Ending up in a Hallway corridor in a horror film usually spells trouble. Having to escape 8 levels of the same Subway corridor can become maddening and psychologically terrifying.
Exit 8 the newest film from Japanese director Genki Kawamura hits Shudder streaming service on 7/17 and is worth a watch.
Minimalist horror is becoming a thing with the success of Backrooms we now get a film that’s just as interesting but set in a Japanese subway hallway.
Our main character whose name is never spoken and is only identified as The Lost Man shuffles his way through a subway crowd while talking on the phone. He’s heading for Exit 8 while passing bystanders and everyone only to eventually realize he’s heading down the same path over and over. At first assuming he’s made a wrong turn until he eventually realizes what’s going on.
It’s the simplest concept based on an indie videogame. You usher your character down the same lit and designed subway hallway keeping an eye out for anomalies. The rules if you notice an anomaly turn around immediately and head back, if no anomaly then keep going, any mistake and you’re taken back to the start.
Exit 8 doesn’t rely on jump scares or terrifying images and leans more on its sense of suspense and tension of what’s to come. It takes a video game concept and manages to tell an interesting quick 90-minute story that packs a lot inside its simple setting and concept. Even if you’re like me and unfamiliar with the video game it won’t take away from your experience. It’s a film about seeing who’s around you and not ignoring anomalies. Nothing drives that point home more than the final moments of the film.
This isn’t just a great video game adaptation this is a great movie worth a watch.
4 out 5