Tell me, where are all the niche films at? Most major box office hits today are produced by industry giants such as Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros., and Universal. This trend was subverted on Jan. 30, when Mark Fischbach, known as Markiplier on YouTube, self-financed a film adaptation ofthe popular indie horror game “Iron Lung.” Its modest budget of $3 million made its rapid climb to the top of the charts even more surprising. Fischbach’s large fan base of over 38 million turned out in theaters nationwide to support their favorite YouTuber. The question remains: is “Iron Lung” a good movie or are his fans the only ones obsessed?
Greeted with a black screen, the stillness of the dark is broken only by the soft twinkling lights of the ghosts of stars in the distance. Moments later, darkness gives way to a sea of blood as a submarine drops into the sea. A raspy voice explains, “The Quiet Rapture” wiped out all habitable planets and stars, leaving the world in disarray. The Convict (aka Simon), played by Fischbach, performs an act of expiation in the Iron Lung to get time off his sentence. He then finds a skeleton that his higher-ups want to test on, tasking him with retrieving it. This only starts our adventure into the depths that people will go to survive.
Like most, I had a few expectations due to the film’s low budget and lack of rotten tomatoes, but I was pleasantly surprised with what awaited below the surface. From the moment the movie began rolling, I was invested. For being Fischbach’s debut movie, his acting was captivating and successfully pulled me in. The atmosphere that was built throughout the movie made me feel enthralled. The pacing feels a bit odd, with very high highs and extremely confusing lows with unknown context. The pacing and confusing timeline left me questioning what other students thought.
Summit sophomore Hudson Brumfield had similar thoughts. Going into the movie, Brumfield had no prior experience of the game or the contents whatsoever, but went in with an open mind.
“Some of the pacing was a little strange, but generally, I thought it was a great debut movie.”
Senior Max Huber, an avid Markiplier fan, viewed the film differently. Even though Huber had previously watched the original play through videos, he admitted that parts were unclear.
“I definitely enjoyed it, but there were parts where I was confused.”
He also noted the challenge of expanding a 40-minute game into a 2-hour-long blood bath.
“The game was altered to best fit a movie adaptation, and it shows in the best way.”
Junior Callie Richards had previously played Iron Lung a few years prior to watching the movie. After seeing that there was going to be an adaptation, she wanted to see how it would compare.
“ I think Mark adapted it well, and overall, the writing was really fun, and he was a great actor, but it got really confusing at the end.”
She went on to explain that the last 15 minutes happened in a blur of adrenaline that was hard to make sense of, corresponding with what other students’ observations.
Overall, Richard says, “They got the vibes down perfectly. It was very Iron Lung.”
Psychological horror has never been my favorite type of subgenre. Still, “Iron Lung” shifted my perspective. Fishbach effectively conveys Simon’s confinement and dread. The film avoids jump scares and common horror clichés, instead building tension through sustained suspense. Gore is minimal, though viewers sensitive to blood may still find it disturbing.
From world record fake blood use to box office charts, “Iron Lung” did not disappoint. The new record holder of the most fake blood used in a movie, overtaking the previous title “Evil Dead” at 70,000 gallons. Iron Lung passed it at 80,000 gallons.
