All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. As an added bonus, I’ll be doing a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

The Best in Horror 2025-2026 So Far…

#31 – DOLLY (GATOR FACE)
#30 – THINESTRA (SACCHARINE)
#29 – ONSLAUGHT (BEAST OF WAR)
#28 – READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (PENNY LANE IS DEAD)
#27 – IN OUR BLOOD (V/H/S/HALLOWEEN)
#26 – SEND HELP (HEEL)
#25 – THE CARPENTER’S SON (THE BOOK OF SIJJIN AND ILLIYYIN)
#24 – OTHER (YOU ARE NOT ME)
#23 – WHO’S WATCHING (MATCH)
#22 – HOPE (TOUCH ME)
#21 – THEY WILL KILL YOU (MEAT KILLS)
#20 – IT ENDS (ANACORETA)
#19 – TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA (PLAY DEAD)
#18 – IRON LUNG (THE DEEP DARK)

#18 – IRON LUNG (2026)

Released on January 30, 2026.
Available On Demand on YouTube from Markiplier!
Directed by Mark Fischbach aka Markiplier.
Written by Mark Fischbach, David Szymanski.
Check out the trailer here!

Filmmaker Mark Fischbach aka Markiplier stars as Simon, a man who is serving his prison sentence by blindly piloting a submarine through an ocean of blood on a distant planet to help map the surface. But it turns out that this one-man mission actually might hold answers to the survival of the known universe and beyond.

I’m not a gamer, so IRON LUNG was completely new to me. I had heard the rumors leading up to this film. That it was a completely independent endeavor, with Markiplier pretty much being a one-man movie making machine, while relying on the help of the game’s creator David Szymanski. I know that OBSESSION is the rags-to-riches story of the year in horror, but Markiplier and IRON LUNG definitely come in a close second. It appears Markiplier had a major hand in writing, directing, acting (as he is pretty much the only man on screen for the entire movie), right down to pushing for a theatrical release and marketing his own film. That’s impressive, no matter what the movie is. And after seeing the film, I’m super-impressed with what IRON LUNG accomplished.

IRON LUNG is a claustrophobic, sci-fi nightmare. We open with the lead, Simon, played by Markiplier of course, waking up inside a submarine with no windows. We are told about the immense pressure the sub must withstand. We know that visibility is nil as the sub is traversing through a sea of blood, so Simon must pilot this sub blindly, by bumping into walls and trying to remember the path he’s taken by charting the course on a notepad. The gaming aspect of this movie is evident from the get-go, as Simon simply must navigate the ship through the bloody depths. He’s even got a sort of joystick thingy to steer the ship with. It’s evident from the set-up that, while there is other drama going on and a fair amount of lore to reveal, the gaming aspect takes precedence in the establishment of investment in the movie. The small victories which supply that double dose of adrenaline and dopamine from the games are scattered prevalently throughout the film, making it quite the successful adaptation. Though I haven’t played the game, I can see where it would be addictive to do so given the way this story is structured, as small victories and setbacks escalate from beginning to end.

IRON LUNG delivers a wonderfully claustrophobic experience. This is achieved by extreme close-ups, interesting angles, and frantic edits. This variety of shots intensify as IRON LUNG plays out. The whole film occurs inside this sub with only a couple of flashbacks to Simon’s life before he was imprisoned. So, making these shots interesting and in-your-face is key to keeping things interesting. The film is successful in doing so, as the alternative is a rather boring one with the same six static shots done over and again. The camera movement, range, and edits are what push the story along and make the walls close in so tight I was struggling for breath.

Because IRON LUNG was such a one-man show with Markiplier basically taking on all the duties. IRON LUNG has caught fire by those saying that the filmmaker’s ego is bigger than that blood ocean he is piloting through. Now, I’m sure there were days when Markiplier was hitting himself for taking on this mission, basically all alone, but the directing is solid, the story is interesting, and the acting is surprisingly good too. Markiplier is alone and in the middle of every shot. He only interacts with voices from an intercom and a computer screen. That’s not easy, but I felt the actor handled the dramatics very well. Sometimes, to do things right, you must do it yourself. Markiplier proved that and I felt he did it capably on all angles.

While IRON LUNG heavily leans into the sci fi, the blood ocean and the claustrophobia firmly plants it in horror. A big part of that is a large x-ray camera posted outside of the ship. This takes a flash image of what’s in front of the sub and the things seen through that camera are the stuff of Lovecraftian nightmare. All teeth, spines, and ambiguity. This is an extremely smart and effective way to convey terror, as the camera only takes a static shot and must recharge before taking another one. This helps provide the chilling approach of monsters from afar and by the time you see the pic, it’s already too late.

There is a pacing problem to IRON LUNG. The runtime is close to two-hours and I think this would benefit from about 30 to 40 minutes trimmed here and there. I get it. Markiplier was in love with this project. It was his baby, but I think especially during the editing process, another set of eyes might have been better for the film. It’s not that any particular scene stands out as useless, but some of the repetition could have been snipped and it would have been a tighter and more enjoyable experience. I understand the criticism that sitting through the film can be seen as a chore with that runtime.

I also think that the ambiguous and cosmic ending is going to turn some off to some. IRON LUNG goes big for the finale and its always going to be difficult putting shape to an other worldly shapeless. No one did the end of the universe as well as Kubrick did in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but Markiplier supplied a noble effort within his budget.

It’s not perfect, but IRON LUNG is quite an accomplishment. It reminded me a lot of John Carpenter’s DARKSTAR, which also reaches for the stars despite a small budget. I’ve never seen a sea of blood and now I can say I have. I also know that Markiplier is a voice in genre film that I’m going to be following from now on. IRON LUNG delivers on claustrophobic, cosmic dread and horror and it worked for me. Recommended.

Worth Noting – THE DEEP DARK (aka GUEULES NOIRES, 2023)

Released on March 24, 2026!
Streaming on Tubi from Fulltime Studio!
Directed/Written by Mathieu Turi.
Check out the trailer here!!

A crew of French miners are contracted by a researcher to find an underground cavern housing an ancient evil that goes by the name Mok’noroth.

Though it seems to have come out a few years ago, I had never heard of THE DEEP DARK, which is a mix between THE DESCENT and THE EMPTY MAN. But one look at the trailer with its claustrophobic feel and truly horrifying monster, and I knew I had to check it out. There really isn’t a thing going on in THE DEEP DARK that is abnormal through the first half. One would think that would make for a boring watch, but like THE DESCENT, THE DEEP DARK immerses you in the world of the miners so well that I almost forgot there was supposed to be a creature in this creature feature. The closeness the miners must endure, the lack of space and light mass the viewers understand why these miners are such grumpy guys. The film does a great job of tossing you into that dark abyss with these miners as we step through the tunnels inch by inch.

Once the monster shows up, holy mackerel! This is one gnarly creature with multiple arms and all bony everywhere. Categorized as an ancient evil, it’s hard to distinguish if this is a beast from outer space or just sheer earthen nightmare. Either way, it is effective and filmmaker Mathieu Turi can show quite a bit of it and make it scary, even though the budget most likely for this one was lower than most creature features. Still, the use of strobe lights, the cave system, simple darkness and shadow, along with a truly terrifying monster design makes every scene with the creature, named very lovecraftianly as Mok’noroth, a classic movie monster that shouldn’t be missed.

The film has a strange subplot about a new miner who is discriminated and berated by his peers because he is the only Muslim in the group of Frenchmen. The fact that this character can read Arabic ties in with some of the etching in the walls deep in the tunnel, but this subplot felt a little forced, as if the runtime needed to be padded a bit and making this character ostracized in the group was used to add some conflict between the miners. I get it that there needs to be a personal story going on to make one care for the cast, but the way the character suffers from derogatory remarks and outright racism only made me kind of loathe the rest of the cast and hope for their early demises.

THE DEEP DARK also has a very abrupt end. There’s a whole lot of tension and high stakes for these miners, but things happen so quickly towards the end, it sort of undercuts all that has come before. I don’t know what they could have done, but I felt the film ended very quickly, and I was left a bit unsatisfied with a more conclusive or even memorable finale. Instead, the action stops and then we get the credits. It’s almost as if there was going to be a bigger ending, but the budget ran out and things were just stopped.

That said, there is a whole lot to like about THE DEEP DARK. It’s one of those monster films that really sets the mood first and then tosses a monster, so terrifying that it makes the wait worth it. See this one for the wonderful atmosphere and especially the creative monster that you won’t forget once you see it.

Once again, feel free to agree, disagree, or how about you play along at home and give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies. It’s October, so let’s talk horror. Come back tomorrow for the next level in the Best in Horror Countdown. Be sure to hit all of the pertinent bells and whistles down below and you’ll never miss a post! Happy Halloween, folks!