Deadline reported today that Shelby Oaks, a film project from YouTube film reviewer Chris Stuckmann, has broken the Kickstarter record for a horror movie. This comes in just under a month since the campaign began and it has earned over $650,000 from 6,700 backers.
Shelby Oaks is a found-footage film based on an Internet mystery surrounding The Paranormal Paranoids, a paranormal investigation team that went missing under questionable circumstances. To add to the mystery, several found footage videos surfaced onto the Internet that has led to even more speculation on the subject and the group’s whereabouts.
The feature comes from the mind of Chris Stuckmann, most known for his YouTube film review channel where he has garnered over 2 million subscribers. Stuckmann has consistently posted reviews of films since 2011 and occasionally posts videos discussing film-related subjects like ‘What Inspires Me’ or ‘Has My Opinion Ever Changed?’. In his video ‘We Can’t Do This Without You’, he announced the Kickstarter and introduced the Shelby Oaks project.
Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Productions is on board as the film’s producer and commented on the Kickstarter’s success by saying: “Every dollar we are raising is going onto the screen. This is an ambitious script and day by day our scope and opportunities to help realize Chris’ vision become more and more tangible all because of this campaign. We knew we had something special, but this outpour of support has been absolutely humbling and so amazing to see.”
Koontz went on to say: “I’m really excited to pull the curtain back and show the ups and downs of how an indie film really gets made. This isn’t a raise funds and then we leave everyone behind to go make it. We want to create a community that can come along with us on the journey.”
Fans of Stuckmann and the Kickstarter can follow along on his YouTube channel where he has promised behind the scenes content and advice for aspiring filmmakers as he makes the film. Shelby Oaks is set to begin shooting in May and the Kickstarter is linked here.