Christina Critiques - EXIT 8 (2026)

Imagine you are told about an event that can change your entire life and also given an opportunity to show your character but mistakes were made and now you are stuck.

Stuck in what?

A seemingly never ending subway tunnel system that has rules:

• Don't overlook any anomalies.

• If you find anomalies, turn back immediately.

• If you don't find anomalies, do not turn back.

Seriously, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, FFS.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Again, SPOILERS AHEAD!

Our main character, The Lost Man, receives a call from his ex-girlfriend about her pregnancy. He hesitates and well, acts like a weakling. As the phone loses reception, he is telling her a story of how he watched a mother and her baby be berated by a male passenger on the train because the baby can’t stop crying.

And this begins The Lost Man’s personal hell.

EXIT 8 is very much like the game it was inspired by. Do you need to play the game to understand the movie? Not exactly but it does help with the feelings the characters feel. (I have played the game and it’s so damn frustrating.)

Both the game and the movie make you a participant, willingly or not. The game is very bare bones in the plot - survive and escape the subway tunnel. The movie has much more of a plot and even though the characters aren’t named, some of them the viewer becomes attached to.

Themes explored include: indecisiveness, isolation of our lives, running away from responsibilities, how quickly the unfamiliar can be more comforting than the unknown.

A few warnings: there are a LOT of openendedness and vagueness in this film, so if that’s not your jam, skip it.

It is English subtitled and not dubbed. If that’s a deal breaker, skip it.

It’s not gory but does have a few moments that are extremely uncomfortable. (The Smiling Man - IYKYK).

But -

EXIT 8 gives the viewer anything they are craving, which is more than I can say for some of the more recent offerings.

Would I watch it again? Nope. It’s not a movie that you need to rewatch so make sure to watch it with all of your friends the first time.

9.5/10