Chapter 86: The Corpse

The myriad tasks weighed heavily on Murphy, and although the new production team was only three times larger, the complexity far surpassed that of "Hard Candy." After three weeks of intense preparation, they were nearing completion, exceeding Murphy's initial expectations.

He vividly remembered reading online that the pre-production of this film took less than a week, with filming completed within twenty days. While he couldn't confirm its accuracy, it highlighted the contrast between a mature film company like Lionsgate and shell companies like Stanton Studios.

The production team entered the final preparation stage, meaning everything was nearly in place, with only a few days left before the first shoot.

Was there anything else left undone? Of course, Murphy needed to recharge himself.

With everything set in motion, it was time for him to focus ahead, minimizing stress and exhaustion to ensure he had the mental clarity needed for the task at hand. He also needed to ensure his crew—cinematographers, art directors, lighting technicians, prop masters, and others—had sufficient rest before filming commenced.

As a director and producer, most of Murphy's decisions at this point were irreversible, so he had to concentrate on utilizing existing resources to complete the job.

From this moment onward, both his physical and mental faculties would face tremendous challenges.

Unfortunately, the busy schedule triggered another severe bout of headaches for Murphy, even worse than before, reminiscent of his early days.

"Murphy, is your head hurting again?" Kerry Mulligan entered the studio's study, seeing Murphy sitting with a hot towel on his forehead. Concerned, she approached him. "Is it bad? Should I take you to see a doctor?"

"No need." Murphy removed the towel, about to toss it on the table, but Kerry intercepted it and placed it neatly on a nearby rack. She turned back to him, her golden brows furrowed. "You really should go."

"I went to the University of California Medical Center yesterday," Murphy waved her off, feeling the throbbing pain in his head intensify, quickly rubbing his temples.

Kerry immediately moved behind him, placing her small hands gently on his temples, massaging them. "Did they find anything?"

"Everything's normal," Murphy withdrew his hand, knowing the cause of his headaches, but unable to disclose it to the doctor.

"Kerry..."

As the pain eased slightly, Murphy shook his head, disentangling himself from Kerry's hands. "I'll manage."

"It's okay, I'm not tired," Kerry's hands returned to Murphy's temples, her voice softening. "I'm happiest when I can help you."

The eyes peering from behind Murphy's back seemed unusually bright.

Just as Murphy was about to say something, there was a knock at the door. After inviting the person in, Seth Rogen pushed the door open.

Upon seeing Kerry's hands on Murphy's head, his chubby face flushed with embarrassment, he stammered, "Uh... I-I..."

He hesitated before speaking again, "Sorry, I'll leave you two to it."

With that, he attempted to retreat and close the door, but Murphy stopped him. "Seth, what's up?"

Kerry, lacking social experience but quite astute, quickly withdrew her hands, moving to Murphy's side to fetch his cup, pouring him a coffee from the machine.

Seth reluctantly entered the room. "Beck's dummy is almost ready. He wants you to come over and take a look."

In addition to his acting role, Seth also assisted in other departments of the production. Despite his affable demeanor, he understood the value of hard work and the rarity of opportunities.

"Let's go," Murphy picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip and standing up. "Let's check it out together."

Seeing him ready to work again, Kerry reminded, "Murphy..."

Murphy nodded at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

As they descended the stairs, with Seth leading the way, they stepped into the courtyard where prop master Beck Clebert and his assistant were crouched over a charred "corpse."

Kerry followed behind, taking one glance at the "corpse" before covering her mouth and retreating behind Murphy.

"Hey, Beck," Murphy greeted the prop master, his eyes focused on the "corpse."

"I made this from a polyester mannequin," Beck explained to Murphy. "Given our conditions, this is the best we could do."

Murphy circled the "corpse," impressed by its realism. "It looks great."

According to the plan, most corpses would be portrayed by actors themselves, except for the one burned in the safe game, which this fake corpse was perfectly suited for.

Often, you get what you pay for, and the high salary Murphy offered Beck had proven worthwhile. Over the past few weeks, Beck had manufactured numerous killing contraptions according to Murphy's vision in the leased warehouse.

"Disgusting," Kerry peeked out from behind Murphy, covering her mouth, "It looks a bit like James Franco after being burned."

Seth glanced at her, cleverly pretending not to hear anything. A few days ago, he had heard some unsavory stories about Kerry from James Franco himself, and considering her close relationship with the director, he had marked her as someone not to be trifled with.

He also marveled at James Franco's patience; he would have walked away long ago.

But after the conflict the other night, coupled with their interactions these past few days, Seth knew she was just eccentric, with a relatively timid personality, making her easier to deal with.

Shaking his head slightly, Murphy felt his headache ease a bit. He turned to Seth. "Where's James? Isn't he coming today?"

"He went to the set," Seth replied, "Aren't we supposed to rehearse some gruesome scenes this afternoon? He went to check it out."

That was Murphy's plan for the afternoon. Checking the time, he said, "Let's go there as well."

After weeks of preparation, the brutal scenes and killing contraptions had been set up, but their actual effectiveness would be determined during rehearsals with actors in makeup, allowing any shortcomings to be addressed.