AceShowbiz - Throughout the history of horror, certain filmmakers have become synonymous with shaping the genre. In the 1960s, Alfred Hitchcock set the standard. The 1980s were dominated by Wes Craven’s iconic contributions. Today, Mike Flanagan is widely recognized as a defining voice in modern horror. Since his directorial debut with Absentia in 2011, Flanagan has built a reputation for delivering chilling and memorable horror projects, including his Netflix “Flanaverse” series and films like Oculus and Hush. Now, audiences can stream the 2025 horror film Shelby Oaks on Hulu.

Shelby Oaks officially premiered on Hulu on April 17th, expanding its audience through streaming. This supernatural horror mystery combines found footage techniques with traditional storytelling. The film was written and directed by YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann, with Mike Flanagan serving as executive producer. The plot centers on Mia, a woman desperate to find her sister Riley, a vlogger who disappeared with her ghost-hunting crew in the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks.

Before its release, Shelby Oaks made waves by setting a Kickstarter record as the highest-funded horror film project in the platform’s history. While not a blockbuster by Hollywood standards, the movie grossed $8 million worldwide against a modest $2.8 million production budget, marking a notable success for an independently crowdfunded film.

Despite its found footage style, Shelby Oaks is a work of fiction. However, Stuckmann drew heavily from his personal life when creating the story. He revealed to Points of Reviews that the film was inspired by his upbringing in the Jehovah’s Witness faith and the emotional pain caused by being separated from his sister for ten years, after she was disfellowshipped and shunned. The film explores themes of childhood trauma, faith, and the anguish of forced separation through the lens of horror, telling a story about a woman’s relentless quest to locate her missing sibling.

Critical reception to Shelby Oaks has been mixed. It holds a 55% critic score and a 53% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some criticism focused on the film’s reliance on familiar horror tropes and its challenging transition from a documentary-style found footage opening to a more conventional horror narrative. Nonetheless, many viewers and critics acknowledged this as a strong directorial debut for Stuckmann. The film’s dark and gloomy atmosphere, combined with an eerie score, creates an effectively unsettling mood. Horror fans who appreciate gore won’t be disappointed either, as the movie features extensive practical effects and graphic violence.

Hulu’s April additions have brought numerous notable titles to its streaming lineup, with Shelby Oaks joining an eclectic mix that includes The Day After Tomorrow, Napoleon Dynamite, Primitive War, and the complete The Hunger Games franchise. Hulu will continue to expand its library with more content later this month, including another 2025 horror release, Good Boy, set to arrive on April 25th.

As Mike Flanagan continues to influence the horror landscape, fans are eager to see what projects lie ahead, especially with multiple upcoming adaptations involving Stephen King’s works. Meanwhile, Shelby Oaks represents a fresh, independent horror voice from Chris Stuckmann, offering a compelling mix of personal storytelling and genre thrills.

For viewers interested in horror that blends emotional depth with traditional scares and gore, Shelby Oaks is now readily available to stream on Hulu.