Good afterevenmorn, Readers!

I feel like I manifested this… But I’m getting ahead of myself. Does anyone remember me lamenting about how difficult it was for original or new folks to break out in the entertainment industry? I’ve been griping since Adam was knee-high to a grasshopper (how’s that for a malaphor?) that original stories aren’t getting made anymore, with production companies all settling for established IPs with a huge fanbase they can take advantage of. Smaller stories, no matter how good they might be, are left in the dust because creative risks are just not done any longer.

It’s been a point of ire of mine for a while now. And then, as if answering the call, in comes a YouTuber with a fully independently produced and distributed film based in the world of a fully independently created video game. Alright, technically it is an adaptation, but the fact that the game is independent, small, and not widely known in the way, say, the Assassin’s Creed Franchise is, means that this one counts. It counts, alright?

Also, I believe this is not the story in the game, but in the world of the game, but I’ll explain later.

Let me explain what Iron Lung is for those who don’t know.

Iron Lung is a horror game that dropped in 2022. Created by David Szymanski (developed and distributed), it is a deep submarine simulation game where your only guide is a serious of extremely poor quality photos you periodically take and some rudimentary instruments. Like most simulation games of this type, things go wrong. Something stops working, and you have to fix it. Your sub is poorly built and may (does) catch fire, which you have to take care of. But however claustrophobic that might be, the real horror lies outside of the submarine. You see, you aren’t in the ocean. It is an ocean. But not the ocean.

Sometime in the future in the world of this game, there was something called the ‘Quiet Rapture.’ A universal disappearance of… well… everything. Planets, suns, and all life on them just… vanishment. The universe is now a true void. All of humanity that survived were those who were off world – those in space stations or whatnot. In this world of nothing, the remains of humanity stumble across a planetoid/moon that is covered in an ocean. An ocean made entirely of blood.

You play a prisoner, sent into this ocean of blood in a dingy submarine of questionable manufacture to try and take imagery so humanity can figure out what is going on, and perhaps find some sort of way to ensure their survival. In your descent, you learn that not all life was raptured…

So, that’s the game. It’s not an AAA title. The graphics are reminiscent of early nineties video games. The mechanics are simple. But the vibes are immaculate. I haven’t played it. I will not play it. Horror isn’t my favourite thing to play. I get nightmares (what a sensitive little bean). But I did watch a couple of people play it, and it was super interesting. The context is brilliant.

I don’t think the movie centres the same character from the game. There is a hint in the trailer that perhaps the movie is about the first prisoner to go down (you aren’t the first in the game). The line, “This is the test.” gives me the impression that we might be following the first attempt.

I think that the film is an original story set in an established world.

Entirely produced, directed, starring and distributed by YouTuber Markiplier (Mark Fischbach), this film has been an absolute phenomena and testament to the power of people. There are a couple of things of note.

When the completion of the film was announced (those who know also know that this film has been years and years in the making), it was available in just a few cinemas, and only in the United States. I think it was something like a grand total of six cinemas.

When I say the people mobilised, I mean the people mobilised. In less than 24 hours of the announcement of the release date, cinemas around the US were receiving requests to show the film. One by one, they relented, adding screenings… all of which sold out incredibly quickly. And then fans in Canada got in on the action. Cinemas up this way started getting requests. The first to offer a screening in Ottawa, nearest to where I live, was Landmark Cinema. I was a little sad it was just them, as they only have two cinemas remotely close to me, and as a public transit user, they’re absolutely awful to get to. To my great joy as of the writing of this, Cineplex got in on the action. And thus so did I. There is a Cineplex near where I work that’s super easy for me to get to that is offering screenings, and I snapped up a ticket as soon as I found out.

I cannot speak for anywhere in Europe, as I’m not there, but I do know that fans over there are mobilising in a similar manner.

Watching this happen at such an astonishing pace was a thing of beauty. Here was a film, created from inception to finished product by one person and the team he gathered around himself, which has created more online hype than any movie I’ve been aware of in a long, long while. The way folks rallied behind their favourite YouTube creator and this independent project made me smile.

Granted, Markiplier has a baked in advantage over most independent creatives – he’s got a large, strong and active fan base. He’s also wealthy enough to take on a project like this. Very few creatives can say the same, in either case. So while it’s been fun watching him flip the bird at the gatekeepers in the industry, I’m also very aware that he’s pretty much the only person who can turn their back on the establishment at present. And still, I’m excited about it. I’m excited to see independent film makers set themselves up, even if it’s not something that can be replicated. I’m excited to see the fan response. I do think that a great deal of it is as much about people hungering for something new as it is fans just wanting their favourite to succeed.

At least, I bought a ticket not because I’m a horror fan (I’m not). Or even a Markiplier fan (though I have followed him for a while. I mean, I have very much enjoyed his previous productions, and his old Let’s Plays, but I am not a fan the way I’ve seen his fans are). I bought a ticket because I do want him to succeed, but also because I want to send a message to the establishment. I want them to start taking creative risks again. I want them to reclaim the soul of storytelling. I’m so tired of ‘by the number’ stories; those same formulas that reek of suits and number-crunching instead of inspiration, creativity and genuine storytelling. I want the cinema that gave us those bad films that became classics, the brilliant films that were forgotten, the stories that are original and vibrant and full of imagination. I don’t mind adaptations (for obvious selfish reasons), so long as they’re not soulless, so long as they grasp the heart of the story and provide a decent window into what made that story great. But I really, really want to see films that are fresh, imaginative, original. I know, I’m beating this point to death.

I do believe that this exact sentiment is why Iron Lung has gained so much traction. Markiplier’s status helps. It couldn’t have happened if he didn’t have the fan base he does. But we’re all out here in a creative wasteland starving to death. I’m excited to see this film not because I think it’ll be polished and perfect the way a big-budget film would be coming out of one of the big studios. I’m excited to see the film because it’s a fresh voice, with a new story, in a wasteland or unnecessary reboots, remakes and retcons. I’ve bought a ticket because I meant it when I said that this is what I wanted. I bought a ticket because we can build a new creative ecosystem if we want it.

Anyway, I’ll report back on the film once I’ve seen it, if you’re interested. For now, if your interest in piqued and if there are any available spots left at a screening near you, check out the movie’s website.

And if any film makers are interested in giving another little story a film adaptation, might I humbly suggest… Just kidding. Just kidding…

Unless…

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and sometimes painting. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and sometimes relaxing. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. Her next novel The Lioness of Shara Mountain releases … sometime.