A couple of spooky offerings this week, starting with the excellent Exit 8. Video game adaptions can be ropey, from the 1993 Super Mario Bros to Angry Birds and A Minecraft Movie (although the latter was popular with audiences, some of whom threw their popcorn when Jack Black's annoying character shouted 'Chicken Jockey', for no apparent reason). However, Exit 8 is the real deal.
A commuter (played by Kazunari Ninomiya) is on a packed rush-hour commuter train when he witnesses an angry man yelling at a mother whose baby is crying, but decides not to intervene. On alighting at his stop, he takes a call from his ex-girlfriend, who reveals she is pregnant. Shortly after the signal breaks up, he finds himself trapped. The exit he was heading for vanishes, and he must follow a series of rules in order to escape. Any anomolies should not be ignored, and any he spots means he must turn back and walk the other way.
Whilst there is an obvious element of repetition in much of the film, this is a really smartly done horror thriller, with a few decent jump scares and plenty of chilling moments. We can all feel a little like lab rats at times, going through the motions of life, and this metaphor is played out powerfully here. There are elements of Groundhog Day and the hotel in The Shining, and whilst it's not the most terrifying film you'll see this year, it's certainly one you'll think about afterwards. Yamato Kochi is excellent as an impassive man who passes with each circuit, whilst Naru Asanuma is also great as a small boy. A clever concept, well delivered, and one that looks at the consequences of your small actions and decisions in life.
Hokum sees a dour, sarcastic writer checking into a run-down hotel where his parents stayed for their honeymoon. He intends to finish his latest book, and scatter their ashes at a place where they were happy. The dead goat in the car park on arrival is perhaps a bit of a red flag that this isn't going to be a five-star stay, whilst the honeymoon suite is strictly off-limits due to a witch haunting it. Adam Scott plays Ohm, the sardonic scribe who is mean to the hotel staff, even those who are trying to help him. There are enough decent jump scares and interesting characters to keep the flame flickering on this one, and I really enjoyed it.
The honeymooon suite looks even less tempting than the windowless basement room I stayed in at a mouldy hotel in Scarborough once. I'm not sure I'd have fancied following in Ohm's footsteps, as he attempts to find missing staff member Fiona, in part to repay her kindness in saving his own life. There's a lot happening in this story, and it's best seen on the big screen if you possibly can. Atmospheric, and a great brooding Irish setting.
Next week, it's the long-awaited The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Alex B Cann column -Things that get your goat 30/04/26
Alex Cann's weekly blog - 9th January
