Exit 8 is based on an indie horror game that was a breakout hit when released in 2023. Less than two years later, it has turned into a surprisingly faithful, if safe adaptation that highlights the best parts of the surreal narrative in the source material.

The setup is simple: Exit 8 may or may not be purgatory. It exists on a different plane, where the laws of time and physics don't apply. Luckily, sense of humor does, and the tormenting forces even namedrop Escher as a source of inspiration so the victims can figure out what's going on.

The station repeats itself into infinity. Those passing through it must follow a set of rules to progress to the real exit: Do not ignore anomalies. If you see an anomaly, turn back. If you don't, keep going.

It's here my autism kicked in. The original game already felt primed for someone like me, who must follow rules just to make sense of everyday life. Surely the same would apply to the film, and characters would quickly understand their predicament. After all, how hard is it to follow simple instructions?

It turns out, for some, it's very difficult. The characters in Exit 8 feel trapped in a state of baffled stupidity. Every anomaly must be investigated further or ignored altogether. Even after we clearly establish the fallout of not following rules. At which point the characters rage and whimper about how unfair it all is.

This feels accurate to the game, but proves surprisingly unsatisfying as a film. Games are interactive in a different way than movies. When we can control the action, we take responsibility for breaking the narrative. It becomes a test to see how far we can bend the engine before we hit a wall. In a film, it's more a case of watching someone else play badly, without any opportunity to effect the outcome.

The first few times are fun, I won't lie. They are, after all, there to showcase all the ways stupidity is rewarded. But the narrative never gives us a reason why the characters insist on repeating the same mistakes time and time again. Nor do they ever reveal more about themselves than a superficial trait that hints at why they're stuck in this limbo to begin with.

At 90 minutes, Exit 8 moves just briskly enough that it never becomes truly boring, but it's not far off, either. This is not a scary film, despite a few attempts at jump scares and an effective use of set design. Instead, the mystery unravels at a deliberate pace, proving more intriguing than terrifying. Sadly, the final reveal is frustratingly old-fashioned and even off-putting in its patriarchal leanings.

But for fans of the source material and those looking for an old-school ghost story, Exit 8 is a solid, if unsurprising addition to the genre. It's exactly what you'd expect from something made this fast out of material this light. That's not a bad thing, but it won't set the world on fire, either.