The line between YouTuber and filmmaker has only gotten blurrier in recent years. Now, video essays regularly appear on “Best Films of the Year” lists; the Philippou Brothers, aka Racka Racka, made the sleeper horror hit Talk to Me; and Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks brought a new voice to horror. However, in each of these contexts, these creators were focused on long-form storytelling as an art form from the beginning.
But the latest YouTuber-turned-filmmaker is something else entirely: One of the most prestigious video game YouTubers ever is finding unexpected success at the box office with a self-financed sci-fi horror movie without a distributor. It may be a big surprise, but it’s also the latest example of a new trend in Hollywood.
