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From horror hits to coming-of-age dramas, content creators are making the leap to Hollywood! Join us as we count down our picks for the best films made by YouTubers who transitioned to full-fledged filmmakers. Our countdown includes "Skinamarink," "Talk to Me," "Shazam!" and more! Which YouTube filmmaker's work impressed you most?
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00:00I'll let you in.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 10 best times content creators made the jump from YouTubers to full-on filmmakers.
00:14All we have are surface scans, that's why you're there.
00:17Well, one of the reasons.
00:22Number 10, Shelby Oaks.
00:24Chris Stuckman has been a mainstay of YouTube film criticism for years.
00:27Welcome to my review of the latest controversial comic book movie.
00:31So when he announced he was both writing and directing a horror film, expectations were high.
00:36Whether or not Shelby Oaks lived up to those expectations has been hotly debated online,
00:41but the film established Stuckman as a solid director who clearly loves the genre.
00:50Do you need help?
00:53She finally let me go.
00:55The film follows a woman in search of her missing sister, who had hosted an online paranormal investigation show.
01:01After 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.
01:08Shelby Oaks may have some familiar beats, but it also features a creative mix of filmmaking styles and some memorable scares.
01:16You live alone out here?
01:17You live alone out here?
01:22Nope.
01:25Number 9, The Death of Superman Lives.
01:28What Happened?
01:28This is a film about a superhero movie that didn't get made.
01:32Writer and director John Schnapp had a list of credits on shows such as The Venture Brothers, Metalocalypse, and more.
01:37However, he was also known online for his frequent appearances on Collider shows where he discussed film, TV, and pop culture.
01:44In 2015, Schnapp released The Death of Superman Lives What Happened, a documentary exploring the pre-production and cancellation of Tim Burton's fabled Superman reboot.
01:54You gave him some notes and you said, the three things I don't want, I don't want him to fly, I don't want him in that costume.
02:01None of that's true.
02:02The doc features a number of in-depth interviews with the film's director, producers, and writers.
02:07It also showcases tons of behind-the-scenes footage and concept art from the film's pre-production.
02:12All in all, it's a fascinating look into what would have certainly been a very strange take on the Man of Steel.
02:18Because of Superman Lives, that was when I realized my true talent, I think.
02:23Number 8, A Heist with Markiplier.
02:25Since he started posting Let's Plays in 2012, Markiplier has been one of the most popular creators on the site.
02:32So, when YouTube tried its hand at original content, Markiplier was an obvious choice to experiment with something longer and more produced.
02:38The result was a heist with Markiplier, an interactive special spread across multiple videos.
02:44All right, we're in.
02:46You know the plan, right?
02:47What am I saying?
02:49You practically wrote it.
02:50Everything you need is in your bag, so let's synchronize our watches on three.
02:55Three!
02:55Mark guides the viewer through an elaborate heist gone wrong.
02:59As various choices pop up, you click different videos and watch the results play out.
03:03The whole thing is a deeply silly adventure with plenty of funny decisions, YouTuber cameos, and 31 unique endings to discover.
03:10I'm going to go back to base and enjoy a nice nap, because I deserve it, because I love myself.
03:17However, if you're looking for a more traditional experience, Markiplier also starred in, directed, and wrote Iron Lung,
03:23a horror film that will literally take your breath away.
03:26There aren't enough of us left to be throwing lives away, but there is too much at stake not to take calculated risks.
03:35Number 7.
03:36Pretend That You Love Me
03:37Comedian Joel Haver has been a recent breakout star thanks to his offbeat sense of humor and unique visual style.
03:43He eventually started making feature-length films and releasing them for free on YouTube.
03:59And Pretend That You Love Me is easily the strangest and most personal.
04:03The film starts out with Joel on a series of dates with different women,
04:06before it eventually unfurls into something much more intimate and unexpected as we learn more about Joel's real life.
04:11I only gave you one cube. I hope you don't feel like I skimped you.
04:14Oh no, that's classy, apparently, you know?
04:16Oh yeah.
04:17That's what people ask for at the bar all the time.
04:19Oh, they say, give me the one cube. Do you work on a bar?
04:21I do, yeah.
04:22Yeah, bartender?
04:23Um, cocktail waitress.
04:24I'm not sure if this is too soon, but do you want to see a magic trick?
04:28Okay, sure.
04:29It's impossible to know how much of the film is scripted or improvised,
04:33and Joel uses that uncertainty to explore the messy connections between love, grief, and art.
04:38I need pain.
04:39I need sorrow to get me through tomorrow.
04:45It hurts so bad, but I don't know it.
04:49I could cry.
04:52Number 6. Skinnamarink
04:54Before releasing the viral horror hit Skinnamarink,
04:57writer and director Kyle Edward Ball posted nightmare-inspired horror shorts to YouTube
05:01under the channel name Bite-Sized Nightmares.
05:03His debut feature has many of the same hallmarks,
05:06with a lo-fi analog style and a premise straight out of a childhood nightmare.
05:21Skinnamarink follows two young siblings who wake up in the middle of the night
05:25to discover the doors and windows to their home have mysteriously vanished,
05:28along with their parents.
05:29The film received a lot of positive reviews,
05:41with many praising its unique look and slow-burn style of horror.
05:45While Skinnamarink might not be for everyone,
05:47it is certainly one of the most distinctive horror movies of the past few years.
05:51She said she wanted a woman to die.
06:06Number 5. This Place Rules
06:11Andrew Callahan built a huge audience covering strange events and gatherings
06:15on his channel All Gas No Breaks.
06:17We are here at the Flat Earth Convention in Dallas, Texas,
06:21where nearly 100 people have traveled across this two-dimensional planet plane
06:24to share the truth about what the hell is going on.
06:28However, as the political climate shifted,
06:30he started covering more serious topics and interviewing people at political gatherings and protests.
06:35This gave him a unique vantage point on the events leading up to the January 6th insurrection,
06:40which he presents in his HBO documentary This Place Rules.
06:43What we documented in Philly was the first-ever Stop the Steal rally.
06:47The film blends a number of deeply personal stories and interviews from across the political spectrum
06:52with a larger critique of a media ecosystem that profits off of anger and division.
06:56We got to show the kids the same route.
06:58Like, they got to look up to us.
07:00We're the next generation.
07:01Callahan refuses to judge his subjects or their extreme viewpoints,
07:05which makes this doc a uniquely unvarnished view of modern-day American politics.
07:09The purpose of the movement is to question everything.
07:13Number 4. Shazam
07:14Director David F. Sandberg started out posting horror shorts on his YouTube channel Pony Smasher,
07:27one of which was eventually adapted into a feature-length film.
07:31This opened the door for Sandberg to work on larger projects such as Annabelle Creation and eventually Shazam.
07:37The film follows a young teen in foster care
07:39who gains the ability to magically transform into an adult superhero just by saying a magic word.
07:44In an era of dour and self-serious DC movies, Shazam worked because it went in the opposite direction.
07:54It's a silly superhero comedy with a heartfelt message
08:05and a fantastic performance from Zachary Levi as a giddy kid in a super-powered adult body.
08:10Shoot him in the face!
08:12Shoot me in the fa-
08:12In the face?
08:17That kind of tickles.
08:24You're dead.
08:25Number 3. Talk to me.
08:27I'll let you in.
08:28Twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou built a massive audience on YouTube under the channel name Raka Raka.
08:38Their videos usually featured a mix of comedy, horror, stunts, and special effects.
08:43Their debut feature film, Talk to Me, is a grisly ghost story about a group of teens who use an embalmed hand to summon spirits.
08:50Alright, somebody time it. As soon as she lets it in, it cannot go for more than 90 seconds. Am I clear?
08:56What happens after 90 seconds?
08:59They'll want to stay.
09:01Things obviously go wrong, and the results are shockingly brutal.
09:05The film features some gut-churning practical effects for the violent possessions and ghostly encounters.
09:10All of these scares feed into a surprisingly touching story about coping with loss.
09:14As is also the case with their follow-up, Bring Her Back.
09:17It is a truly haunting thrill ride that doesn't let up, even after its gut-punch of an ending.
09:23Are you in there?
09:26Is this part of it?
09:30Did I do it right?
09:33Number 2. 10. Cloverfield Lane.
09:35Come on!
09:37Before working on massive franchises such as Predator and The Boys,
09:41director Dan Trachtenberg was known online as one of the co-hosts of The Totally Rad Show,
09:45and the director of the hugely viral short film Portal No Escape.
09:49Trachtenberg would eventually make the leap from short films to features with his debut film,
09:5310 Cloverfield Lane, a spiritual successor to the 2008 found-footage monster movie Cloverfield.
09:59Just let me go, okay? I won't tell anybody. I promise.
10:02Okay, please just let me go.
10:04The film follows a woman who gets in a car accident and wakes up in an underground bunker with two men,
10:09claiming the air on the surface has been poisoned.
10:11An attack. A big one. I'm not sure yet if it's chemical or nuclear, but down here we're safe.
10:19Instead of a massive monster movie, the film is a small-scale psychological thriller with a gripping central mystery
10:25and a trio of fantastic lead performances.
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10:42Number 1. 8th Grade
10:46It's like I could, I'm waiting in line for like a roller coaster and that stupid like butterflies in your stomach feeling you get.
10:56Like, I get that all the time.
10:59Bo Burnham is a rare YouTuber who literally grew up with the platform.
11:03He started out posting comedy songs when he was just 16.
11:06And as he got older, his work started to reflect the perils of internet fame and growing up online.
11:12So it makes sense that Burnham's debut feature film, which he wrote and directed, focused so heavily on many of those same themes.
11:19You just need to put yourself out there and like face your fears and you know, let people know they're real you.
11:26And like, it doesn't matter if you're scared because everyone's going to be scared.
11:308th Grade follows an awkward middle schooler named Kayla as she prepares to start high school and struggles to make friends.
11:36All while documenting her life in YouTube vlogs.
11:39The film isn't very flashy or overdramatic, but it manages to paint a grounded and deeply intimate portrait of modern day adolescence.
11:46Take your shirt off.
11:50Uh, I'm not like super comfortable with that.
11:55Well, do you think I'm comfortable right now?
11:57So many artists and filmmakers have gotten their start on YouTube.
12:01Who's your favorite?
12:01Did we miss any?
12:02Be sure to let us know in the comments.
12:10What do you think?
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