Shelby Oaks Director Ran Out of Money: Longlegs Studio Neon’s Rescue Left Him in Tears

Independent horror is hard enough; doing it at scale on Kickstarter is basically a high-wire act. Chris Stuckmann just confirmed that, yes, his debut feature Shelby Oaks literally ran out of money mid-stride — and then Neon swooped in with extra cash and a note that changed everything.

Neon read the script, noticed missing scenes, and opened the door

Stuckmann told DiscussingFilm that despite his record-setting Kickstarter, they shot the movie for what Hollywood folks would call pocket change. That meant whole sequences on the page never made it to camera. When Neon acquired the movie, they asked to read his original script, quickly spotted what was missing, and basically said: why isn’t this stuff in the cut? His answer: time and money.

Neon didn’t just shrug. They financed a quick return to set — three extra days — so he could film the moments he had already mourned. That hit him hard.

'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.'

What Shelby Oaks is about

Camille Sullivan plays a woman convinced her sister is still alive, even though she vanished 12 years ago while chasing paranormal activity in the small town of Shelby Oaks. The movie rides that obsession — and the town’s spooky reputation — to some very unsettling places.

How we got here

• Stuckmann has been reviewing movies on YouTube since 2009; Shelby Oaks is his first feature as a director.
• The Kickstarter launched in March 2022 and quickly became the most-funded horror film in the platform’s history, pulling in just under $1.4 million.
• Neon, the distributor behind Longlegs, The Monkey, and Anora, acquired rights to Shelby Oaks in July 2024.
• After reading Stuckmann’s original script, Neon bankrolled a brief pickup shoot to restore several dropped scenes.

Release details

Shelby Oaks is now playing in US theaters. It opens in UK cinemas on October 29.