Video Games are taking over Cinema, and honestly it’s about time!
So, two horror films one that we distributed last year ( Exit 8) and Backrooms that released this year are based on a walking simulator and a photo someone posted on 4chan. Not a AAA blockbuster franchise, something different. A tiny indie PC game set in one hallway, and an internet creepypasta.
Exit 8 - which became the highest rated video game adaptation ever with a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Genki Kawamura, it’s basically one guy stuck in a looping subway corridor trying to spot what’s wrong. That’s it. And it’s genuinely one of the most gripping things you’ll sit through to watch and think “ What went wrong?” At least that’s how i felt, eyes glued to the screen to help the poor man get out. On the other side of the coin, A24’s Backrooms directed by 20-year old Youtube creator Kane parsons taking the internet’s favourite liminal nightmare and turns it into a full feature with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. They built 30,000 square feet of practical sets so convincing the crew kept getting lost in them.
Here’s the things that really gets me - these films are hitting different for people who actually played the games. It’s not just nostalgia in the usual sense. It’s more specific than that. If you ever played the Exit 8 at midnight with headphones on, or fell deep into Backrooms lore at 2am, watching these films brings that feeling right back. That particular kind of alone -in the dark dread that you voluntarily chose to feel. Cinema hasn’t really done that before, tapping into a game memory that feels personal, the films get it, and nostalgia wins.
What’s interesting about these IPs and what filmmakers are doing is they make the audience feel like they’re playing those games while watching the film. It’s one thing to sit and watch a film and enjoy your Popcorn, it’s another to start investigating and getting all analytical of what’s going to happen next.. This is where the fun starts.
Sources:
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/exit-8-trailer-genki-kawamura-1236651441/
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/everything-we-know-about-backrooms/
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/backrooms-first-reviews/
Operations & Studio Admin - Leila