Top 10 Movies Made By YouTubers
#10: “Shelby Oaks” (2025)
Chris Stuckmann has been a mainstay of YouTube film criticism for years. So when he announced he was both writing and directing a horror film, expectations were high. Whether or not “Shelby Oaks” lived up to those expectations has been hotly debated online, but the film established Stuckmann as a solid director who clearly loves the genre. The film follows a woman in search of her missing sister, who had hosted an online paranormal investigation show. After a cryptic clue shows up at her door, she’s drawn into the mystery and finds herself exploring the abandoned town where her sister vanished. “Shelby Oaks” may have some familiar beats, but it also features a creative mix of filmmaking styles and some memorable scares.
#9: “The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?” (2015)
Writer and director Jon Schnepp had a list of credits on shows such as “The Venture Bros.,” “Metalocalypse,” and more. However, he was also known online for his frequent appearances on Collider shows where he discussed film, TV, and pop culture. In 2015, Schnepp released “The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?," a documentary exploring the preproduction and cancellation of Tim Burton’s fabled “Superman” reboot. The doc features a number of in-depth interviews with the film’s director, producers, and writers. It also showcases tons of behind-the-scenes footage and concept art from the film’s preproduction. All in all, it’s a fascinating look into what would have certainly been a very strange take on the Man of Steel.
#8: “A Heist with Markiplier” (2019)
Since he started posting “Let’s-Plays” in 2012, Markiplier has been one of the most popular creators on the site. So when YouTube tried its hand at original content, Markiplier was an obvious choice to experiment with something longer and more produced. The result was “A Heist with Markiplier,” an interactive special spread across multiple videos. Mark guides the viewer through an elaborate heist gone wrong. As various choices pop up, you click different videos and watch the results play out. The whole thing is a deeply silly adventure with plenty of funny decisions, YouTuber cameos, and 31 unique endings to discover. However, if you’re looking for a more traditional experience, Markiplier also starred, directed and wrote “Iron Lung,” a horror film that’ll literally take your breath away.
#7: “Pretend That You Love Me” (2020)
Comedian Joel Haver has been a recent breakout star thanks to his off-beat sense of humor and unique visual style. He eventually started making feature length films and releasing them for free on YouTube, and “Pretend That You Love Me” is easily the strangest and most personal. The film starts out with Joel on a series of dates with different women, before it eventually unfurls into something much more intimate and unexpected as we learn more about Joel’s real life. It’s impossible to know how much of the film is scripted or improvised, and Joel uses that uncertainty to explore the messy connections between love, grief, and art.
#6: “Skinamarink” (2022)
Before releasing the viral horror hit “Skinamarink,” writer and director Kyle Edward Ball posted nightmare-inspired horror shorts to YouTube under the channel name Bitesized Nightmares. His debut feature film has many of the same hallmarks, with a lo-fi analog style and a premise straight out of a childhood nightmare. “Skinamarink” follows two young siblings who wake up in the middle of the night to discover the doors and windows to their home have mysteriously vanished, along with their parents. The film received a lot of positive reviews, with many praising its unique look and slow-burn style of horror. While “Skinamarink” might not be for everyone, it’s certainly one of the most distinctive horror movies of the past few years.
#5: “This Place Rules” (2022)
Andrew Callaghan built a huge audience covering strange events and gatherings on his channel All Gas No Brakes. However as the political climate shifted, he started covering more serious topics and interviewing people at political gatherings and protests. This gave him a unique vantage point on the events leading up to the January 6th Insurrection, which he presents in his HBO documentary, “This Place Rules.” The film blends a number of deeply personal stories and interviews from across the political spectrum with a larger critique of a media ecosystem that profits off of anger and division. Callaghan refuses to judge his subjects or their extreme viewpoints, which makes this doc a uniquely unvarnished view of modern day American politics.
#4: “Shazam!” (2019)
Director David F. Sandberg started out posting horror shorts on his YouTube channel ‘Ponysmasher,’ one of which was eventually adapted into a feature length film. This opened the door for Sandberg to work on larger projects such as “Annabelle: Creation,” and eventually “Shazam!” The film follows a young teen in foster care who gains the ability to magically transform into an adult superhero just by saying a magic word. In an era of dour and self-serious DC movies, “Shazam!” worked because it went in the opposite direction. It’s a silly superhero comedy with a heartfelt message, and a fantastic performance from Zachary Levi as a giddy kid in a super-powered adult body.
#3: “Talk to Me” (2022)
Twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou built a massive audience on YouTube under the channel name RackaRacka. Their videos usually featured a mix of comedy, horror, stunts, and special effects. Their debut feature film, “Talk to Me,” is a grisly ghost story about a group of teens who use an embalmed hand to summon spirits. Things obviously go wrong, and the results are shockingly brutal. The film features some gut-churning practical effects for the violent possessions and ghostly encounters. All of these scares feed into a surprisingly touching story about coping with loss. As is also the case with their follow-up, “Bring Her Back,” it’s a truly haunting thrill ride that doesn’t let up, even after its gut-punch of an ending.
#2: “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016)
Before working on massive franchises such as “Predator” and “The Boys,” director Dan Trachtenberg was known online as one of the co-hosts of “The Totally Rad Show” and the director of the hugely viral short film “Portal: No Escape.” Trachtenberg would eventually make the leap from short films to features with his debut film “10 Cloverfield Lane,” a spiritual successor to the 2008 found footage monster movie “Cloverfield.” The film follows a woman who gets in a car accident and wakes up in an underground bunker with two men claiming the air on the surface has been poisoned. Instead of a massive monster movie, the film is a small-scale psychological thriller with a gripping central mystery and a trio of fantastic lead performances.
#1: “Eighth Grade” (2018)
Bo Burnham is a rare YouTuber who literally grew up with the platform. He started out posting comedy songs when he was just 16, and as he got older his work started to reflect the perils of internet fame and growing up online. So it makes sense that Burnham’s debut feature film, which he wrote and directed, focused so heavily on many of those same themes.“Eighth Grade” follows an awkward middle schooler named Kayla as she prepares to start high school and struggles to make friends, all while documenting her life in YouTube vlogs. The film isn’t very flashy or overdramatic, but it manages to paint a grounded and deeply intimate portrait of modern day adolescence.
Those are our picks, but let us know if we missed any! So many artists and filmmakers have gotten their start on YouTube, so be sure to shout out your favorites in the comments below.
