| source: tv.lk21 |
Exit 8 (2025) is a Japanese psychological horror-mystery film directed by Genki Kawamura (producer of Your Name). An adaptation of the 2023 viral game The Exit 8 by Kotake Create. Released in Japan on August 29, 2025, with a runtime of 95 minutes. An unnamed man is trapped in an endless underground subway corridor in a Tokyo station. His goal is only one: to get out through "Exit 8".
The rules are
simple but maddening: Pay close attention, if you find an anomaly then turn
back, and if there is no anomaly then keep walking. This has to be done several
times until you reach exit number 8. If you make a mistake, start from 0. There
are no monsters, no chases, only a sterile corridor, neon lights, posters, and
a paranoia that keeps piling up. Gradually the anomalies start to connect to
his own life and personal trauma.
Critics praised the concept and its execution. Genki Kawamura successfully made us join in observing that corridor and spotting the anomalies. At the 2025 Cannes Premiere, the film received an 8-minute standing ovation. Japanese box office ¥5.2 billion / $44 million. Critics ranked it at #21 for the best video game film of all time. The only minor criticism of its shortcomings is that the film has very little story. So if you need a complex plot, this is not the film you’re looking for.
This film stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Nana Komatsu, Naru Asanuma, Yamato Kochi.
In my opinion: