Markiplier’s horror film, ‘Iron Lung,’ is a testament to indie filmmaking

By John Hiett

Have you ever wondered what film holds the record for the most fake blood used ever? Well, that record is 80,000 gallons and is held by the new horror movie, “Iron Lung.” The film is notably directed by Mark Fischbach, or more well known as the YouTuber Markiplier. 

That’s right, Markiplier took it upon himself with a small production crew and a $3 million budget to prove that he could adapt a video game into a horror movie. Self-financing the movie himself, Markiplier originally planned on releasing the movie to 50 or so theaters, but that number quickly rose to over 3000 when fans did their part and asked theaters to add “Iron Lung” to their showings. 

Iron Lung is a horror/sci-fi movie that adapted from the horror video game with the same name. It’s a very short game where you’re stuck in a submarine, having to navigate with only coordinates and an x-ray type camera to see where you are in the ocean. 

Essentially, the game plays on the themes of survival and the fear of the unknown as terrifying sounds are heard just outside the submarine and frightening images are captured by the camera.

The film follows prison convict, Simon (Mark Fischbach), as he is trapped in a makeshift, rusty submarine, The SM-13, nicknamed the Iron Lung with the goal of taking photo scans deep in the ocean. In exchange for completing this expedition, Simon will be given his freedom but there’s a scary catch: he’s trapped in the Iron Lung while also being submerged in a mysterious ocean of blood.

Despite being trapped, taking pictures of a blood ocean can’t be that bad, right? However, people in the control center like Ava (Caroline Kaplan), who lead Simon on his expedition, can’t fathom what lurks in the depths because of the thick and viscous blood in the ocean. The suspense comes from his lack of control, being unable to defend himself from the depths, with only an x-ray camera to make the murky waters somewhat visible. 

I want to take a moment to focus on some of the film’s major strengths, such as the cinematography, music and set design. Despite having a 2-hour runtime mainly in the Iron Lung, I was thoroughly engaged the whole way through, as several scenes had stellar camera placement or clever transitions.

Just with the camera work alone, the film immerses you alongside Simon with close shots or dark lighting, making you feel the claustrophobia from the close, dark corners that make the submarine into a coffin. Composed by Andrew Hulshult, the music is also top notch as it really ups the tension and anxiety throughout the film as the beats pulse and distort in weird unnatural ways.

The set design is probably one of my favorite aspects of the film, as Markiplier and his team faithfully recreated the game’s version of the submarine and translated it in a way that would fit the real world. 

In the best way possible, the submarine looks badly built to the point the possibility of leakage and implosion look inevitable from the constant pressure from the blood ocean. The entire submarine set was tacked onto a NACMO, which allows the set to literally be flung around in real time, thus launching Simon around the ship when things got rocky.Simon (Mark Fischbach) in disbelief as he’s submerged into the blood ocean.

Lastly there are some minor flaws to this film that will make some people not enjoy it. Some of the biggest issues with the film was slow pacing, especially in the middle. On top of that some scenes were hard to hear, making the plot hard to follow.

I admire Markiplier’s efforts in making an indie horror film that felt like a legit high-budget cult classic. I think it’s a great step in pushing the idea of film-making to be more accessible and achievable for people who aren’t in Hollywood.

Ultimately, the film is about survival and facing incomprehensible horrors. Much like Markiplier’s striving to create his passion project in spite of Hollywood’s elitist culture, Simon’s choices down in the ocean are him not only fighting to keep his life, but also to fight for the greater good of humanity given his situation. 

With all that said, I would like to end this review with one of Simon’s quotes, “I will choose to breathe my last at the bottom of an ocean, unseen, unheard, and uncontrolled.”

“Iron Lung” is available to watch in theaters.

John Hiett is a senior biology major. He is passionate about any and all indie video games and loves getting coffee since starting college.

Images courtesy of Markiplier Studios.