Hunting Matthew Nichols is coming exclusively to Shudder this Halloween, following a filmmaker investigating a teenager’s mysterious disappearance.
Hunting Matthew Nichols is finally heading to Shudder this Halloween, with the Canadian found footage horror film set to become a Shudder exclusive after releasing in theaters earlier in the year.
What is Hunting Matthew Nichols about?
Matthew Nichols disappeared in 2001, along with his friend Jordan Reimer, while the pair were exploring the woods on Vancouver Island, and more than 20 years later, filmmaker Markian Tarasiuk becomes interested in the case and begins investigating what happened.
Matthew’s sister, Tara Nichols, is also desperate for answers, and the investigation soon uncovers footage and evidence that raises an uncomfortable possibility – Matthew’s disappearance may not have been what everyone originally thought.
The deeper the investigation goes, the more the documentary begins to uncover about what happened in those woods, and eventually, the people looking for Matthew start wondering whether they should have left the case alone.
The Blair Witch Connection
There is a deliberate connection to The Blair Witch Project running through the story too, – Matthew and Jordan were apparently fascinated by the movie and decided to make their own investigation into a local legend, so they took a camcorder into Black Bear Forest, where they were looking into stories surrounding a mysterious figure named Roy McKenzie.
That decision ultimately becomes an important part of the mystery, as the footage they recorded provides another piece of the puzzle for Tarasiuk’s investigation and gives the film an excuse to move between documentary material and the kind of handheld footage associated with classic found footage horror.
Markian Tarasiuk’s Feature Debut
Hunting Matthew Nichols was written and directed by Markian Tarasiuk, who also plays the fictionalised version of himself conducting the investigation, and gor Tarasiuk, the movie represented his feature directorial debut – he is joined by Miranda MacDougall, who plays Tara Nichols, with Christine Willes also appearing in the cast – the film was also produced on a reported budget of only $275,000, with filming taking place on Vancouver Island over just 12 days in December 2023.
It Started Making The Festival Rounds in 2024
The movie first appeared at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2024, before travelling through a number of genre festivals, AND Among them were Whistler Film Festival, Nightmares Film Fest, FilmQuest and Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival.
Its festival run also resulted in several awards too – Tarasiuk won Best Director at Blood in the Snow, while the movie took home Best Found Footage Feature and Best Editing at FilmQuest.
Shudder has announced Hunting Matthew Nichols as a Shudder exclusive premiering this Halloween, and the exact Halloween release date is therefore Saturday, October 31, 2026.
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