Shelby Oaks director Chris Stuckmann has recalled his emotional response when he found out movie distributors Neon would be providing extra funding to finish his new horror film.
"The way it went down was we literally ran out of money. We're a record-breaking kickstarter, but we made the movie for what most people in Hollywood would call pennies, and there were ideas in my script that never came to fruition," Stuckmann told DiscussingFilm.
The movie follows a woman (Camille Sullivan) who's convinced that her sister, who went missing 12 years previously while investigating paranormal activity in the town of Shelby Oaks, is still alive.
"There were scenes, entire scenes, that we'd had to drop, and when Neon acquired the film they asked for a copy of my script and they got back to me and they were like, 'Hey, I mean, we read it and there's some things in here that aren't in the movie. Why not?' Time and money, man, what do you think?" Stuckmann continued.
"So we got to go back for three more days and do the things that, in my head, I had already abandoned. It's a very painful experience to give up those things that you were very excited about doing. I mean, I was in tears, man, because I got to go back and do a couple of things that I always wanted to be in this movie, and it was a dream come true."
Shelby Oaks is Stuckmann's debut feature. Prior to turning to filmmaking, he had been reviewing movies on YouTube since 2009. The Kickstarter for Shelby Oaks launched in March 2022 and became the most-funded horror movie on the site just weeks later, raising almost $1.4 million in total. Neon, who have also distributed movies like Longlegs, The Monkey, and Anora, acquired the distribution rights to the film in July 2024.
Shelby Oaks is out now in US theaters and arrives in UK cinemas on October 29. For more, check out our guide to the other best upcoming horror movies on the way in 2025.
