Exit 8’s director cut this scene because it was too scary for Cannes

Most directors will never have the chance to write novelizations of their own movies — 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 — he’s an internationally bestselling author, as well as a producer on anime movies including Your Name, Suzume, Mirai, and Weathering With You. 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.