Japanese Horror Game Exit 8's Movie Adaptation Becomes Cannes Film Festival Hit

Tokyo Weekender

a day ago

What started as a viral indie game with 1.4 million downloads worldwide has transformed into one of the most talked-about films at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Exit 8
, a Japanese horror film adaptation, was officially selected for the prestigious Midnight Screening section and received an eight-minute standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of 2,300 viewers.
From Indie Game to Cannes-worthy Cinema
The original 'The Exit 8' game, created by Kotake Create, presents players with a deceptively simple premise: navigate an endless underground passage in Japan while following cryptic guidance to detect 'abnormalities.' If you spot something wrong, turn back. If everything seems normal, keep moving toward the elusive 8th exit.
The game's genius lies in its psychological tension — each loop through the mundane subway corridor becomes increasingly unsettling as players question their own perception, all while stuck in an infinite loop riddled with danger at every corner. But rather than relying on jumpscares, the game instills fear by slowly suffocating the player in a looping, liminal space, lined with endless subway advertisements and haunted by the fleeting presence of a strange passerby who lingers disturbingly in the uncanny valley.
Starring Kazunari Ninomiya from the
soon-to-disband group
Arashi and co-star Nana Komatsu, the Japanese game was transformed into a film under Genki Kawamura, renowned for writing the novels and directing the film adaptation
s
for
If Cats Disappeared From The World
and
Okuotoko
.
The award-winning poster for the Exit 8 film depicts star Kazunari Ninomiya overlayed by the number '8'
The Midnight Screening Cannes section, traditionally reserved for genre-bending and experimental films, provided the perfect platform for this unique adaptation, while the movie's poster even won the 'Prix Luciole' award for best poster design among Cannes submissions.
An alternate poster for the film adaptation of Exit 8, starring Kochi Yamato as the eerie passerby
Coming to Screens This Summer
Exit 8
will be released in Japanese theaters on August 29, 2025, following its successful Cannes premiere. If you can't wait for the film release, you can experience the original game on
Steam
, the
Android
and
Apple
app stores, or through various gaming platforms like Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Check out the
Exit 8
Official Japanese website
and follow the film's official Instagram account at
@exit8_movie
for more updates.
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