Chris Stuckmann has been a YouTube film critic for 13 years, and it could possibly be his love for horror movies that enticed him into making his own debut feature film.
After the film’s premiere at the Fantasia Festival in July 2024, the film was acquired by Neon. Shelby Oaks by YouTube critic Chris Stuckmann, just came up with a red band trailer. Here’s what we think.
Plot details of Shelby Oaks (2025)
Shelby Oaks is a found footage feature film that takes the ghostly narrative of finding the missing sister. Mia (played by Camille Sullivan) is on a hunt to find her missing sister, and for that, she is roaming around the paranormal places.
Her paranormal investigation takes place in a haunted town, as the trailer shows her screaming and shouting. There are chances an imaginary demon from their childhood might have come back for them.
Most scenes are blurred to keep the intrigue level high and twists of the movie vibrant till its final release, but is undeniably full of dread. Watch the trailer here to have a glimpse:
Director’s vision for the film
Chris Stuckmann started his career as a YouTube film critic in 2012, sitting in front of the camera with two “Dark Knight” posters at the back. He has gained more than two million followers due to his sincere film critique.
He left his day job as a school bus driver to run his channel full time. He started developing short films, and it was particularly when he was filming his Halloween special in 2016 that Shelby Oaks took a physical form.
He gained funds through a Kickstarter campaign in March 2022 to compensate his crew through the entire process. His YouTube short filmmaking has enabled him to know the exact points where he needs to create the tension.
That’s why Shelby Oaks is predicted to be as cinematic as his previous works. His fans and followers expect it to be a fully handheld feature or possibly a YouTube sort of video.
As we can notice from the trailer, some scenes are blocked intentionally to keep the thrill factor high for the viewers.
Mike Flanagan is the executive producer for Shelby Oaks, and how Chris Stuckmann wooed him is a full-length story. According to Variety, Flanagan and Stuckmann have been acquaintances since the days Stuckmann posted an Oculus (2013) review.
Stuckmann explained,
“He gave me notes and feedback, and it was extremely valuable. That sort of changed the relationship into talking about nerdy shit, but we were also doing notes and feedback on scripts and things like that.” [Source]
Stuckman has all respect for the Neon team, as he believes they are kindhearted people. Neon wants to make sure that anyone who is excited about filmmaking should be given a chance for a theatrical release.
Neon has released four posters for Shelby Oaks that tell a tale of their own. The posters state some creepy lines like:
- All amidst the death and rot
- You should be so proud of her
- The seed shall be sown
- They all just stood there
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Will Shelby Oaks by YouTube critic Chris Stuckmann change the game for YouTubers-turned-directors?
Not necessarily, Shelby Oaks will ‘change the game’ for YouTubers-turned-directors. Although there is one prominent and recent example of successful proof, Talk to Me (2022) and Bring Her Back by Danny and Michael Philippou, aka the Philippou brothers. Their YouTube channel name is Racka Rackka.
Shelby Oaks can certainly pave the way for more YouTubers to get inspiration and enter into the world of feature filmmaking, for which Stuckmann is using his own YouTube channel to guide the newbies about the actual nuts and bolts of the movie-making process. The audience can get a deeper dive into the struggle of filmmaking, which is a good initiative.
It will help the audience and the interested filmmakers to get insights for their own creator-led projects. It will build a new wave of ambitious directorial efforts with fresh ideas from the YouTube community, probably, with an infusion of YouTube slang that will resonate with the younger generation of modern times.
Due to Stuckmann’s already established fan base via his YouTube channel, Shelby Oaks might become an ultimate box office success, but with only his debut feature, it is hard to speculate so. It still requires numerous projects to establish the YouTubers-turned-directors trend and the willingness of big studios like Neon and producers like Flanagan to back up such projects.
When is Shelby Oaks (2025) releasing?
Neon will release Shelby Oaks theatrically on October 3, 2025.
Genre: Horror, thriller
Cast: Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Keith David, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach
Director: Chris Stuckmann
Writers: Chris Stuckmann, Sam Liz
Producers: Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, Ashleigh Snead
Release date: October 24, 2025
Movie runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Are you ready for the scares of Shelby Oaks? Share your thoughts below.
Passionate Entertainment Writer | Trusted Pop Culture Voice
Madiha Ali is an experienced entertainment writer with over five years of expertise in covering movies, TV shows, celebrity news, and pop culture. Her bylines appear on trusted platforms like Screen Anarchy, High on Films, Ary News, The Express Tribune, Tea and Banter, Show Snob, CelebFeedz, Snapfeedz, Daily Planet Media, The Irish Insider, and Movie Insiderz.
She brings a personal, insightful approach to every story—whether she’s analyzing the emotional layers of a film or giving her take on trending celebrity headlines. Madiha’s writing style is known for being authentic, well-researched, and reader-focused.
When she’s not writing, she’s fully immersed in the world of entertainment—watching new releases, revisiting classics, exploring behind-the-scenes content, or reading books that fuel her creativity. Her passion for storytelling drives her work and helps her stay connected to what matters most in the industry.
Madiha believes great stories start conversations, challenge perspectives, and stay with us long after the credits roll. Through her writing, she continues to share those stories with clarity, depth, and heart.
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