Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Astonishment
On a rare cool morning in Los Angeles, Daisy entered the theater with a stern face, approached the counter, glanced at the screening schedule, and handed over a ten-dollar bill.
"'Saw'!" she stated directly. "One ticket, please."
After receiving the ticket, Daisy headed towards the screening hall. She had put considerable effort into finding this theater screening "Saw," mainly piqued by the information she had seen online a few days ago. After researching the film, seeing the name Murphy Stanton, and recalling the intriguing castration film at the Sundance Film Festival, she couldn't wait to see what this interesting director would come up with next.
Meanwhile, in Long Island, Louis Gonzalez had already settled into the theater with his small group. Many were discussing whether the film would live up to the images seen online or if it would be just another blood-and-gore horror flick.
As the movie began, they discovered that it differed from the images seen online. This difference didn't mean the film was bad; on the contrary, it was even more terrifying and intriguing than expected.
"I want to play a game..."
This statement led to extreme torture, but it wasn't senseless; instead, it presented a thought-provoking test. The behind-the-scenes orchestrator's words were clearly fallacious, yet combined with topics like gratitude for life and cherishing freedom, they oddly made sense.
As a fat man crawled through a maze of spikes, the sharp wires continuously pierced through his thick flesh, causing him to scream like a slaughtered pig. The gushing blood and gaping wounds made even the theater audience shiver. But for the fat man to survive, he had to keep moving forward until he could move no more, hanging on the sharp wires like a piece of meat waiting to be roasted.
As the scenes unfolded, Daisy couldn't help but cover her mouth, and nearby, several others reacted similarly. In their sparsely populated theater, with only about a dozen people, it was evident that the unabashed bloodshed and horrifying methods of murder had frightened them.
Two people were caught and demanded to cut meat and weigh it; the lighter side would be drilled to death...
These were novel but traditional techniques for blood-and-gore horror films that stimulated Louis Gonzalez's interest. Yet what amazed him more was that these killings were not done solely for the sake of killing.
"People mostly don't know how to be grateful..."
These reasons sounded lofty, as if the orchestrator was setting these clever murder traps for the sake of the victims' well-being.
Although Daisy was intrigued by the suspense and the setup of the behind-the-scenes orchestrator, she couldn't help but turn away during some bloody scenes. When a victim had their left hand chopped off and weighed on a scale, she distinctly saw two boys on the left side crying in fear.
"So... so terrifying..." one of the boys trembled.
The other wiped his tears, "The director must be a psycho, he's really insane!"
Though they spoke like this, their bodies still reacted instinctively, their eyes glued to the screen, unwilling to look away.
On Daisy's left were two girls of similar age, seemingly more courageous, munching on popcorn as they watched intestines spill and blood flow on the screen, relishing every moment.
"Mmm... mmm... Not bad..." one of them muttered. "Haven't seen such a thrilling movie in ages."
To them, what others saw as horrifying and bloody was like a delicious seasoning to their meal.
Though both girls were enthusiastically watching, the sound of their popcorn munching and their unintentional comments began to disturb others.
A man around forty finally spoke up after enduring for some time, "Could you please be quiet?"
If it were any other movie, talking might have been tolerable. But this movie was so gripping, with its suspenseful and intense atmosphere, that sudden interruptions like eating popcorn and talking ruined the viewing experience!
Such an outstanding film deserved a good viewing environment!
One of the girls wanted to retort, but the other pulled her back, pointing to the screen. The girl obediently closed her mouth. For this movie, she would endure!
There was nothing more important than watching this movie properly now!
In the theater in Long Island, there were also just over twenty audience members, half of whom belonged to Louis Gonzalez's small group, each reacting differently.
Louis Gonzalez was excited, thoroughly enjoying this excellently crafted blood-and-gore horror film with its logical and suspenseful plot. Most importantly, he noticed something: all the punished individuals were white!
That's right, all white! Those damn white people! Louis Gonzalez felt inexplicably satisfied, understanding it only himself.
On his left, a tall, thin black man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a tissue, his dark face seemingly whitened considerably, at least visible in the darkness.
On his right, the fat man had been crawling through the spike maze since the beginning, pressing his hand against his stomach as if the one being pierced and oozing stomach fluids was him.
The person next to him kept drinking water, finishing not only his own bottle but also two-thirds of the fat man's huge bottle. It was obvious he was too nervous. The reason for his nervousness, even without saying, was the movie playing on the screen.
"Who could the mastermind be?"
The movie was already halfway through, and Louis Gonzalez couldn't help but voice his question. The fat man beside him said, "I think it's the nurse from the hospital."
The skinny black man on the other side disagreed, "I think it might be the doctor staging it himself."
The person drinking water put down his bottle, swallowed hard, and stuttered, "A-A-Amanda... her... her... test... it's... too simple, not... not fatal."
Everyone had their guesses, but none thought of the suicide victim lying on the floor.
This wasn't just human inertia; it was also related to the way the scenes were shot. Just like during filming, when the panoramic shot focused on the room, it always emphasized Dr. James Franco's character and Seth Logan's character, blurring out the suicide victim in the background.
This was a filming technique that guided the audience's thoughts.
In a theater near Columbia University, Kara Fess pushed her falling blonde hair behind her ears and, seeing the massacre scene on the screen again, looked around. She wasn't a fan of horror movies, but she had made time to come here because this was a film directed by her good friend.
Though she didn't like it, as a media worker, she had her own judgment of the film. Apart from the nauseating amount of blood and twisted murder methods, the suspense and the logic behind the mastermind's theory were well done. It was much better than the purely gimmicky "Hard Candy."
Especially the latter, it had formed its own theory with some religious undertones.
Would this film be successful? That was what Kara Fess cared most about.
She knew Murphy and knew that at this stage, his idea of success was mainly commercial, in other words, box office success. Box office success came from the audience, and for this film to succeed at the box office, it had to attract the audience.
Since sitting down, Kara Farris had been observing the surrounding audience. Perhaps it was because those who could come to the theater to watch this kind of movie should generally like horror movies, or perhaps the movie itself was really captivating and well-made. Now, sixty minutes had passed, and surprisingly, not a single person had left early.
On the contrary, almost everyone she could see was completely absorbed in watching the movie.
In other respects, it was hard to say. After all, isn't it a good sign if the movie can captivate the audience and keep them engrossed?
"Look, the killer is indeed the nurse!"
In the theater in Long Island, the chubby guy pointed at the person whose face was finally revealed on the monitor and said, "I guessed it right! This movie still follows the same old routine."
The others remained silent. Louis Gonzalez also thought the chubby guy had a point. The suspenseful setup at the beginning of the movie was so well-done, yet in the end, it still succumbed to the same old clichés of Hollywood. It could only be described as a disappointing ending.
However, the subsequent development of the plot left them all dumbfounded.
When the time came, the nurse didn't kill the doctor's wife and daughter; instead, he was stabbed in the leg by the wife, and he desperately ran away, only to be chased by the tardy black police officer.
Meanwhile, the doctor heard his wife's voice on the phone, along with the sounds of the nurse's panicked gunfire. His already tortured nerves couldn't bear it anymore, collapsing like a camel crushed by the final straw.
He screamed and struggled frantically, but couldn't free himself from the shackles on his feet.
The sounds continued, relentless, despite the doctor's desperate cries. His voice grew increasingly faint, yet his face, contorted in anguish, gradually showed a hint of determination. Even amidst his breakdown, his tearful eyes became resolute.
Reaching for the saw, the doctor removed his clothes and tied them around his leg. He also bit down on his own shoe, his eyes fixed on the leg shackled to the floor.
"Oh, my..." Daisy exclaimed in shock. "He wouldn't... he can't, right?"
Louis Gonzalez had already covered his mouth, the chubby guy beside him was supporting his head, and the black man on the other side wore a face of disbelief...
Was he really going to saw off his own leg?
Even someone like Kara Farris was drawn in. A man who had made mistakes, sacrificing himself for his family? Could that unreliable guy really film such a plausible plot?
The reality unfolded on the screen as the doctor pulled the saw, blood gushing out like a fountain...
The doctor's agonized screams, accompanied not only by the sight but also by the sound of the saw pulling and scraping against bone, the splattering of blood, and the...
These sounds, though not loud, were piercing, making it impossible to escape, creating a highly oppressive effect when combined with the visuals on the screen.
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