Backrooms: Japanese Subway Edition

I know my title for this installment credits this as an extension of the Backrooms universe but technically Exit 8 was released in 2025 internationally but came to the states in April 2026 via Neon's distribution. Technically that would have still beat Backrooms' theatrical debut by a month. I did not realize that this film was inspired by a video game, which isn't surprising. That's a world I've become considerably less attached to over the years. While I was semi-familiar with Backrooms as a YouTube concept from a while back, I did have to dig a little bit as well to find out that in source material Backrooms does win that race to be first. Regardless, I enjoyed the similarities while still being incredibly unique in their own rights. In this movie, we explore a similarly haunting approach to an endlessness harkening to some grander existential messaging though it's much more limited and directed. Backrooms provides a similar kind of dread but with a much freer environment. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain which is more ominous but both are constructed with maximum uneasiness and that was one of my favorite parts of this experience.

Finding out that Exit 8 is based on a video game is not terribly surprising after the fact but I'm quite glad I didn't know it going into the film. Looking back, I can definitely see where I chose to "play along" of sorts while the movie unfolded. I have to say that not knowing actually made that aspect of the movie a lot more fun. I don't think it would have taken anything away from it at all, but by knowing that it comes from an interactive experience to begin with, that tracks well in this movie. I feel like it provided just enough invitation to take a metaphorical step into the environment as well. The movie opens in a first person mode which is always a unique take in my estimation. That perspective creates a complex relationship between the audience and a protagonist but in this instance, I feel like that bridge an avatar presents in a video game that draws the player into that reality further was a similar experience participated in from the onset. I did appreciate when we pushed back out into third person to regain footing as a spectator but the bond still felt like it was really there. I don't feel like you could use this mechanism simply as a means to endear yourself further with a character in a film but it worked fairly expertly in this go around and I quite liked it.

The second piece of the film I really enjoyed was they were very deliberate to establish rules but I felt like they actually did a really fair job at adhering to them. In my book, that can be a very risky gamble but it paid off here for me. When you set an expectation, especially one so clearly defined, it's integral to remain faithful to that or it's one of those elements that can easily take me out of the movie quickly. I think there were instances where they danced up to the line, but I never felt like they really betrayed the audience in any substantial fashion. I'll probably fall back a bit on the fact that this is derivative of an established game which presumably only works if you adhere to those rules so the foundational elements were cemented well but it provided a footing that gave a sturdy premise an easy means to be ported over to film and it was executed well. In the US we've had our fair share of video game adaptations that have a rigorous library of available lore and expectations but many filmmakers will operate outside that. It's also a gamble and many times we've see that not pay off. Exit 8 felt like they really nailed that piece of the film spectacularly.

Ok, so it wasn't a perfect film, as this is a rare occurrence so there were things that didn't work great for me. I think if I really had to put one down, it's that there's a bit of a disconnectedness to some of the competing plot lines. There are different characters interacting within the story and perhaps its fleshed out more or in a deeper relevance in the game, but we start out with one character and hop between a couple other. The transitions are deliberate and well done. But the disjointed pivots feel like it makes the film a little choppy in an unnecessary fashion. It doesn't detract much from the film overall for me. But there are parts about it that are harder to digest simply because we have some measure of backstory for our primary character. The others interact in important approaches but we are left wanting a bit as their stories simply seem to exist temporarily in the orbit of our main narrative. It's not a huge deal but I did find it to be slightly distracting.

If there was anything else I would potentially ding the movie for, it's a similar plight I found for Backrooms, which I also really enjoyed. I don't need a fully formed and well defined origin for the phenomenon but I have almost no context for where it came from in the film. It may be different in the game or maybe it's equally as lacking there. I know the ambiguity and the mystery of it all is part of draw but in Backrooms there's at least the hinting at an agency who is attempting to explore and understand the anomaly, to use a terminology the film relies on heavily. The presence of anomalies isn't really what's in question and a resolution isn't intrinsically necessary to quantify what the mechanism is that's created the organized chaos our protagonist endures. But it simply comes into existence, runs amok, and then vanishes after an appropriate amount of calamity fills the run time. It didn't overtly bother me by any means. I wasn't left with more questions than answers, finding myself reeling in entropy or anything of the like. But I think any measure of context for what caused this curious interruption would have added some sort of handle to temporarily grasp while attempting to consume the entirety of it's amorphousness. It didn't ruin anything by it not being there, it just felt like it could have been a welcomed anchor if inserted properly. So it's a minor gripe but one nonetheless.

It felt pretty easy to arrive at a solid B on this one for me. That's a hearty B with a good sturdy foundation. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it tremendously. It didn't push the bounds towards an A by really excelling at anything to elevate it to that B+ range, but my critiques also didn't pull it down enough to give it the B-. So I think the B resounds with strength and resiliency and earned it well. I think the film was a fantastic way to solidify the run and in my last handful of days leading up to the conclusion we had some truly wonderful films. This was no exception. I believe the previous few days have been mostly, if not entirely, A's and B's which is pretty remarkable. But this film is a good one and I would definitively recommend it any day of the week. I don't know that it warrants a spot on the shelf but I've also been meticulous to describe that this piece has no bearing on the enjoyment factor of the movie. If you enjoyed Backrooms, I would easily and highly recommend this one any and every day of the week.

That's it. That's the 31 Days. I feel like I should put on a colorful bathrobe and come out to do my best Tracy Ullman impression, which incredibly dates me more than I anticipated before I started that sentence. But I think this has been my favorite year yet. Interestingly, I think I've enjoyed the most films this year, a fact I have not checked and probably won't. It's truly just a guess. But it feels accurate and right now I'm fine with that. But I do also believe it could be potentially be my lightest year yet for new films I've picked up which I find to be very interesting. As I've said many times, that does not have any bearing on the quality of the films or the strength of position on my shelves. That's purely personal real estate which requires an entirely different metric to warrant passage. But regardless, I've had an absolute ball celebrating October 2026 through this endeavor and I might be the saddest to see it go I've been in years past. It does get to be a bit of a chore since it's truly a daily exercise that does require a good bit of planning, even if the execution is till complicated and organic in nature. It's all the elements coming together in a tornado of wonderfulness. But I do intend to continue with the momentum to keep positing my thoughts here in this forum. I'm trying to use the momentum as a springboard to a more illustrious free writing activity with a greater sense of regularity and dedication. I know its all a bit silly and you're a make believe audience in my head. But I hope if you are a real, human person (or something in between) that you have enjoyed this trip as much as I have. It's been a fantastic adventure and I'm already slightly eager for October 2027. Good thing I've got 11 months to prepare. Though, I have been toying with 31 Days of December and returning with Christmas movies. I couldn't do ones I haven't seen. It might be a one and done exercise to run through all the films I love throughout the year. I'm not just a holiday watcher. Home Alone hits my big screen at least once a month. But we'll have to wait and see. I just wanted to take a moment to collect my thoughts and thank you for taking this journey with me. It's been excellent. And for the last time now as it pertains to horror movies in October of this year, I'll catch you on the flip side.