With its subterranean corridors, crowds of anonymous people rushing about and unpleasant odours, the underground is far from an idyllic place. Fortunately, it is merely a place of passage, a transition before emerging into daylight or night again.
It would be perverse to trap underground passengers in a never-ending corridor, block their mobile phones and impose complicated and occasionally arbitrary rules on them. Yet this is precisely what happens in Exit 8. As they search for Exit 8, the characters must identify anomalies or clues to determine whether to move forward or turn back, in order to avoid returning to the starting point of the cycle.
Users are prohibited from walking mechanically with their heads bent over their phones in this transitional space, which leaves them indifferent or anxious. Instead, they must navigate the space intelligently by following the artificial signage in the hope of finding the real exit from the underground corridor.
Exit 8‘s strengths lie in the aesthetic design of the sets and the anxiety-inducing repetition of sequences interspersed with heavy silences. The ordinary and simple characters, who are poignant in their desire to break the spell, will have to surpass themselves to escape the labyrinth.
Exit 8, a horror film and thriller by Genki Kawamura, is a plea for solidarity among individuals in distress.
Released in 2025.
Running time: 95 minutes
Based on the video game The Exit 8 by Kotake Create (2023).
Photo credits © Story Inc. AOI Pro. Tōhō
