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Meet Hollywood’s new masters of horror: YouTubers

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 936 words · By Lauren Wilson; NBC News
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What to know about Meet Hollywood’s new masters of horror: YouTubers

First came “Iron Lung,” a video game adaptation self-financed and distributed by YouTuber Markiplier that stunned the box office with a massive haul.

Claims checked 20
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

First came “Iron Lung,” a video game adaptation self-financed and distributed by YouTuber Markiplier that stunned the box office with a massive haul.

Why it matters

Three months later, “Obsession,” a low-budget project from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, pulled off the rare feat of growing its box office take by 39% in its second weekend in theaters.

Common ground

Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/youtubers-hollywo…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 20 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 10
check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified
Claim 1: “George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” in 1968”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Cross-reference from NYPost and general film history knowledge (supported by the cross-reference provided) confirm George A. Romero directed 'Night of the Living Dead' in 1968.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — George (English: / ˈdʒɔːrdʒ /) is a male given name derived from the Greek name Georgios (Γεώργιος; Ancient Greek: [ɡeɔ́ːrɡi.os], Modern Greek: [ʝeˈorʝi.os]). [1][2][3] It may have been a theophoric n…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_(given_name)
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover the latest fashion for women, men & kids, homeware, baby products & a wide range of kids’ toys. Fantastic quality & style at George at ASDA.
https://direct.asda.com/george/clothing/10,default,sc.html
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web search NEUTRAL — Stay in style no matter the season with George at ASDA’s women’s clothing. Whether you want to refresh your wardrobe essentials, find the perfect party outfit or update your workwear, we have all the …
https://direct.asda.com/george/womens-clothing/D1,default,sc…
+ 1 more evidence source
help
Claim 2: “The supernatural thriller [Talk to Me]... grossed $92.2 million worldwide against a $4.5 million budget.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific budget of $4.5 million or the worldwide gross of $92.2 million for 'Talk to Me'.
schedule
Claim 3: “Gen Z audiences, whose theater attendance rose 25% in 2025, according to Cinema United”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 4: ““Iron Lung,” a video game adaptation self-financed and distributed by YouTuber Markiplier”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Wikipedia and two separate web search reports) confirm that Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) self-financed and distributed the film 'Iron Lung'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 5, 2026 ... The Iron Lung movie was independently self-financed and created by YouTuber Mark Fischbach, Markiplier. Massive fan campaigns convinced major ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX9riHEid-h/?hl=en
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 2, 2026 ... Markiplier (whose real name is Mark Fischback) self-financed and distributed “Iron Lung,” which reportedly cost $3 million to produce. He ...
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/markiplier-cries-ir…
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web search NEUTRAL — Iron Lung is a 2026 American independent science fiction horror film starring writer, editor, and director Mark Fischbach, better known by his online alias Markiplier. It is based on the 2022 video ga…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Lung_(film)
schedule
Claim 5: “Mark Duplass, an experienced filmmaker and one of the movie’s stars”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “He has another film, titled “Anything But Ghosts,” in the works.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 7: “Their next movie, 2025’s “Bring Her Back,” had triple the budget.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a 2025 film titled 'Bring Her Back' or its budget.
schedule
Claim 8: “Kori Adelson... produced “Backrooms” and brought the film to A24.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 9: “Barker was primarily known on the Google-owned video platform for projects like “Milk and Serial,” a thriller that follows a duo of YouTube pranksters.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 10: “A24 recently tapped him to helm a reimagining of 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre””
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 11: “It also marked A24’s biggest opening weekend ever.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results specifically state that 'Backrooms' delivered the largest opening weekend ever for A24.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American independent entertainment company specializing in film and television production, as well as film distribution. They distribute and produce m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A24
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A24 is an American independent film production and distribution company based in New York City. It launched in August 2012, released its first film, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, in F…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A24_films
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Drama is a 2026 American romantic black comedy film written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. It stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a happily engaged couple whose relationship is tested by an …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drama_(film)
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “Cinema United, a trade organization that represents more than 31,000 movie screens in the U.S.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: ““Obsession” — which was made for $750,000 and acquired by Focus Features for $15 million”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 14: ““Obsession,” a low-budget project from 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, pulled off the rare feat of growing its box office take by 39% in its second weekend in theaters.”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms Curry Barker is a YouTuber and director of 'Obsession'. A web search result specifically reports that the film's second weekend take was 39% higher than its debut.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Curry Barker (born September 22, 1999) is an American filmmaker, comedian, actor, and YouTuber. He is known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", which he co-created with Cooper T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_Barker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Milk & Serial is a 2024 American horror film written and directed by Curry Barker, in his directorial debut. The found footage film stars Barker and Cooper Tomlinson, the comedy duo best known for the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_&_Serial
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker. The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsession_(2025_film)
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 15: “He and his collaborator Cooper Tomlinson have amassed more than 1 million followers to their “that’s a bad idea” channel.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 16: “shattering the record for the largest opening weekend ever for a first-time director with an original film.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results from box office reporting explicitly state that 'Backrooms' set the record for the largest opening weekend for a first-time director with an original film.
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web search NEUTRAL — Backrooms is a 2026 American science fiction and psychological horror film directed and co-scored by Kane Parsons in his feature-length directorial debut, ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backrooms_(film)
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web search NEUTRAL — May 31, 2026 ... “Backrooms” also set several box office benchmarks: It delivered the largest opening weekend ever for A24, crushing the record set by Alex ...
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/backrooms-box-offic…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 5, 2026 ... 'BACKROOMS' is tracking to break these records this weekend. • One of the top 5 biggest openings for a horror film ever • Biggest opening ...
https://www.facebook.com/TheBoardroom/posts/backrooms-blew-p…
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Claim 17: “A24’s “Backrooms” — from 20-year-old YouTuber Kane Parsons — grossed a record-breaking $81.4 million in North America and $118 million worldwide this weekend”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms Kane Parsons (YouTuber) directed 'Backrooms'. Web search results from box office reports confirm the $81.4 million North American debut and the worldwide total.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Backrooms is a 2026 American science fiction and psychological horror film directed and co-scored by Kane Parsons in his feature-length directorial debut, and written by Will Soodik. It is based on Pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backrooms_(film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed, produced by, and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's first feature film. The quasi-biographica…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kane Parsons (born June 18, 2005), also known as Kane Pixels, is an American YouTuber, composer, filmmaker, and visual effects artist. In January 2022, Parsons began publishing the viral web series Ba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_Parsons
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 18: “Francis Ford Coppola’s 1963 B-movie “Dementia 13””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and IMDb both confirm that Francis Ford Coppola wrote and directed 'Dementia 13' in 1963.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eleanor Jessie Coppola (née Neil; May 4, 1936 – April 12, 2024) was an American documentary film director, screenwriter, and artist. A member of the Coppola family, she was married to director Francis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Coppola
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Francis Ford Coppola ( KOH-pə-lə; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. One of the leading figures of the New Hollywood, Coppola is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ford_Coppola
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and film composer whose career spans more than sixty years. Coppola has directed twenty-three feature fil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ford_Coppola_filmograp…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 19: ““Talk to Me,” a 2022 film by twins Danny and Michael Philippou, was the first notable horror movie to be made by YouTube filmmakers.”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms the film and directors, and NBC Chicago explicitly states it was the first notable horror movie made by YouTube filmmakers.
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web search NEUTRAL — Talk To Me Was Danny & Michael Philippou's First Film.Along the same lines as Bring Her Back, this movie went on to become a solid success on streaming as well, showing that the Philippous are filmmak…
https://screenrant.com/talk-to-me-great-horror-movie-bring-h…
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web search NEUTRAL — Talk to Me is a 2022 Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou in their feature directorial debuts and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, based on a concept…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_to_Me_(2022_film)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “Talk to Me,” a 2022 film by twins Danny and Michael Philippou, was the first notable horror movie to be made by YouTube filmmakers.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/…
schedule
Claim 20: “To monetize on YouTube, a channel needs to have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of annual viewing time, according to YouTube’s monetization policy.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.