A YouTuber Horror Film Just Beat Evil Dead's Disgusting Record
A new wave of horror filmmakers is emerging, with famous YouTube personalities trying their hand at breaking into the movie industry. And, with a built-in following and an already established creative mindset, why not?
In 2025, highly respected YouTube movie critic Chris Stuckmann entered the scene with his directorial debut, Shelby Oaks. While that particular mystery-horror hybrid didn’t go over that well with critics, it’s still very exciting to see new ideas and a different approach to production in this increasingly tough market.
Now, it’s Mark Fischbach’s turn. The high-profile YouTuber known as ‘Markiplier’ is renowned for his gaming videos, and one indie horror title struck a chord with him so deeply that he made it his mission to turn it into a film. In 2026, he’s succeeded, and his debut movie, Iron Lung, has already been making waves – and even breaking a record.
Markiplier’s Iron Lung Is the Bloodiest Movie of All Time
Iron Lung is set in a dystopian world where life in our universe has been mostly wiped out. In a desperate attempt to find more life out there, a convict is sent into the depths of a mysterious ocean of blood in a submarine to see what lies beneath.
Naturally, the film required an obscene amount of blood to make its creepy setting work; a whopping 80,000 gallons of the fake stuff, approximately, as the filmmaker was keen to have a convincing level of practical effects for his bloody body of water.
This ambitious undertaking has earned Markiplier and his team a place in movie history, with Iron Lung thought to feature more fake blood than any other film in history so far. The record was previously held by Fede Alvarez’s gnarly Evil Dead reboot from 2013, which used 70,000 gallons of fake blood.
Unfortunately, Markiplier ended up in the hospital because of this excessive amount. The blood, which is a glycerin-based substance, is safe, generally speaking. However, the filmmaker got so much of it in his eyes that he had to be checked over.
“It’s safe to use… supposedly,” Markiplier said. “My eyes disagree.” In a YouTube video explaining what happened, he added: “My eyes are a bit red… It's actually terrifying. But I’m fine… turns out a lot can happen when you’re going for the record for the most blood in a horror movie. Turns out, if you go too deep into the blood, you have to go to the doctor to make sure your eyes aren’t melting out of your face.”
Iron Lung is Already an Incredible Indie Achievement
If that gruesome record wasn’t enough to earn your appreciation, Iron Lung has done some other very cool things, which are especially impressive considering it’s an independent movie.
For a start, this project has been entirely funded by Markiplier himself. The budget, which comes in at around $3 million, was all out of his own pocket, bypassing any semblance of the traditional studio approach to filmmaking.
Initially, Iron Lung was set to play in just 60 theatres across the U.S. Markiplier wanted more, naturally, and asked his fans to plead with their local cinemas to ask for screenings. That plan worked – and then some – with the movie ending up in over 4,000 theatres, now.
In its opening week, the film grossed close to $40 million. So, not only is Iron Lung a remarkably successful investment for Markiplier, but it’s also clear proof that there’s still a huge market for independent horror films if they’re given the chance to thrive.
Financial gain aside, all that fake blood has additionally resulted in the real stuff pouring in: Markiplier paired some of the theatrical releases with local blood drives, pulling in nearly 40,000 in donations. A bloody film, and a bloody good deed.
