Exit 8 - Survive By Spotting The Difference

Based on the game of the same title from Kotake Create, Exit 8 is a Japanese horror film that takes place in the eerie underground station halls which is already nightmare fuel for many. The protagonist is trapped in an infinite loop unless he finds the real Exit 8. 

The condition states to see the anomalies to progress, and the journey to get there might seem repetitive yet builds up the tension and the uncertainty of the horrors that lie in the next hall. Anything can happen like creepy walking people, abnormalities in positions and designs, supernatural phenomenon, and more that makes it hard to predict what happens next.

The cast is minimal yet the scare is huge and banks on the actions that can result to things that are indeed an anomaly in reality. As someone with somewhat similar experience with the subways of Japan, brings memories and the makes it more intense with the chilling feeling of being alone and walking into a void I cannot escape.

As it also plays with elements that are not explained yet they are the scares in the film gives that suspense of what could happen without basing it from sci-fi or the occult. It does not rely on jump scares, rather builds up the tension and hooks you into the scene like the protagonist. It is one of those puzzle films that forces to think and be observant, as your life and sanity is on the line.

The difference from the source game is that they also brought in the back stories of the characters which connects them to the audience. It’s the anxiety of the unknown and the test of observation skills that can indeed rattle the brain with hopelessness and give up. Makes us wonder if we can also survive if trapped in a game like this.

Exit 8 is exclusively showing in SM Cinemas starting September 17.