Markiplier’s ‘Iron Lung’ is a welcome return to grindhouse sci-fi films of the ’90s

“Iron Lung” is beyond a doubt the cinematic sensation of the year so far. This indie space horror film is based on David Szymanski’s 2022 PC video game of the same name and directed by YouTube megastar Markiplier. Since its release on Jan. 30, it’s been a shocker hit during its theatrical run, nailing the top spot for the first week and gaining positive word of mouth.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, “Iron Lung” is set in a post-apocalyptic future after an uncanny cosmic event called “The Quiet Rapture,” where all the stars and planets have strangely vanished. Humanity’s numbers have dwindled down to almost nothing. A convict named Simon must explore a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a rusty mini-sub called the Iron Lung to search for clues to the missing stars and planets to gain his freedom.

It now sits at an impressive $37 million in worldwide box office receipts. That might not seem like much, but for a release in the doldrums of February, made for a minuscule $3 million, it’s a bonafide money-maker delivering a tidy profit for Markiplier, who self-financed the production.

Iron Lung: Final Trailer – YouTube

Watch On

For a paltry $3 million — likely less than the catering bill for James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — Markiplier conjures up the rare trick of capturing indie magic without the help of Hollywood cash or distribution.

YouTube celebrity and gaming guru Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach is known around the world for his entertaining video game play-throughs, complete with witty remarks and comedic observations. Having joined YouTube back in 2012, he’s become an international brand who often appears at gaming conventions and events to support his 38 million subscribers. Originally planned as a limited release, “Iron Lung” has expanded to over 4,000 screens around the globe.

The R-rated film goes back to the bleak days of grindhouse-style sci-fi horror titles like director Richard Stanley’s “Hardware” (1990) and director Vincenzo Natali’s “Cube” (1997), or even Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” (1995). A more recent comparison would be Flying Lotus’ “Ash,” which was released on Mar. 21, 2025, before landing on the horror streaming service Shudder.

There’s a palpable renegade spirit in “Iron Lung” that breathes new life into the science fiction realm, one that taps into the illogical mysteries of the cosmos and humankind’s insatiable search for answers. It’s within that quest of exploration that “Iron Lung” finds its erratic pulse.

Markiplier does an admirable job transferring the hidden terrors of the video game onto the big screen by expanding the story. Ostensibly a rookie screenwriter, star, editor, and director, he just about pulls it off as our convict navigates his shuddering iron coffin amid unseen aquatic animals, snapping X-ray images of weird tube-like organisms, scattered bones, bare skulls, and dagger-like teeth.

While the film tends to drag a bit and get waterlogged with a soggy middle, this downtime does serve a purpose; it lulls you into a sense of false security down there, meandering around in your murky ocean of human blood, all alone in the claustrophobic confines of your creaky, leaky submersible.

It’s one of the video game’s strengths as well, and here it’s transplanted beautifully as our resourceful anti-hero attempts to find answers to “The Quiet Rapture.” A game playthrough of “Iron Lung” takes 45 minutes, but here the narrative is stretched out to over two hours, and at times, you do feel it.

Kudos to the intense camerawork of cinematographer Philip Roy and composer Andrew Hulshult’s ominous score that provide support for the suffocating plot. Even with its bloated runtime and confusing climax, “Iron Lung” is an extraordinary creation that crumbles into an evil quagmire of blood-saturated body horror laced with eldritch Lovecraftian lore.

It’s a unique haunting experience that lingers with you long after you’ve resurfaced from its disturbing grip. The micro-budget movie should have Hollywood embracing more of these types of original projects instead of relying on tired sequels, prequels, and reboots of existing properties.

Iron Lung is still showing in movie theaters around the globe, but we expect it’ll be leaving the big screen soon. It will like show up on a streaming service later this year, but no word on where it’s landing yet.