Mystery of Vinales Valley

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"It appears to be fine tonight. Did I guess wrong?"

At two o'clock in the middle of the night, he circled the crew's camp once more. Christian sat on a nearby hillside, munching on beef jerky as tough as rocks, deep in thought.

From their initial visit, Christian had sensed the eerie nature of their chosen location, Vinales Valley. However, when he learned about the mysterious disappearances of the former director, Alan McElroy, and the lead actress, Eliza Kunis, along with the reports of multiple people vanishing in the vicinity two years ago, he became even more convinced.

"This place is 80% ghostly"

This wasn't just a logical deduction; it was also an exciting prospect for someone well-versed in magic but lacking opportunities to practice. Christian was prepared to capture a real ghost here and use it for the film. After all, when making a horror or ghost movie, nothing beats having an actual ghost at your disposal. It not only enhances the atmosphere but also serves more than a mere artistic setting.

Christian had secretly used a lot of magic in his recent film productions. He used spells to heighten the horror of the antagonist, scared troublesome supporting actresses, and even employed spells to enhance scene settings. In addition, magic had been immensely helpful.

One notable example was the opening scene, where two courageous rock climbers, a man and a woman, met their gruesome fate at the edge of a cliff. In the original version of "Wrong Turn," this served merely as an introduction to the film's horror, providing a background to avoid dull and monotonous shots.

To be honest, the initial scene lacked real horror. Christian, accustomed to the American preference for graphic and bloody content, felt that it fell short. The male climber's death had no camera presence, showing only the lifeless body being thrown from the cliff. The female climber, moments from reaching safety, was yanked away by flying chains. Though this kind of twist in some horror films can be terrifying, it was just standard here.

Christian had secretly buried a dead rooster beneath the cliff in preparation for the scene. He cast a spell to attract the faint ghosts that resided in the nearby forest. During the filming, the pervasive fog and eerie mountain sounds made the crew shudder.

The captured footage was spectacular. The faint fog evoked a "Silent Hill" atmosphere, and the collaboration between Christian and the cinematographer, Addison, resulted in some impressive shots. While not as immersive as modern 3D effects, these shots still held great impact.

After reviewing the shots, Addison, the cinematographer, was amazed by the results. The cliff's danger was portrayed from the perspective of the female climber, which was far more effective at creating atmosphere than a general viewpoint. The male climber, having reached the cliff's summit before meeting his gruesome end, had his corpse thrown from above. To simulate the perspective of the female climber still hanging from the cliff, the camera captured the falling male climber directly in front of the audience's eyes, creating a highly impactful effect.

To film this shot, the unfortunate male climber had to be repeatedly lowered and raised by the props team, creating the illusion of a fallen body. For distant shots, a dummy was used, but for close-ups, Christian insisted on the actor portraying the male climber to capture the expression of terror after his death.

"Great job, Brandon. Keep it up, and you'll have a promising future"

After the shoot, Christian encouraged Brandon Fisher, who was struggling to stand upright. When Christian first saw his name, he was surprised. Brandon Fisher was still an unknown actor at the time, but he would later gain fame in the "Mummy" series.

"Thank you"

Fisher smiled but winced due to his sore back.

"However, after this experience, I think I'll stick to action films with guns in the future. Hanging from a cliff is uncomfortable"

"Today went quite well," Christian responded.

"We filmed you falling from the cliff slowly. Me and the props team lowered you gradually toward the camera to achieve a dramatic drop. The final impact will be enhanced through editing and acceleration. If we handled it like the Hong Kong martial arts films, you'd be thrown off all at once."

"Thank goodness we're not making martial arts movies," Fisher said, still visibly shaken by the idea of being thrown from a cliff.

"But I've always felt that Chinese martial arts movies seem unrealistic, almost like watching science fiction," he continued.

Christian, amused by this perception, replied, "It's not unrealistic."

Fisher believed that all Chinese people knew kung fu, to which Christian simply said, "Is that so?"

It was expected for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to win the Saturn Award for science fiction and horror films.

Christian couldn't help but recall their conversation.

In truth, Christian had mixed feelings about martial arts films. He could watch them but wasn't particularly enthusiastic. Learning magic and uncovering hidden historical truths had somewhat altered his perspective.

"Do you think learning magic turns you into a superhero, capable of taking on a group of martial artists with ease? Remember the spells I taught you? They rely mainly on deception and manipulation, with limited practical applications. Even after reaching a high level of mastery, it's not like the stories where you can single-handedly defeat legions of martial artists. Using spells requires intelligence, not just brute force. Practicing them isn't the same as fighting on the streets; it's more like being a performer selling magic tricks."

His mentor, the old ghost, held a deep disdain for using magic as a source of power. After a few years of guidance, Christian had adopted a similar view.

"Even if I wanted to use it for combat, it's not possible."

Using spiritual power in the current era of dwindling magical abilities was a challenging prospect. Even in the 1990s, with some progress, surpassing conventional strength with magic was no easy task. Moreover, the prevalence of firearms in the United States made using magic for combat almost impractical. Nevertheless, if Christian were to encounter ghosts as he did with Charlize, spells would be his best choice, assuming he found any.

Christian had been patrolling the camp every night lately. Officially, this was to prevent accidents, and the crew admired the director's diligence. However, the real objective was to capture ghosts or spirits, which had so far eluded him.

"Heroes are useless" Christian sighed, questioning his earlier judgment.

"Normally, that's not the case. The concentration of ghost energy here surpasses that of a typical virgin forest. It's even higher than many ancient battlefields I've visited. The unusually high number of disappearances in this area indicates a problem. This feeling reminds me of the Qianshan National Park in the southwest described by the old ghost."

Christian was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a soft "click" in the silent night. Although barely audible, he realized it was the sound of snapping branches.

"It sounds like someone's breaking branches" he mumbled.

Initially, Christian didn't pay much attention to it, as this had happened on previous nights. In the wilderness, if nature calls, you have to venture into the woods. Accidentally stepping on branches and twigs was normal. If he encountered a woman, he would quickly retreat to avoid any misunderstandings.

"Sure enough," Christian thought, recognizing two figures in the distance, silhouetted with feminine curves. However, he soon noticed, "Aren't they approaching from the direction of the cannibal's house?"

The cannibal's house was the only permanent structure nearby, and while it was simple in design, it had basic amenities like toilets. The crew had arranged it for filming, adding a touch of horror to the otherwise dull surroundings. Christian guessed that Charlize and the others currently residing there found it more comfortable, despite the eerie props.

Many horror movie props aren't genuinely scary when they're not onscreen.

"Could it be," Christian wondered, "that..."

Christian subconsciously opened his newly successful Spirit eyes and saw two pale apparitions near the approaching figures.

References-

1. Silent Hill- Horror Series

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- Marital Arts Movie (2000)

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