Nolan at the Movies: "Exit 8" - an Indie Horror film with Existential Dread

By Nolan Cleary

It’s been said by many that the horror movie genre has been on the up side lately.

This is captured in recent films, like the body horror of the Academy Award-nominated film "The Substance," and the film "Weapons, which earned an Oscar for Amy Madigan. 

In some ways it could be argued that the new film "Exit 8" continues that trend. 

Based upon the independent video game, "Exit 8" follows a man stuck in a portion of a train station in a time loop. Along the way, he encounters a group of unsettling characters whom he seeks to avoid. 

The first thing worth noting about "Exit 8" is how intimate it feels. Director Genki Kawamura subtly masters a series of disturbing imagery, and teases us with a deliberate slow pacing - to unnerving effect.  He achieves this by focusing on small, yet off-putting shots.  

Credit must also be given to the film's cinematography department, making "Exit 8" feel claustrophobic in its setting and surroundings. 

"Exit 8" avoids the pitfalls of othe

r indie horror movies, focusing less on asceticism or gimmick and drawing attention rather to the existential anxiety of its protagonist, establishing personal and perturbing stakes. 

In this manner, Exit 8 is not just creepy but thoughtful, and effective in the portrayal of its themes, visuals, and characters. 

Exit 8 is scored by DJ Yasutaka Nakata and Shohei Amimori. They bring a surrealist and baleful undertone to a picture that already feels macabre in its production, and the tone of this film is greatly enhanced by the direction, timing, and pacing of their score in context to the overall story. 

The movie follows other great horror classics in not trying too hard to push the audience to a place of dread through cheap scares and thrills. Rather, the film feels more like a personal epic, playing on themes of human nature and internal trepidation. 

"Exit 8" is not a film for everyone: It is ambiguous in its paths, twists, and resolutions.

Often times, the film deliberately avoids giving viewers the answers to questions brought up throughout the film. For some, this may come off as pretentious and overbearing. 

However, for others, the challenging and abstract themes of Exit 8 are sure to raise questions and leave a troubling impression that is sure to last.