{"id":377714,"date":"2026-04-13T18:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/377714\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:29:09","slug":"exit-8s-director-cut-this-scene-because-it-was-too-scary-for-cannes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/377714\/","title":{"rendered":"Exit 8’s director cut this scene because it was too scary for Cannes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most directors will never have the chance to write novelizations of their own movies \u2014 directing movies and writing novels are such radically different disciplines that few creators cross the streams. But Exit 8 writer-director Genki Kawamura isn’t just a director \u2014 he’s an internationally bestselling author<\/a>, as well as a producer on anime movies including Your Name<\/a>, Suzume<\/a>, Mirai<\/a>, and Weathering With You<\/a>. So writing the novelization of his horror movie Exit 8 was a natural extension of his interest in breaking down the barriers between how different media approach stories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The novel, the film, and the indie game that inspired both<\/a> are all closely related, but they\u2019re different as well. And one of the bigger departures is a horrifying scene Kawamura wrote for the book and filmed for the movie, but wound up cutting from the theatrical release \u2014 because the scene was too scary for the Cannes film festival. (You can read that full sequence below, as it appears in the novelization.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually liked that anomaly a lot,\u201d Kawamura tells Polygon. \u201cWe had filmed it as well, so if there was ever a director’s cut of this film, maybe it’ll make a revival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
\n Image: NEON<\/p>\n

In the game version of Exit 8, players navigate a repeating white corridor in a subway station, trying to identify \u201canomalies\u201d that signal they should reverse direction if they want to find the corridor\u2019s mysterious exit. Exit 8 is both a walking sim and a form of escape-room game, but it doesn\u2019t have any real narrative. In the film version, Kawamura and co-writer Kentaro Hirase build a story around the game\u2019s mysteries<\/a>, creating a protagonist, \u201cThe Lost Man\u201d (Kazunari Ninomiya), and a reason he\u2019s stuck in this loop. They make many of the anomalies he faces more elaborate and more terrifying, and more closely tied to his mental state, as he tries to process his guilt and uncertainty over recent events in his life.<\/p>\n

Some of the things The Lost Man encounters in the corridor loop don\u2019t come from the game, like a photo booth, or a pile of clothing and trash that appears to belong to someone squatting in the train station. Other creepy phenomena are directly from the game, like The Walking Man (Yamato K\u00f4chi), a robotic salaryman who mostly doesn\u2019t interact with his surroundings \u2014 except during anomalies. In the game, he smiles, or becomes larger, or faster, or just stares at the player with an unsettling fixation. In the movie, he confronts The Lost Man with a horrifically stretched, inhuman grin.<\/p>\n

A separate timeline in the book and movie offers some backstory for the Walking Man, who was once a trapped commuter like the current protagonist. The scene Kawamura removed from the movie explains why the photo booth and nest of discarded belongings are present (they don\u2019t come into play in the theatrical cut), and hints that The Lost Man is in danger of either becoming a threatening, grinning automaton like The Walking Man, or being stuck in the corridor forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the novel, there was a homeless character, which I think was a reflection of our protagonist in the event that he was never able to escape this corridor \u2014 what that would look like,\u201d Kawamura says. \u201cWe ultimately ended up cutting that. Instead, while filming, we added a new scene to the screenplay, a scene where our protagonist opens a door into darkness, and sees what his daily life looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
\n Image: NEON<\/p>\n

Even though the character is trapped in an endless loop where he has to face terrible, supernatural events, Kawamura felt that making him face the dreary reality of his repetitive, boring life was just as terrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if you look at what your daily life is and you know you’re in some kind of purgatory?\u201d he says. \u201cYour daily life is a place and a story you don’t want to return to \u2014 that’s a very scary thought. [\u2026] What if he didn’t want to return? So that’s what ultimately made it into the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as cutting the scene involving the photo booth, though, Kawamura says he felt it was necessary to tone down the film\u2019s horror in order to secure a slot at Cannes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis film was, I believe, the first video game source material adaptation that made it into an official selection at Cannes, and then went on to the different film festival circuits,\u201d he says. \u201cThe lineup at Cannes, the programming, is quite specific, and [a film] needs to have a very strong core theme. So shock-factor jump scares really weren’t the direction I needed to go in order to make that happen, and manifest it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
\n Image: NEON<\/p>\n

Instead of focusing on the fear factor, Kawamura says he looked at \u201ca lot of classic horror films,\u201d including Kenji Mizoguchi\u2019s 1953 ghost story Tales of Ugetsu and Stanley Kubrick<\/a>\u2019s The Shining, and considered what makes them timeless dramas as well as horror stories. The movies he was watching suggested he should focus on Exit 8\u2019s family drama, and how it related to the protagonist falling into a supernatural trap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think social commentary was one of the strongest pillars of the film,\u201d he says. \u201cSo the focus was then much more on this inner journey, the mind’s journey of our protagonist, and not on the other factors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the scene from the novelization that Kawamura shot and cut from the movie, reproduced with special permission from Flatiron Books. The novelization will be published in September.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The
\n Image: Flatiron Books<\/p>\n

The white passageway stretched out before me. Hanging from the ceiling was the \u2191Exit 8 sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cDental clinic\u2026 Escher exhibit\u2026 Judicial services\u2026 Beauty clinic\u2026 High-paying part-time jobs,\u201d I recited each poster aloud, scanning them one by one. Then \u2014 the sound of a camera shutter echoed from the end of the hall.<\/p>\n

A flat, robotic female voice followed: \u201cPrinting your photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same line repeated again and again, bouncing off the walls of the corridor. A loop: \u201cPrinting your photo. Printing your photo. Printing your photo. Printing your photo. Printing your photo. Printing your photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tensing up, I turned the corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrinting your photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The voice grew louder. It was coming from the photo booth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an anomaly.<\/p>\n

I approached the booth and froze.<\/p>\n

The photo booth curtain had always been open, but this time it was drawn shut. Beneath it, I saw a pair of feet. There was someone here. But why were they taking a photo in a place like this?<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026 excuse me\u2026 \u201d My voice came out in a rasp.<\/p>\n

No reply. Instead, clack. A photo slid out into the dispenser.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour photo is ready,\u201d the robotic voice announced. The person inside hadn\u2019t moved at all.<\/p>\n

I opened the dispenser and reached out for the photo.<\/p>\n

I brought it up to my face hesitantly. Eight identical ID photos, neatly aligned. Each one showed me \u2014 wearing the same rubbery smile as the salaryman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026?\u201d I whispered, letting the photo slip from my fingers.<\/p>\n

From behind the curtain, I heard a cough. My body tensed as I moved my gaze to the sound. The shoes peeking out from under the booth shifted slightly \u2014 now pointing toward me, as if sensing my presence. The worn-out gray sneakers looked familiar. I glanced down at my own feet.<\/p>\n

Could the person behind the curtain\u2026 be me? I felt compelled to pull the curtain back, to see who \u2014 or what \u2014 was in there. My fingers gripped the edge. But I couldn\u2019t do it. If I came face-to-face with whatever was in that booth, would I be able to hold on to my sanity?<\/p>\n

The robotic voice cut through the silence: \u201cYour photo is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still frozen in place, my knees trembling, I watched another photo slide out of the machine. I looked at it. Me again \u2014 this time, with an even wider grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour photo is ready. Your photo is ready. Your photo is ready. Your photo is ready. Your photo is ready. Your photo is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

With each announcement, the dispenser spat out photo after photo. With every new image, my smile looked less natural \u2014 mouth stretching too far, eyes widening into glossy, glass-like orbs, drained of life.<\/p>\n

This is an anomaly\u2026 it must be\u2026 <\/p>\n

I turned on my heel and hurried back the way I came.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour photo is ready. Your photo is ready. Your photo is rea\u2014 \u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement looped mechanically. When I turned the corner, the voice stopped.<\/p>\n

Exit 3.<\/p>\n

I let out a big sigh of relief, and felt a bead of sweat roll down my temple. I put my hand to my face. My cheeks and forehead were soaked.<\/p>\n

This space, with the numbered exit sign indicating whether I\u2019d been correct or not, might be a safe zone. Every time I arrived, the anomalies would be reset for the next round, it seemed.<\/p>\n

One more piece of this strange underground puzzle had fallen into place. I turned the corner.<\/p>\n

The white passageway. The \u2191Exit 8 sign hanging from the ceiling.<\/p>\n

Excerpted from Exit 8. Copyright \u00a92026 by Genki Kawamura. Excerpted by permission of Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.<\/p>\n

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Valnet Inc. may earn a commission. See our ethics statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most directors will never have the chance to write novelizations of their own movies \u2014 directing movies and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-377714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}