysteriously disappeared in the final volume of her investigative series “Paranormal Paranoids.” Stuckmann’s film benefited from a 2022 Kickstarter campaign that raised $1.4 million for the film in less than a month, making it the most funded horror film in the service’s history. Stuckmann’s reviews of films, video games, anime and television are widely viewed on YouTube, and he has written books, including “The Film Buff’s Bucket List: The 50 Movies of the 2000s to See Before You Die.”

Stuckmann produced the film with Aaron B. Koontz, Ashleigh Snead and Cameron Burns for Paper Street Pictures. Executive producers are Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka for Intrepid Pictures with Mike Flanagan, Adam F. Goldberg, Paul Holbrook, Sean E. DeMott and Tony Killough.

The deal was negotiated by Jason Wald, Vice President of Acquisitions and Production at Neon, on behalf of the filmmakers with Aaron B. Koontz, CEO of Paper Street Pictures.

Neon most recently acquired North American rights to Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” U.S. rights to Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey,” starring Theo James, and worldwide rights to Perkins’ “Keeper,” starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. Neon also secured North American rights to Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha” and “The Unknown.” by Arthur Harari.

Neon recently released Perkins’ horror film “Longlegs” to theaters, where it grossed $22 million – a record debut for the indie studio. Neon’s upcoming releases include Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo” and Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.