Iron Lung: When YouTube Buzz Meets Slow-Burn Horror

Markiplier’s self-financed feature Iron Lung, adapted from the 2022 game, has broken into mainstream attention with about $18 million in its opening weekend, driven largely by his massive YouTube following. The film largely plays as a claustrophobic two-hour largely single-actor experience, with the final 20 minutes delivering the most engagement thanks to practical effects and gross-out visuals. Critics acknowledge the visuals exceed expectations for a $3 million budget, but many find the film slow and opaque for non-fans, making Iron Lung a notable but atypical example of a creator-driven indie horror surge rather than a reliable predictor for cinema’s future.