Before 'Backrooms' & 'Obsession', There Was This $51M Sci-Fi Horror Also Made by a YouTuber

Before Kane Parsons stunned the world with Backrooms and Curry Barker brought Obsession to the big screen, there was Iron Lung – a sci-fi horror film self-funded by YouTuber Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach.

Although the movie had a modest budget by Hollywood standards, it grossed $51 million worldwide – this made it one of the most notable examples of an internet star successfully transitioning to filmmaking.

Despite its flaws, it is a meticulous, claustrophobic, adaptation that deserves the attention of sci-fi fans.

What Is 'Iron Lung' About?

The story unfolds in the distant future, following a catastrophe known as the Quiet Rapture. Most celestial bodies have vanished, leaving behind neither planets nor stars, and only a handful of survivors who were in space when the cataclysm struck are left to carry on.

Unexpectedly, they discover a sea composed entirely of blood on one of the surviving moons. Recognizing that such a vast quantity of biological fluid might harbor valuable resources, humanity launches an expedition.

The sole participant is Simon, a convicted criminal, who sets out aboard a small, rusted submarine called the Iron Lung.

'Iron Lung' Is Extremely Faithful to the Source Material – This Is Both Its Greatest Strength & Weakness

Markiplier, a longtime sci-fi horror fan, approached the adaptation with great reverence. The submarine's design was recreated with pinpoint accuracy – it looked just like the one in the game, but with far greater detail.

Iron Lung takes its name from the life-support device that uses negative pressure to keep people with paralyzed respiratory muscles alive – a clear and chilling metaphor.

Like the game, the movie shows Simon pressing buttons, marking points on a map, and taking noisy snapshots of mysterious objects on the seabed. Arguably, this is the film's main issue: a two-hour runtime is excessive for an intimate horror piece.

The game took about 45 minutes to complete, and that was sufficient. However, the movie is filled with repetitive scenes and drawn-out dialogue, and the plot unfolds at an unjustifiably slow pace.

Nevertheless, it is precisely these monotonous, almost meditative sequences that create an oppressive atmosphere of claustrophobia and hopelessness – we feel suffocated alongside the main character inside a cramped iron box submerged in blood-red darkness.

'Iron Lung' Is a Solid Sci-Fi Horror Film That Set a New Record for the Most Fake Blood Ever Used on Set

The technical aspects of Iron Lung clearly reveal its independent origins – the budget was limited, there was no major studio backing, and the director played the lead role himself.

Despite these limitations, the movie broke the record for the most fake blood used onscreen. The previous record was held by the 2013 Evil Dead remake, but Iron Lung surpassed it by using around 300,000 liters of stage blood during production.

Mark Fischbach, who had to constantly splash around in it, ended up requiring hospitalization after getting too much of the fluid in his eyes.

Admittedly, Iron Lung is an uneven film – it is overly long and tedious in places – but it boasts a unique atmosphere and a genuine love for the source material.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Iron Lung'?

• Iron Lung has 59% from critics and 86% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.9/10.

• On Letterboxd, Iron Lung scored 3.1/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Iron Lung'?

Iron Lung is available to stream on YouTube Movies & TV.