What impact does a billion YouTube views have on a film proposal? Not much, as Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou discovered when struggling to secure financing for their debut feature. During their twenties, the siblings perfected their filmmaking skills and garnered millions of subscribers by creating quick-paced, humorous videos such as “Harry Potter vs Star Wars” and “The Ronald McDonald Chicken Store Massacre” on their channel RackaRacka. In addition to this, they took various crew positions on film sets and commercials in an effort to eventually direct their own movie.
In discussions, RackaRacka often came up, but not in a positive light,” Danny jokes, chuckling. “People doubted if we could create a film, given our background wasn’t producing profound YouTube content.” Michael chimes in: “It was more like playing with Nerf guns rather than making serious movies!
During their interview, the 32-year-old twins, Danny with his bleached hair and Michael sporting a buzzcut, were still engaging in the boisterous, comedic exchanges reminiscent of their YouTube videos. Although they displayed their usual mischievous antics by nudging each other under the table, their first feature film “Talk to Me” showcased them directing that rowdy spirit into a crafty and ultimately chilling demon-possession thriller. Premiered at Sundance in 2023, the movie quickly became a festival favorite, igniting a distribution battle that culminated in a deal with A24. In just a few months, it grossed $91 million worldwide – an impressive figure that ranked as the second-highest-grossing release for the indie label at the time.
Two years later, A24 is releasing the second film from the Philippous, titled “Bring Her Back,” on May 30th. This movie offers a chilling, slow-building suspense reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, with shocking, violent twists added to it. (A scene involving a cantaloupe could become infamous among horror enthusiasts for its disturbing nature). The plot revolves around two orphans under the supervision of a guardian who is deeply interested in the occult, played by Sally Hawkins. This marks her debut in the horror genre.
The two siblings are still amazed that an Oscar-nominated actress chose to collaborate with them, who consider themselves as “common folks,” yet they rapidly developed a strong connection during the audition phase. Interestingly enough, it was discovered that Hawkins had already watched RackaRacka videos prior to this collaboration.
Danny expressed his delight with them! Many had predicted that our dynamics wouldn’t gel, but surprisingly, we clicked really well, he shares. During the filming, the three of us even planned (and carried out) a practical joke on a few neighbors – a prank that unfortunately didn’t make it to the final cut. The brothers are excited about collaborating with Hawkins again. So much so, that Danny offers him a copy of the book he’s currently reading – “Out” by Natsuo Kirino, published in 1997 and centered around four women working at a bento factory who conceal a murder. He also proposes an adaptation of this novel.
The emergence of the Philippous’ industry aligns with one of YouTube’s initial mythological prophecies – a video platform that empowers a fresh crop of autodidactic directors. Remarkably, their ascent parallels the internet surpassing Hollywood in the market of attention. Instead of standing alone, YouTube is frequently the heart of contemporary culture.
One of RackaRacka’s last videos focused on a visit to a production by today’s top YouTube creator, MrBeast. Watching it now, six years later, the video seems to capture a blend of two distinct generations in terms of YouTube’s dominant trends.
As a passionate cinephile, I can’t help but marvel at MrBeast’s YouTube prowess. Instead of cashing out his earnings, he pours everything back in – that’s not how most creators think, but it’s become the YouTube way of life. When we were breaking ground in this digital world, our dream was to be filmmakers. We stumbled upon YouTube. Yet today, aspiring content creators yearn to be YouTubers. That’s the new mainstream.
As YouTube’s popularity surged throughout the 2010s, the Philippous transitioned their content from story-driven sketches towards longer videos imitating the vlogging style that was thriving on the platform. However, as this phase began to fade, the brothers opted to break free from following online trends and dedicate themselves entirely to creating feature films.
Danny stated, “Whatever videos were trending on YouTube at the moment is what I was posting, as it was driven by algorithms. I felt I had accomplished all I intended to do there and couldn’t truly showcase my personal expression.
In the upcoming years, the brothers anticipate an influx of individuals similar to themselves joining the film industry, as creators on digital platforms seek to escape the restrictive content rules set by unpredictable social media algorithms. “There’s a lack of narrative-driven content on these platforms,” Michael remarks, expressing his hope for change in this regard.
Initially, the triumph of “Talk to Me” briefly pulled Philippous back towards their YouTube interests. Shortly following its Sundance debut, they were invited by Legendary Entertainment to create a movie based on Capcom’s “Street Fighter” video game franchise. This was a significant return: RackaRacka’s video “Real Life Street Fighter,” showcasing the brothers and others as game characters, has garnered over eight million views since 2016.
Danny explains, “They’re ensuring that those who adore the game won’t be disenchanted by the movie. The most terrifying aspect of an adaptation is disappointing the fanbase. After all, we need to consider our viewers.
The siblings had advanced their plans, including choreographing combat scenes and scouting locations in Thailand, but ultimately left the project because of scheduling issues with “Bring Her Back.” They view this decision as growing pains in their careers, similar to a choice point where different paths diverge.
Michael remarked, ‘We were agreeing to everything without giving much thought to time.’ Danny added, ‘Regardless, I would still have chosen to work on ‘Street Fighter.” (After their departure, the project was no longer scheduled for its original July 2026 release date by Sony.)
The Philippous are still contracted with A24 for creating a sequel to “Talk to Me,” but they’ve been tasked with a new project first that takes them back to their YouTube origins. Almost done filming, this project is a documentary about the intense underworld of deathmatch wrestling, characterized by towering scaffolding, flaming glass, and nail beds. Remarkably, RackaRacka’s initial videos demonstrated a deep appreciation for professional wrestling, and the upcoming doc could be seen as a personal reflection, as Michael steps into the ring to participate in the matches himself.
He explains, “It resembles a personal blog! A significant factor in getting the go-ahead for this project was presenting it through my own perspective.
Indeed, creating movies involves a different set of legal challenges compared to what the brothers encountered while making their action-packed YouTube videos on their own.
At first, Danny didn’t mention Michael as a director for ‘Bring Her Back’, he explained that they couldn’t insure him. This left Danny somewhat puzzled: ‘Wait, is the director engaging in some sort of unusual activity?’
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2025-05-21 19:00