Iron Lung (2026) Review
- Viktoria
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Director: Mark Fischbach
Year of release: 2026
Country of origin: United States
Spoiler status: Light spoilers
Genre: psychological horror
Video game adaptations have been on the rise for the past few years, and horror games are no exception. Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, took it upon himself to bring Iron Lung to life as a live-action film. The announcement generated a lot of excitement, myself included, so when I finally got the chance to watch it, I could barely contain myself.
Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The frustrating part is that I'm not entirely sure why, whether it's the weight of all the hype it accumulated during its theatrical run, or simply because the film isn't very good.
When I watch indie films, I usually manage my expectations carefully so I can appreciate them on their own terms. This time, that instinct went straight out the window. I wouldn't call myself Markiplier's biggest fan, but his YouTube videos were always entertaining in a way that clearly left an impression. Could that be the reason why I was expecting much more from Iron Lung?
Let's dive into this analysis and find out.
The plot of Iron Lung
The film follows a convict trying to earn his freedom for a crime he claims he didn't commit. In a post-apocalyptic world where almost everything and everyone is dead, a team of specialists sends Simon (played by Markiplier) down into a lake of blood to retrieve some kind of evidence.
The storytelling is vague to a fault. It's easy to get lost, and the film offers little in the way of specifics — as though it was made exclusively for fans of the video game, assuming they'd fill in the blanks themselves. Considering the 5.9 it received on IMDb, I'd say I'm not alone in feeling this way.
Markiplier has an enormous following on YouTube, and it's safe to say most of them are deeply loyal to him. Which raises a fair question: did the film succeed because it's genuinely good, or because his fanbase showed up regardless? According to The Numbers, the production budget was $3,000,000, and the worldwide box office came in at 17.1 times that figure. That's not nothing. I don't think a bad movie pulls those numbers on fan loyalty alone. Die-hard fans who'd call anything Mark touches a masterpiece exist, but they're a minority.
Someone pointed out to me that he probably never expected the film to blow up the way it did, which may explain why he didn't feel the need to spell everything out. But Iron Lung was always intended for a theatrical release — and that context matters. Not everyone in those seats played the game or watched his playthrough. The plot needed to work for them too, and on that front, it falls short.
Is Iron Lung scary?
Markiplier was going for a sci-fi psychological horror vibe that was only partially achieved. The idea of being lowered into a sea of blood and having to navigate through uncharted territory while something is constantly banging on your submarine is terrifying, but without the necessary elements that build proper dread, it's nothing but wasted potential.
Atmospheric tension is one of the main building blocks of psychological horror. I can certainly say that the movie held enough paranoia, but I can't say the same for dread. Usually, these are built through withholding information, but this movie withheld so much that there was barely anything left to build that feeling of unease. Instead of terror, all I felt was frustration. I had a few pieces of a scary puzzle, and I couldn't fit them together because someone's sea monster/alien swam along and ate the rest.
I can definitely say that Iron Lung had all the elements of psychological horror involved to some degree, but barely any of them were fully realized. The movie feels like a college project that didn't have enough materials and was also somehow rushed. It was painfully stretched out for no reason, making the movie quite boring. It would've made more sense to make a short movie on the topic rather than an hour-and-a-half-long one.
Rating: 🕯️(1/5)
I was extremely excited about the opportunity to watch this movie, and I had high hopes since I usually enjoy Markiplier's content. But unfortunately, his YouTube talents didn't transfer to his directorial endeavors. The movie felt like it was missing so much, and I don't know what to do with that fact. We were promised something amazing and terrifying, but instead got a project that felt half-finished. Honestly, the scariest thing about it is how mind-numbing it is.
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