Intro: The horror saga continues, and Niamh and I watched a second movie on the couch after "Leviticus" didn't leave us fully satisfied.
Film 2501: "Exit 8" (2025), directed by Genki Kawamura
Watched: From the projector
Language: Japanese
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: If I hadn't read the synopsis on Wikipedia, I'm not sure how much of this movie I'd have remembered. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy "Exit 8", but its repetitive nature and lack of major plot points until the end of the story kind of erased the plot bits that aren't repeated over and over.
That said, I think "Exit 8" is a perfectly fine film, visually interesting and simple enough to follow, although personally I wouldn't call this a horror movie, but rather a psychological mystery film with some thriller elements and a scare or two along the way.
I didn't know anything about the game this is based on -- "The Exit 8", a 2023 indie adventure game developed and published by Kotake Create -- and I went in without knowing what to expect. The only reference I had that I could compare this movie to was "Iron Lung", as these two films share a similar starting point: they're based on video games I've never heard of, they're not major studio productions, they have confined settings and claustrophobic elements, and there's a repetitiveness to the plot.
Based on what I saw and my experience of both films, I have to admit "Exit 8" is more my vibe. I'm not saying it's a movie I would watch again, but at least it feels like a fully fleshed-out and realised film, competently made and with an obviously higher budget (I couldn't find a source for how much this film cost to produce, tho). And I know the comparison isn't necessarily fair, but my brain inevitably went there.
All in all, "Exit 8" was an interesting watch: I liked the visuals, the segment that focused solely on the kid was my favourite -- the child actor is really good -- and the idea behind the story is fascinating enough to carry the whole movie through. But after the first few times you witness the same elements happening, you start to lose focus a bit and, especially towards the middle section of the story, the lack of progression makes the story feel heavier and slower. When it eventually catches up, things get interesting again.
So, yeah, I don't regret watching it, but considering I was looking forward to watching a horror movie, this was definitely not it.
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu.
Box Office: $44 million
Worth a watch?: I remember watching the trailer for the first time and being quite intrigued. The story of a man who is caught in a looping subway corridor definitely tickles my curiosity + the reviews were really good.
Now, I'm not saying "Exit 8" is bad, but it's definitely not a mind-blowing experience as they try to sell it to you. It's a perfectly fine psychological film with mystery and horror elements that also happens to be based on a popular video game. I never played the game, so I'm of no use there, but as a movie watcher, I can say I enjoyed this film enough, but I wouldn't say it's a must-watch.
Awards: It won Best Poster Design at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Anomaly.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: From the projector
Language: Japanese
Watched with: Niamh
Thoughts: If I hadn't read the synopsis on Wikipedia, I'm not sure how much of this movie I'd have remembered. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy "Exit 8", but its repetitive nature and lack of major plot points until the end of the story kind of erased the plot bits that aren't repeated over and over.
That said, I think "Exit 8" is a perfectly fine film, visually interesting and simple enough to follow, although personally I wouldn't call this a horror movie, but rather a psychological mystery film with some thriller elements and a scare or two along the way.
I didn't know anything about the game this is based on -- "The Exit 8", a 2023 indie adventure game developed and published by Kotake Create -- and I went in without knowing what to expect. The only reference I had that I could compare this movie to was "Iron Lung", as these two films share a similar starting point: they're based on video games I've never heard of, they're not major studio productions, they have confined settings and claustrophobic elements, and there's a repetitiveness to the plot.
Based on what I saw and my experience of both films, I have to admit "Exit 8" is more my vibe. I'm not saying it's a movie I would watch again, but at least it feels like a fully fleshed-out and realised film, competently made and with an obviously higher budget (I couldn't find a source for how much this film cost to produce, tho). And I know the comparison isn't necessarily fair, but my brain inevitably went there.
All in all, "Exit 8" was an interesting watch: I liked the visuals, the segment that focused solely on the kid was my favourite -- the child actor is really good -- and the idea behind the story is fascinating enough to carry the whole movie through. But after the first few times you witness the same elements happening, you start to lose focus a bit and, especially towards the middle section of the story, the lack of progression makes the story feel heavier and slower. When it eventually catches up, things get interesting again.
So, yeah, I don't regret watching it, but considering I was looking forward to watching a horror movie, this was definitely not it.
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu.
Box Office: $44 million
Worth a watch?: I remember watching the trailer for the first time and being quite intrigued. The story of a man who is caught in a looping subway corridor definitely tickles my curiosity + the reviews were really good.
Now, I'm not saying "Exit 8" is bad, but it's definitely not a mind-blowing experience as they try to sell it to you. It's a perfectly fine psychological film with mystery and horror elements that also happens to be based on a popular video game. I never played the game, so I'm of no use there, but as a movie watcher, I can say I enjoyed this film enough, but I wouldn't say it's a must-watch.
Awards: It won Best Poster Design at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Key word: Anomaly.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
