Shelby Oaks Trailer Promises a Chilling Supernatural Mystery

Written By Aedan Juvet

The first trailer for Shelby Oaks, directed by YouTube film critic-turned-filmmaker Chris Stuckmann, was released on August 4, 2025, offering a glimpse into a haunting supernatural horror mystery set for theatrical release on October 3, 2025, distributed by Neon. The film, which marks Stuckmann’s directorial debut, blends traditional narrative with found footage and documentary-style elements, creating an unsettling atmosphere that promises to captivate horror audiences.

Shelby Oaks (2025), NEON

The trailer opens with a disturbing scene: a man approaches Mia Brennan, played by Camille Sullivan, claiming someone "finally let him go" before taking his own life in front of her. This chilling moment sets the tone for the story, which follows Mia’s desperate search for her sister, Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn), a YouTube paranormal investigator who vanished during a shoot in the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio.

The footage also reveals that Riley, part of the Paranormal Paranoids vlogging group, disappeared after her team investigated the eerie location, leaving behind a cryptic tape. Twelve years later, Mia uncovers a second tape that suggests a sinister, possibly demonic force tied to their childhood may be at play. The trailer carefully showcases a mix of practical effects and heightened gore, a result of reshoots in March 2025 that doubled the film’s initial $1.4 million budget, funded partly through a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1.39 million.

Neon’s acquisition of the film and additional funding obviously tease its potential as a major Halloween season release, bolstered by executive producer Mike Flanagan, known for The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep. And with its well-received premiere at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival and a planned release at FrightFest, Shelby Oaks is already positioned as a standout indie horror, blending personal stakes with otherworldly dread.

Check out the trailer for Shelby Oaks included below.

Aedan Juvet

With bylines across more than a dozen publications including MTV News, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Teen, Bleeding Cool, Screen Rant, Crunchyroll, and more, Stardust’s Editor-in-Chief is entirely committed to all things pop culture.

Next

Eenie Meanie Trailer Delivers High-Speed Action with Samara Weaving