For a debut actor, writer, director, distributor, it is remarkable how good this actually is.
The stars in the universe are disappearing, humans are disappearing. So begins a radical search for answers and solutions on deadly worlds. One such world is a moon of blood, and the only way to explore its depths is in a completely sealed submersible.
Iron Lung is a direct adaptation of an independent horror video game of the same name, made by solo developer David Szymanski. The film also stars Caroline Kaplan and Troy Baker. This isn’t the first, and probably not the last, time we have had internet personalities taking the helm of a movie. Chris Stuckmann’s horror Shelby Oaks springs to mind. But what’s remarkable about Iron Lung, is that writer, actor, director Mark Fischbach distributed it globally himself. That is about as indie as you can get. This film starts with zero production company logos… because there were none.
An indie film, based off an indie video game, starring and directed and written by a YouTube personality, that has no production backing. It can’t be good? Well…
The film follows Simon, a convict in a bleak future for Humanity. To explore an alien moon composed entirely of blood, Simon is sealed inside a rusty, battered vessel. He has no means to look outside except to take still images. No means to navigate the environment but to check coordinates alongside these photographs. Meanwhile, he might not be alone in the depths.
To fully appreciate what Iron Lung is, we need to address writer, director, lead actor, distributor, and editor of Iron Lung, Mark Fischbach. A Hawaiian raised in Cincinnati, Fischbach is more commonly known as Markiplier; his YouTube personality. Markiplier started out on YouTube over thirteen years ago, doing pre-recorded “let’s plays” of horror video games. Since then, his channel has over thirty-eight million subscribers. To give some perspective on this: Jack Black has a seven-year-old YouTube channel, and he has five million subscribers. Brie Larson has a channel, with only six-hundred-thousand.
This massive history of influence allowed Mark Fischbach to effectively fund and make this movie. But furthermore, distribute it to a global audience in major cinema chains. This is a titanic achievement.
But is it good?
This is an extremely faithful adaptation of the video game (unlike most video game adaptations) and that leans into its independent nature. Everything is taking place in a single, small compartment. Fischbach is centre-stage for the entire movie. Any significant CGI elements you might expect (world-building, exterior shots, establishing shots) don’t exist. Spare of a couple of brief flashbacks.
We also have drawbacks you would expect from a first time indie director. The film is slightly too long, at two hours, (but it isn’t tedious) there are moments that aren’t as impactful as they should be. For example, there are moments of close-up, looking at either wounds or significant items, and these aren’t in focus or lit poorly. I needed at least three shots of this one important item before I knew what I was looking at.
The start of the film is perhaps its weakest part. It feels like it wants to have its cake and eat it too. People unfamiliar with the game might feel a little lost as to what is happening straight away.
The acting is surprisingly okay. Which is perhaps its greatest achievement. This project lives and dies on how convincing the central character’s emotional state is. While at times it is a bit hard not to see the YouTube personality, he is doing his best and it is commendable.
The pacing and atmosphere are quite strong. Simon isn’t entirely alone in this small capsule. He gets irregular communication from those that put him there. Which delivers much of the situation’s gravity and emotional weight. The use of darkness and (of course) blood is effective. It is a serious movie as well; do not expect any of Markiplier’s silliness (except unintentionally, maybe). The film is often a moody experience, with the future of humanity at stake. Caroline Kaplan was great in this as Simon’s only point of contact; delivering a lot of exposition without it being stilted. The set was designed to move and buck around; allowing for dramatic lurches and rolls, tossing our protagonist around quite effectively.
Finally, there is something to be said about the theming. Mark is playing a man isolated in a box, talking to himself, at the behest of a faceless overseer that says “yay” or “nay” to his efforts. Remember, YouTube thirteen years ago was not about Live Streaming. There was no directness with your viewers. Mark is literally recapturing, intentionally or not, the early days of an influencer. There are other influences, such as video games, Lovecraft, anime, Asian cinema, and movies such as Raimi’s The Evil Dead.
Overall, Iron Lung is surprisingly good. More importantly, its peculiar pedigree makes it a truly unique experience. Which cannot be said for Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks, for example, which has the trappings of regular movie tropes.
It has flaws, irritating flaws. But the overall effect was good. If you watch a lot of Markiplier’s content, you will appreciate the efforts. If you vaguely know who he is, you might find his presence distracting. And if you don’t know anything about him… hopefully you see a unique horror story, if nothing else.
Additional Marshmallows: The film now holds the world record for amount of fake blood used on set, with 80,000 litres used.