While the news of the Exit 8 Live Action film isn’t fresh, we do have some brand-new updates regarding the movie! From August 29 this year, the film will be screened in Japanese theatres. As for a global release, we do not know. I assume if it does well at the box office in Japan, we could see either a theatre release or it may go straight to streaming platforms.
If you like horror games, from surreal to psychological, make sure to read our Best Horror Games on Itch.io feature.
A Live Action Adaptation Done Right?
There’s a short trailer out… well, it’s more of a teaser at 30 seconds long, which gives us a bit of an idea of what to expect. Kazunari Ninomiya stars as the main protagonist, and we see him slowly descending into madness as he enters the loop. There’s a clip of him reading through the information board, which includes the rules he must follow, tying into the game. It states “Do not overlook anomalies”, “If you find an anomaly, turn back immediately” and “If you do not find anomalies, do not turn back”.
I can’t wait to watch the film, with Exit 8 being the perfect example of psychological horror done right. You feel trapped in the neverending passage of the underground. While there’s a trailer out, I look forward to seeing how a full-length film adapts the core gameplay. I’m also a big fan of j-horror films, so my hopes are high for this one.
What is Exit 8?
If you’re new to the title, then you may be wondering just what Exit 8 is about. It’s a 2023 psychological horror by KOTAKE CREATE, which has cemented itself as one of the most well-known games that works with liminal spaces. It uses the familiar setting of the underground as you go about your day, but turns it into an unsettling time loop that never seems to end.
The only way to get to the exit is by working out the anomalies in each ‘new’ walkway. These anomalies can be posters, random objects, or even the way people behave. A second release came out in 2024, named Platform 8, which sees you trapped on a looping train instead.