Chris Stuckmann’s Halloween Release for Neon

Chris Stuckmann’s crowd-funded “Shelby Oaks” is gearing up for its big theatrical release on October 3 — and Neon’s got a lot riding on the supernatural mystery delivering its first major Halloween play at the box office.

Earlier this summer, IndieWire reported that the YouTuber’s supernatural mystery — about a team of ghost hunters who lose one of their own — had undergone significant reshoots. In March, “Shelby Oaks” spent roughly $1 million to head back to Ohio to add scenes with “more blood and gore.”

When I reviewed the first cut of “Shelby Oaks” last summer at Fantasia Fest, I knocked it for Stuckmann’s poorly written final girl (Camille Sullivan) and suspense with nonsensical execution. (Once again, I ask, why would you look for clues in an abandoned prison in the middle of the night when no clock is ticking? She’s been missing for years!) Still, I gave it a “B-” because I admired how Stuckmann paid for it, and his love for the genre was obvious.

Additional scenes aren’t likely to fix a bad script, but there’s something to be said for pumping in set-pieces that shift the focus away from what a first-time director lacks — and toward the promise of what he can do when a studio finances his confidence. Producer Aaron Koontz walked IndieWire through the positives and negatives of pedaling a film paid for by the internet in our extended conversation from June.

Last week, Neon dropped several cryptic “Shelby Oaks” posters showing missing girl Riley (Sarah Durn) in… I don’t know, black and white? Let’s hope there’s more coming from the “Longlegs” marketing team to support the idea that Stuckmann is an event-worthy filmmaker. Between “Talk to Me” and “Bring Her Back,” A24 has done well enough with YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou — but internet creators continue to face stigma in Hollywood. Plenty of digital era defenders (me included!) want to see Stuckmann succeed, but the first version of “Shelby Oaks” I saw earnestly needed more money and time.

In July, Stuckmann appeared at San Diego Comic-Con to tease the film and underscore the idea that “movies saved my life.” Known first as a popular critic, the filmmaker drew criticism online several years ago when he said he would no longer give negative feedback to fellow directors. This stance has aligned Stuckmann with the capitalism of the studio system and widely shielded him from the harshest responses to his work in Hollywood, where he continues to align with horror acolytes.

Check out the trailer for “Shelby Oaks,” in theaters October 3, below: