Exit 8 Summary and Review - A Disturbing Underground Detour

Based on the popular video game of the same name, Exit 8 is a Japanese liminal‑spaces psychological horror film set entirely within the sterile confines of the underground system. It follows the fortunes — or misfortunes — of The Lost Man, who is simply trying to get to his temp job in the city. 

On the train, he witnesses a distressing event in which he does not intervene before taking a call from his ex‑girlfriend, who tells him she’s pregnant and asks what he wants to do. Before he can answer, the call cuts out, and he’s left to make his way through the station alone.

The crowd thins, and he is alone in the seemingly endless, sterile corridors of the station. A businessman walks past him without expression, seeming not to notice him. Then The Lost Man sees him again. And again. And again. Everyday objects, signs, and fixtures repeat themselves until he realises he has seen it all before, and something is very wrong.

Rules, Loops, and Frustration

The Lost Man makes numerous circuits of the corridors, becoming increasingly agitated, until he realises that he has entered some sort of parallel world with no sign of escape — although there is hope. He discovers a sign on the wall instructing him to continue if there is no anomaly and turn back if he sees one. After a bit of trial and error, he starts to make progress. However, deviation from the rules means that, frustratingly, you are returned to the beginning to start again.

It’s a simple device, and that’s both its strength and its weakness. The repetitiveness of the loops is the core of the psychology of the horror, but it also becomes repetitive in the literal sense. Once you’ve worked out what needs to be done, you realise there isn’t much more to it. The Lost Man doesn’t face many serious challenges (perhaps one), and the film struggles to build momentum. Jump scares are few, and not in a deliberate, carefully measured way. Sometimes less is just less.

An Uneasy Environment

Having said that, there is something interesting in the way Exit 8 uses the environment to create unease. With the clean, sterile spaces a world away from creaking floorboards and slamming doors, the film is one of the pioneers taking horror into new territory with the disturbing nature of liminal spaces — those transitional areas that feel familiar yet unsettling. The film presents these spaces as the new haunted houses, bringing a fresh sense of unease about the unknown through its focus on claustrophobic emptiness, repetition, and even loneliness. But once the pattern becomes clear, the tension starts to flatten, and the film never quite pushes far enough.

Other characters appear briefly to break up the monotony, suggesting they are trapped in the same cycle, but they add little beyond that. Much of the film centres on The Lost Man’s internal struggle: the decision he must make about fatherhood, responsibility, and whether he’s ready to grow up. The corridors become a metaphor for the series of tests he has to overcome to find himself and become a better man.

It All Feels Rather Restrained

While it’s undoubtedly a well‑made film with an intriguing concept and a solid moral dilemma at its core, it isn’t particularly memorable and it all feels rather restrained, as if the director was holding back. I’m not sure why it has drawn such exalted praise, as I was distinctly underwhelmed. Perhaps if it had been framed as a psychological drama rather than horror, the expectations would have been different. As it stands, the film doesn’t have enough material to justify its 95‑minute runtime.

Unfortunately, it’s a “no” from me.

Rating: ★★⯪☆☆

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Characters & Production

The Lost Man: Kazunari Ninomiya
The Walking Man: Yamato Kōchi
The Boy: Naru Asanuma
High School Student: Kotone Hanase
The Woman: Nana Komatsu

Writer: Genki Kawamura & Kentaro Hirase (based on the video game by Kotake Create) 
Director: Genki Kawamura
Year of Release: 2026
Runtime: 95 minutes