Entertainment
‘The Shining’ Fans Need To Watch This 10/10 Psychological Horror Movie You Can’t Unsee
On first watch, Exit 8 is a terrifying experience. An adaptation of the 2023 viral video game, The Exit 8, it thrives in uncertainty. Unbeknownst to a viewer with no previous knowledge of the subject, there is no guarantee of survival. The only assurance is the apprehension and fear that come from the unexpected at every turn. Failure could mean a fate worse than death. Much like Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining, Genki Kawamura‘s work reflects upon themes dissecting fatherhood, global ignorance, and male ego-driven violence, making this new release a perfect choice for a creepy movie night.
The premise is straightforward, but what unfolds is a psychological game of peeling back layers of past trauma to heal present issues in order to truly move forward. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, gaining an award for best poster design and an appropriately poetic eight-minute standing ovation. Symbolized by the number eight, Exit 8 explores the nature of cycles, be them physical, mental, or emotional. At the core of the story, the narrative holds a magnifying glass to these men, questioning whether redemption should be on the table to begin with.
The Acclaimed Horror Movie ‘Exit 8’ Encourages Viewers To Have Empathy
The film follows The Lost Man (Kazunari Ninomiya) as he navigates an endless subway tunnel. Soon realizing there are rules he must follow that will allow him to leave, he begins to truly pay attention to his surroundings. If he notices an anomaly, he must turn back. If he doesn’t notice anything different, he must move forward. Due to expert camerawork, the film starts off with a first-person POV, transporting the viewer into the position of a player, engaging with the game. As The Lost Man receives a call from a former partner, she shares that she is pregnant and hasn’t decided how to best proceed. Distraught, he wanders into the hallway that will test his wit and resilience.
Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name isn’t a game in the literal sense. However, it unfolds like one. The hotel presents various opportunities for the family to pack up and leave — plaguing Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) with visions — yet they stay, forcing the unfortunate as they must face the demons they’ve ignored. In Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) case, his ignorance of his family is for the sake of his craft. His ego drives him and ultimately makes him susceptible to the evil that consumes him in the end. For The Lost Man (Ninomiya), the hallway forces him to face and challenge his own ego. The hallway becomes more than a physical space. It stands as a main character, a monster, and a lesson all rolled into one.
‘Exit 8’ Is a Brilliant Vessel for Genki Kawamura’s Take on Fatherhood
During a post-screening talk back with director Kawamura in New York City, he admitted to having taken inspiration from works such as David Lynch‘s Eraserhead, Kenji Mizoguchi‘s Ugetsu, and, of course, Kubrick’s The Shining. His admiration went as far as to name two of the hallway sets as Kubrick and Hitchcock, after famed filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. What these films have in common is their reflection upon parental roles and how they shift from decade to decade, generation to generation. In The Shining, Jack fancies himself a wordsmith, working on a novel. He is in desperate need of space to express himself creatively, which is the catalyst for him accepting the position as the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. He types away while weary of the sinister forces at play until it’s too late. In the meantime, Wendy works long and hard around the hotel, duties that better suit Jack, considering his responsibilities brought them there in the first place.
In Exit 8, The Lost Man’s circumstances are due to his debilitating reaction at the news of him possibly becoming a father. Since the dawn of time, fatherhood has molded the greatest fears of man. In Jack Torrance’s case, it is the hindrance of greatness. For The Lost Man, it’s the uncertainty of being able to step up to the challenge. In both cases, Danny (Lloyd) and The Boy (Naru Asanuma) see things more clearly, yet are ignored by the adult males in their surroundings. That is, until someone comes along and takes the time to consider their input and way of seeing the situation.
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For Danny, it’s his visions and ability to see beyond what’s right in front of them. For The Boy, he’s more in tune with the changes in front of him in the hallway that the likes of The Walking Man and The Lost Man may overlook. It digs deeper into children’s ability to turn the volume down on the noise of the world such as natural disasters, stock market crashes, and online trends that plague most adults. For Jack Torrance, the noise swallows him whole. He becomes the absent father trope driven by vices, be it his career motivation, alcoholism, or carnal pleasures. For The Lost Man, it’s simpler. He overcomes his debilitating fear, and towards the end, he’s able to stand up to the noise, calling out verbal abuse on a packed train.
Through its repetitive nature, Exit 8 begs the user, protagonist, and the viewer to examine the anomalies of day-to-day life and make a conscious decision — in the film and game’s circumstances to actively turn back — instead of moving forward, forcefully ignorant. Especially within today’s social climate, the paradox of fatherhood takes a new face when outside circumstances influence internal emotional complications. Kawamura’s adaptation of the popular video game will resonate with fans of Kubrick’s The Shining for its outstanding ability to present basic human emotion and instinct as both flaw and virtue. To actively make a choice, to have empathy, and to be present are the ultimate tools for survival.
- Release Date
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April 10, 2026
- Runtime
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95 Minutes
- Director
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Genki Kawamura
- Writers
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Genki Kawamura, Kentaro Hirase
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Kazunari Ninomiya
The Lost Man
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Yamato Kochi
The Walking Man
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