If you’re at the intersection of video games and horror, then you know not all video game film adaptations are created equally. For every Silent Hill (2006), Werewolves Within, or Detention (2019), there is a lot of heartbreak and titles we’re still trying to forget. Which is why, when Kotake Create’s beloved Exit 8 video game was tapped to become a film, we held our collective breath. How would this quick psychological nightmare transfer to a feature-length film? Would the filmmaker chosen understand the assignment? Luckily, the movie works overall, and horror and game nerds have another title in the win column. 

In Case You Missed It

Exit 8 puts gamers into the shoes of an unseen protagonist who is stuck in a subway station. Players soon realize that this location is not what it seems. They are also tasked with spotting anomalies in hopes of making it to the eighth level and (hopefully) back to the real world. Some of the anomalies are subtle, some are anxiety-inducing, and some leave you wanting to scream WTF? However, the game is a pretty quick introduction to liminal spaces and self-gaslighting. 

The film, written by Kentaro Hirase and Genki Kawamura, understands what made the game effective. They even keep and elevate some of the anomalies that were my personal favorites. The duo also builds three very distinct characters to keep us from sitting for 95 minutes of vibes.

Walking Man (Yamato Kochi) is not just the creepy guy making circles in this hallway with us in the film. He gets a full arc in his chapter that informs us he was a human who panicked and made the wrong choice. He is now doomed to spend eternity here as part of others’ nightmarish quests. While all of the performances are great, Kochi brings a humanity and sadness to the role that was unexpected. He finds ways of using his character’s repetitive nature as a way to add subtle layers. This makes the shift into his chapter feel more alive, frantic, and heartbreaking. We know this journey isn’t going to end well for him, but it’s hard not to fully invest and feel that heartbreak anyway. 

It’s Not All Great at Exit 8

Exit 8 plays with us in the beginning before shifting from first-person perspective to reveal our protagonist will be Lost Man (Kazunari Ninomiya). He and his girlfriend are having a moment when he ends up in this subway station on a loop. Their phone conversation reveals she’s pregnant, so Lost Man is having a bad day before getting stuck in liminal limbo. This, on its own, is fine. However, after a lot of laps, he meets The Boy (Naru Asanuma) and discovers he is not an anomaly.

The Boy ties Lost Man and Walking Man’s stories together. He tries to assist both of them on their journeys while being too afraid to speak for most of his screentime. Again, all of the performances are great, but a kid killing it with a mostly silent role is highly impressive. His relationship with these two broken and frightened men is believable and palpable. He and Lost Man specifically bond and form a lovely duo that, unfortunately, underscores the pregnant girlfriend to lead to a very pro-life message.

Exit 8’s Politics Derail the Horror

Kawamura directed the hell out of Exit 8, and it’s a good time. However, it’s hard to wash away the very heavy swerve into pro-life territory in 2026. Especially as a person with ovaries who lives in a country that doesn’t want me to have autonomy. Horror is political, and this game has so many things that could have been expanded on. The insertion of an anti-choice layer into a film centered on three male characters (at three very different stages of life) is wild. I personally hated it because, aside from that, it does capture the vibes of the game. It feels like watching someone piss in the lemonade on a hot summer day.

You would be hard-pressed to find a horror fan who doesn’t have fond memories of Tales From the Crypt. Some of you may be like me and watched episodes as a child while losing battles with insomnia. Others may have been lucky enough to get their hands on physical copies that allow constant rewatches. Quite a few people watched Tales from the Cryptkeeper and got a more age appropriate introduction. Whatever your journey, John Kassir’s Crypt Keeper is still crystal clear in your mind.

The people behind The Overlook Film Fest are very much aware of this. So, they asked Kassir to join the fest on day one to say hello to all the boils and ghouls. Kassir and the puppet that made him an icon were the main attractions of the Opening Night Second Line Parade presented by Shudder. Kassir met and posed with too many fans to count while effortlessly slipping into his Crypt Keeper voice and cackle. He seemed delighted to spark joy for so many horror fiends whose character he helped shape. Kassir, known for his sharp and quick humor, is also a surprisingly warm person. His energy is almost a cross between Robin Williams and Robert Englund. After a few seconds, you realize he’s one of us, weirdos (complementary) and is having just as much (if not more) fun as his legion of fans.

Kassir Didn’t Just Wake Up as the Crypt Keeper in One Day

After the parade, it was the after-party, or panel. Kassir sat down with Matt Donato (Daily Dead) and Perri Nemiroff (Collider) to discuss his career. Kassir was reminded that he was a theater kid and learned that he and Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) came up together and are still friends. Kassie also shared that the two of them were approached for Full House. Bakula for the role that went to Bob Saget and Kassir for Dave Coulier’s. As a horror kid who grew up in the 90s, I would’ve lived my best life with Kassir in the basement of the Tanner House.

Kassir told the crowd about how he was encouraged to do Star Search even though he didn’t think it was the right vehicle for him. He was in a musical at the time, but couldn’t sing well enough for a competition and was told it was a place for comedians, too. Kassir protested he wasn’t really a comedian and was told he could win $100,000 and said, “Fuck…have you seen my act?” 

He went on to beat comedians like Rosie O’Donnell and Sinbad before being asked to open for Tom Jones and The Temptations. Kassir threw together a 20-minute act and did a stand-up “trial by fire.” He crafted an act where he played a guy addicted to television. It allowed him to change the channels on himself and utilize the voices he’d been doing since childhood. This led to him landing a role on one of HBO’s first shows, called 1st & Ten.

Our Pun King Was Born

Kassir told us about the audition process for the Crypt Keeper. He was a fan of the EC comics and was sad that his mom gave them to a kid down the street. That gave him a slight edge when up for the role against the likes of Michael Winslow and Charles Fleischer. While both are great comic voices, they wanted to play the character as menacing and scary. Kassir said, “They didn’t get it. This guy is funny. This is the gateway drug to horror. He lets you know this is supposed to be fun. It’s the ride up to the top of the rollercoaster.”

Kassir compared it to Alfred Hitchcock Presents regarding the use of puns. He gave the voice a texture because of the holes in his throat and the rotting teeth. He also added a cackle from his Wicked Witch bit from his abbreviated The Wizard of Oz act. While everyone seemed to love him and told him he had the job, he didn’t believe it. As an actor, he was very aware that things happen and nothing is set in stone. He wasn’t counting on anything until he got the call from his agent.

John Kassir on the Crypt Keeper’s Origins and Future Stars

As a fan and the man behind our beloved icon, Kassir has stories and trivia for days about Tales From the Crypt. The first version of the puppet was made of spare parts that included a pair of leftover Chucky eyes and a mouth that didn’t move. This resulted in the first few episodes having a more toned-down Crypt Keeper.  Kassir also let us in on how he would record his voice work after the rest of the episode had been shot. He also pointed out that the show became a training ground for a lot of people who went on to become stars. Actors could not only practice their craft but could also dabble in directing. He lit up as he recounted being asked to come to set to read lines in real time for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s episode.

Tales From the Crypt is the Past and the Future

Kassir spoke about Tales From the Crypt spin-offs and how people didn’t understand how much it was going to mean to the kiddies. However, he did because he remembered discovering the comics as a kid. He pointed out that most of the audience watched it way too young, and that is why we were there. He then took a few questions from the audience and gave us a few more parting puns before posing for a few more pictures for his adoring crowd.

Tales From the Crypt fans with FOMO don’t have to be sad for too long. The entire series is hitting Shudder on May 1st. If people are smart, John Kassir and The Crypt Keeper will be very booked and busy for awhile. So, hopefully, we might all get to hear the infamous cackle live a few more times this spring.