The film primarily uses practical effects rather than computer-generated imagery, and its budget was partially financed by a campaign on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo.
On February 6, 1999, a team of three biologists, led by Professor Jonathan Hoffman, investigate a series of supposed wildlife killings in a wooded area near a small New York town.
The next day, with the rest of the police force already at the scene, a distraught Chapman sees Ethan's corpse and questions Doug about the incident.
Cryptozoologist Lincoln Anderson, biologist Wendy Gardner, and hunter Cameron Caine visit the town and have a brief meeting with Overman to discuss capturing the shark.
Following this, Chapman, Lincoln, Wendy, and Cameron make their way into the woods, armed with a miniature crossbow, a shotgun, and a motion-sensing camera.
Production on Snow Shark began in early 2011, with director Sam Qualiana having created the film's title, poster, and a teaser trailer before finalizing its script.
[6] Snow Shark began shooting in Lockport, New York, in January 2011,[7] partially supported by an Indiegogo campaign launched by Qualiana with a fundraising goal of $3,000.
[6] Filming was met with minor weather-related difficulties, including overcoming cold temperatures and the task of preventing snow from gathering on the lens of the camera.
Post-production was managed by Qualiana and producer Greg Lamberson, alongside B-movie horror screenwriter Brett Piper and low-budget filmmaker Mark Polonia.
[8] The film premiered at Dipson's Amherst Theater in Buffalo on April 10, 2012, and was subsequently shown at the Screening Room Cinema Café in Williamsville, New York two days later.
criticized the film's "amateurism, from the acting to the hastily sloshed upon digital effects", likening it to a "no-budget Troma affair" that "excels at being mostly forgettable".
[3] Adrian Halen of HorrorNews.net found fault with the film's "tiring" dialogue but admired its "charming" special effects, writing that it shows "just enough shark to make us hunger for more".