The Iron Lung movie is an eagerly awaited sci-fi horror film directed, written, and starring Mark Fischbach, popularly known as Markiplier on YouTube. Adapted from David Szymanski’s acclaimed 2022 indie video game Iron Lung, the film dives into a disturbing and immersive world. The plot follows a condemned inmate tasked with navigating a small, claustrophobic submarine—termed the “Iron Lung”—through a vast ocean of blood on a desolate moon following a cosmic disaster called the Quiet Rapture.
What Is the Plot of Iron Lung?
Set after the Quiet Rapture, an event that erased most stars and habitable planets, humanity clings to survival in scattered space refuges. The discovery of a blood-red ocean on an uninhabitable moon leads to a desperate mission: a prisoner pilots the submarine across this hostile environment. Due to extreme pressure, the sub’s forward view port is sealed with metal, forcing him to carefully navigate blind, guided only by flickering instruments, printed maps, and a mounted camera that intermittently photographs the eerie, inky depths outside. As the voyage progresses, the mission’s “calculated risk” feels more like a death sentence, intensified by worsening technical failures, unsettling radio transmissions, and glimpses of something sinister beneath the blood ocean’s surface.
THE FINAL IRON LUNG TRAILER IS OFFICIALLY OUT OMFG pic.twitter.com/kg3Zl2v7FQ
— elsie 55 DAYS UNTIL IRON LUNG (@_LOVERiplier_) December 5, 2025
Cast and Characters
Mark Fischbach leads the film, portraying the central prisoner confined within the submarine. His involvement extends beyond acting to directing and writing. Caroline Rose Kaplan plays a significant supporting role, joined by other notable contributors, including Seán McLoughlin, known as Jacksepticeye, voice actor Troy Baker, singer and voice artist Elsie Lovelock, and the original game creator David Szymanski, who makes a cameo appearance. Additional cast members include Elle LaMont, Isaac McKee, and Kazuki Jalal, blending live-action and voice roles that enrich the film’s confined setting and tension-filled atmosphere.
Production Details and Filming
Produced by Markiplier Studios, Iron Lung closely follows the narrative and atmosphere of Szymanski’s original game, with the game’s creator credited as a writer to maintain narrative fidelity. Filming took place primarily in 2023, including locations in Austin, Texas. Post-production extended through industry strikes and Markiplier’s ongoing content creation schedule. The production notable for its practical effects reportedly used over 50,000 gallons of fake blood, lending authenticity to the ominous blood ocean and claustrophobic submarine interiors.
Release Information and Viewing Options
Iron Lung is set for a U.S. theatrical release on January 30, 2026. Its debut will be limited, playing in an estimated 50 to 100 independent theaters, including a premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Los Angeles, a notable venue for indie and genre films. Streaming and video-on-demand release details remain unconfirmed, but plans to bring the movie to digital platforms after its theatrical run are anticipated. Specific platforms and international release dates have yet to be announced, leaving fans eagerly awaiting further updates.
Trailer and Audience Expectations
The teasers and trailers released so far vividly convey the suffocating claustrophobia and creeping horror of Iron Lung. Scenes show tight metallic corridors, flickering instrumentation, alarms piercing the tense silence, and bleeding submarine walls, building an atmosphere thick with dread. Dialogue snippets hint at the mission’s dangerous experimental nature and increasing system failures with a protagonist desperate to survive. Combining cosmic-scale terror with human fragility, Iron Lung stands poised as a nerve-wracking horror film appealing to Markiplier’s fanbase and horror aficionados alike.
