EXIT 8
***
Directed by Genki Kawamura.
Starring Kazumari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Nana Komatsu.
Horror, Japan, 95 Minutes, Certificate 15
Released in Cinemas in the UK on April 24th by Vertigo Releasing
For a Scottish highlander like myself, there is a certain intimidation attached to large train stations in cities. Yes, I am that annoying person on the London Underground getting in the way of everyone at the height of rush hour with my big bag as I look at that confusing map of multi-coloured strands, trying to figure out which one will take me to Leicester Square for FrightFest. Maybe it is this low key fear of white tiled underground corridors that seemingly snake off in random directions when you are not paying attention and have you walking in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to go that made this Japanese video game adaptation so effective for myself. Fans of the original game and of J-Horror should also find much to enjoy and become unnerved by in director Genki Kawamura’s descent into a liminal purgatory.
Kazumaru Ninomiya plays the unnamed commuter who while keeping his head down ignoring the bustling rush of fellow workers committing themselves to the daily grind, and ignoring his own personal responsibilities, drifts into an Escher-esque corridor that loops on itself with no apparent way out. Eventually figuring out the rules, the two main ones being to keep an eye out for anomalies within the corridor and to turn back immediately when you spot them, this lone figure struggles to keep his bearings with the uncanny and unnerving obstacles that are placed in his way as he looks for the titular and elusive exit that will return him to normalcy.
While being completely unfamiliar with the original game, as I am with every other video game adaptation these days, this works more than well enough on its own with its winding storyline that takes in character drama and a number of themes, responsibility, fear of being a parent and perseverance among them that the film soon transcends its own limited location and potential for writing itself into a corner. Starting with a lengthy POV sequence which I assume replicates the experience of playing the game, Kawamura smartly changes and widens the perspective of the protagonist. The repetitive nature that dominates the early stages of the film work on the viewer on a near hypnotic level, ingraining the details of the location that soon have you searching the screen for the anomalies yourself. The claustrophobic nature remains throughout, eventually exerting a snake-like grip on the viewer that has you desperate to escape these Hellish confines along with those who find themselves trapped unwillingly within it.
While it may lack the truly nightmarish bone rattling nature of the best J-Horror films, this still manages to impress and entertain the viewer, making the most of its limited resources. Fans and newcomers alike will no doubt find common ground with how it achieves these aims and manages to throw in a couple of memorably creepy scenes, the noises in the lockers and a swarm of especially distinctive rats being the most memorable. Most impressive of all though is the emotional core of the film that gradually reveals itself and stops the film from becoming a one note exercise.
With liminal, unescapable, mysterious spaces getting another look in courtesy of next month's eagerly awaited BACKROOMS, this particular film seems to have come along at exactly the right time. While other more traditional horror films regarding over familiar figures increasingly struggle to strike a chord with audiences, EXIT 8 may be the first in a wave of films that point the genre in a more introspective, but no less disturbing direction. One that will no doubt pop up in my head the next time I am wandering around the London Underground with a confused look on my face. If you never see me again after that, please remember this review and try and rescue me. Or maybe I’ll just hail a cab.
Iain MacLeod