The Incredible True Story Of How The Most Successful Horror Movie In Kickstarter History Landed A Theatrical Release

When Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou first announced that their film "Talk to Me" would be coming out through A24, there were a lot of folks who thought "Who?" but just as many (if not more) who thought, "RackaRacka got an A24 deal?!" As the American monoculture continues to splinter thanks to the internet, niche fandoms can thrive beyond what appeals to general audiences. This also means that folks who find fame outside of the typical pathways through Hollywood can make a name for themselves without having to answer to a studio system.

For the last 15 years, YouTube creator and film enthusiast Chris Stuckmann has been one of the most viewed film creators on the streaming platform. He first launched a series of short-form movie reviews called "Quick Movie Reviews," before expanding to longer-form videos. It's hard to imagine, but back in 2009, there weren't many folks reviewing films through YouTube. I should know, as Stuckmann and I are only a few years apart in age, and I began writing about films that same year.

Stuckmann truly got into the YouTube film review space on the ground floor and was able to incorporate reviewing television shows, anime, and video games. A born and raised Ohioan, Stuckmann had also dabbled in homemade moviemaking as a teenager — but as anyone from the Midwest can attest, most of us grow up under the impression that Hollywood dreams are beyond our reach. YouTube was a way for him to circumvent the geographical limitations, and he quickly curated a massive following.

This following also helped him raise enough money on Kickstarter for his debut directorial feature, "Shelby Oaks," to become the most-funded horror movie in the platform's history. It's also the fifth most-funded film period and the highest to not be affiliated with an established celebrity name or popular existing IP.

And he did it all from his family's home in Ohio.

Stuckmann's early years on YouTube are so quaint looking back, recording reviews while sitting on his bed in low lighting, backdropped by unframed movie posters taped to the wall behind him. But like any good artist, he evolved and began branching out. He wrote the books "The Film Buff's Bucket List: The 50 Movies of the 2000s to See Before You Die" and "Anime-Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation," as well as directing the short films "Auditorium 6" and "Notes from Melanie." As of publication, his YouTube channel boasts over 2.04 million subscribers, and this is after he took a hit when he made a dramatic pivot away from reviewing "bad" movies. There's a severe misconception about YouTube film criticism, with those who aren't embedded in the communities under the impression that it's nothing but a cesspool of comedic sh**posting under the guise of "critique." However, there are certainly folks providing intelligent, thoughtful analysis who have chosen video creation as their medium of choice.

Unfortunately, people with overexaggerated voices with nothing better to do than cry about "Star Wars" going "woke" for merely acknowledging the existence of people of color or queer people tend to be the loudest, and have somewhat destroyed the general public's perception in the process.

Let me be clear — Chris Stuckmann has never been that kind of a YouTuber, but when he released his 2021 video "Moving Forward..." (where he announced that he would be pivoting away from criticism and outright refusing to cover films with negativity) ... people didn't take it well. "Meeting filmmakers, talking to them at festivals, going on to their sets, seeing how much work goes into even your average not-so-great movie; I just don't feel like doing that anymore," he said. " It would be strange for me to be making movies and also [trashing] filmmakers. Also, there's plenty of that on [YouTube] already."

The following year he launched his Kickstarter for "Shelby Oaks," and everything changed.

Stuckmann and his wife Samantha Elizabeth had been developing "Shelby Oaks" in 2016, but it was only a fterPaper Street Pictures ("Trim Season," "The Artifice Girl," "Scare Package") got on board in 2019 that the film finally started becoming a reality. Production was stalled out in 2021 due to a lack of funding and the IATSE strike, which gave the team time to secure more funds through crowdfunding. Stuckmann has a massive following, so bringing in the initial funding goal of $250,000 should've been feasible, right?

The goal was met in under 24 hours. Not long after, the film became the most-funded horror film project on Kickstarter after earning $650,000. Four days later, the film crossed the $1 million mark from 11,200 backers. It is now the fifth most-funded film in Kickstarter history behind "The Veronica Mars Movie," Zach Braff's "Wish I Was Here," "Blue Mountain State: The Movie," and "The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint" (which became "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus").

When all was said and done, "Shelby Oaks" brought in $1,390,845 from 14,720 backers. The end credits on this film are long, but it's genuinely inspiring to see how many people believed in an independent horror movie set and filmed in Ohio. When you watch the film and see the absolute wall of backers named, the tier for this perk started at $250, so this isn't an instance of Stuckmann including anyone who donated — these are people who were willing to spend a month's worth of groceries to support an independent film. This is proof positive that people want Stuckmann to succeed, no matter how many basement-dwelling trolls insist that "he fell off" after refusing to trash films on his channel.

Shot as a traditional feature but with elements of "Lake Mungo"-style found footage, "Shelby Oaks" follows the aftermath of a woman named Mia (Camille Sullivan) trying to discover what happened when a group of paranormal investigators called The Paranormal Paranoids met their most dangerous investigation yet, as her sister Riley (Sarah Durn) was the leader of the group and has been missing for 12 years. The more Mia investigates, the more twisted the truth becomes, including a supernatural evil that has been following Riley since childhood. Thanks to the massive crowdfunding success, Stuckmann was also able to bring in genre legend Keith David in addition to cult film legend Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, and Emily Bennett. Stuckmann even released clips of the Paranormal Paranoids anonymously to help draw up interest in their story and set the "based on a true story" tone like "The Blair Witch Project" – and it worked.

Paper Street Pictures producers Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead helped get the project off the ground, but it was when Intrepid Pictures' Melinda Nishioka, Trevor Macy, and Mike Flanagan got involved that casual horror fans understood this was a legit feature and not just some hobbyist playing director. "It's been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing 'Shelby Oaks' to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago," Flanagan told Deadline. "It's been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path and to offer support for Chris' vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can't wait to see where he goes from here."

Flanagan's name added some serious credibility to an already stellar project and certainly helped get the film on the radar of the recently announced distributor, the Academy Award-winning Neon. A crowdfunded movie by a YouTuber will soon be under the same umbrella of horror titles such as "Revenge," "She Dies Tomorrow," "Titane," "Immaculate," "Infinity Pool," "Parasite," the upcoming "Cuckoo," and the massive hit currently sweeping the nation, "Longlegs."

In full transparency, I have gotten to know Chris Stuckmann and have spent many hours chatting with him about his filmmaking experience through the rise of "Shelby Oaks," being someone who has also worked in the Ohio film scene. But I'll be the first to admit that I was skeptical. I have spent many years disregarding the talents and abilities of "film YouTubers" after being bombarded with piss-poor "content creator" brain rot for nearly two decades. I absolutely judged a book by its cover, and that's on me and anyone else who hears the phrase "YouTuber" and associates it with meaning "illegitimate."

And sure, Stuckmann is a cisgender white guy who isn't going to attract the same level of ire that women, people of color, or many visibly LGBTQIA+ folks receive (Stuckmann is pansexual but there are privileges to his being married to a cis woman) — a privilege he is more than aware of having — but that doesn't negate the fact that he figured out how to turn a YouTube channel into a career, which itself turned into a dream-come-true distribution deal on his very first movie. This isn't an example of some random guy "failing upward," it's the result of years of hard work and betting on himself.

Chris Stuckmann's YouTube channel inspired a generation to look deeper into their cinematic catalogs, expand their tastes, and think critically about the media they consume. He's a dude who loves movies so much he figured out a way to make them without having to move to the coasts and get caught up in the grind of the Hollywood machine. I don't believe in the "American Dream," but I do believe in people figuring out how to make the system work in their favor to materialize their own. With "Shelby Oaks," Stuckmann did exactly that.

"Shelby Oaks" will premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 20, 2024.