'Exit 8' is Another Brilliant Horror Videogame Adaptation that is Massively Overlooked

Exit 8 was the first horror movie I had seen for the month of October, and I was blown away by how incredible this movie was. Exit 8 is a horror videogame that was pretty popular when it first came out, and I didn’t even know about a live action movie coming out. I finally watched this movie on Shudder, and my expectations for the film were met with genuine shock and love for the great story the director was able to pull off with this videogame adaptation. 

We follow the story of a young man who remains nameless, referred to as only The Lost Man. He is currently on a train, witnessing a random man yell at a woman holding her crying baby. The Lost Man merely ignores the situation and goes back to using his phone and listening to music. He gets a phone call from his ex — girlfriend, and he picks up the call, only to get very shocking information from her. She is pregnant, and she is struggling with the decision of keeping the baby. 

We instantly know her decision when she expresses disappointment at the lack of excitement from her ex — boyfriend, who is afraid of being a father. He tells her that he will meet with her later, and then the phone call begins to break mid — conversation, as he is walking down a hallway in the subway station after getting off the train. 

A random man in a white shirt who is holding a briefcase passes the Lost Man, and he continues to make his way through the hallway, turning the corner, only to run into the exact same man walking past him again. This continues to happen several more times, leaving the protagonist terrified, realizing that something is very wrong. 

He quickly learns that he is trapped in some sort of time loop, where the same hallway and the random man are going to be a recurring thing. In order to escape, he must search for something known as anomalies, something that is either creepy or different about the hallway. If he does, he must turn back, and if he doesn’t find anything strange, he can make his way down the hallway without turning back. If he accomplishes these tasks, he can eventually reach Exit 8, marking the end of this eerie supernatural prison. 

This unknown supernatural realm appears to only go after people who are dealing with mental issues, or even feeling guilt over something they have done. The Lost Man was afraid of being a father, and that is why the supernatural realm chose to come after him. 

We get introduced to other characters too, and we learn their backstories, as to how they got trapped in this realm too. The man in the white shirt holding a briefcase gets his own backstory, and we learn that he failed to escape, afraid to come to terms of harming his own child. He is tricked by this unknown place, and ends up getting himself killed, becoming an anomaly himself. He was traveling with a young boy, and he teams up with The Lost Man later to hopefully escape from this strange world. 

The duo confide in each other, and face their fears together, being few of the lucky ones to escape through Exit 8.

The Lost Man ends up separated from the boy during a sudden ocean that runs through the hallway, an insane anomaly that could have killed both of them, but due to the Lost Man saving the boy from the debris, embracing his potential as a father, he is able to save both of their lives. 

The boy escapes on his own to Exit 8, with the Lost Man following later, and even though we never see them reunite, it was good knowing that both of them were able to escape. The Lost Man returns to the real world, in the real subway station. He calls his girlfriend, telling her that he is going to the hospital, now sounding determined to meet with her. 

He gets on the subway train, and we get a surprising time loop moment. He is witnessing the man yelling at the woman carrying her baby, the same thing we had seen in the beginning of the film. The Lost Man stands there for a moment, before walking over to confront the man, ending the film. 

My theory is that the supernatural realm was testing the Lost Man one more time, because how else did he end up back on the same train, with the same crowd of people? This time however, he had embraced his potential of becoming a father, and now he was going over to confront this random asshole, to protect the mother and her child. 

Exit 8 is such a well done psychological horror film, and I was so impressed with the storyline that the director was able to deliver, combining a scary game with a real life issue that any future parent would be going through. I did think it was pretty messed up that this realm was willing to capture a little kid too, but I guess no matter who you are, if you are going through something behind the scenes, this realm will take you, and hopefully you will be able to escape, moving on from your problems in real life. 

I can’t believe this movie is being so overlooked online, not enough people have heard about this movie, and it deserves a massive fanbase! Apparently, it only came out in select theaters, which would make sense, but man, I was so upset it never came down where I live!

Exit 8 was such a strong start to the Hallow season, and it’s become one of my favorite horror films ever made!

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn