“Parasite” distributor secures rights for horror film by YouTube critic Chris Stuckmann

A popular YouTube film critic has teamed up with one of the hottest distributors in the film industry. Neonthe arthouse favorites like parasite, Anatomy of a fallAnd Triangle of sadness for theatergoers in the United States, has acquired the rights Chris Stuckmans horror film Shelby Oaks.

Accordingly diversityNeon gives Shelby Oaks a theatrical release in the US and will handle international distribution. The film offers a new twist on the found footage genre, depicting the search for a woman who disappeared after the production of an investigative series called “Paranormal Paranoids.”

Stuckmann celebrated the distribution deal on YouTube, where his film reviews reach more than two million subscribers. “It’s hard to convey how monumental this is for an independent film,” Stuckmann said. “It’s a very strange time for filmmakers trying to break into the industry.”

For Shelby OaksThe journey to the big screen took three years. In 2021 Paper Street Pictures Stuckmann was hired to write and direct a horror film, which was funded through a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $650,000 to support Stuckmann’s vision. Earlier this year Shelby Oaks received another boost when horror master Mike Flanagan was added to its production team.

The path from YouTuber to director is currently experiencing a major upswing, with creatives like Wesley Wang and RackaRacka landing contracts with the big names in the film industry. A24one of Neon’s main competitors in the distribution world, has recently increased its investment in social media talent. Shelby OaksNeon follows suit.

Stuckmann has interviewed some of these creator-directors as they moved from YouTube to Hollywood. I doubt the longtime critic plans to review his own film one day Shelby Oaks comes out, but we can expect other YouTube reviewers to help viewers understand Stuckmann’s directorial debut.