Chapter 106: Unbelievable

"Boss, they're ready," said Burbank as he accompanied a chubby man towards the screening room. "I guarantee you, this film will be a standout. It's the best horror film I've seen in the past two years."

Harvey Weinstein turned to Jones-Butler, raising an eyebrow. "Does that young director really progress that quickly?"

Jones-Butler nodded solemnly. "Though it may not be the best comparison, I believe the gap between 'Hard Candy' and 'Saw' is akin to Spielberg's transition from '1941' to 'Jaws'."

While the films themselves may not be directly comparable, the evolution in directing skill between the two works does bear some resemblance.

Approaching the screening room, Jones-Butler took a step forward to open the door. Weinstein entered first, followed by several market evaluators from Miramax. Inside, they found the director, accompanied by a chubby and a slim individual, preparing for the screening.

Murphy noticed Weinstein and immediately put aside his work. "Hello, Mr. Weinstein," his appearance was a pleasant surprise.

The chubby man didn't say much, merely nodding in acknowledgment. Jones-Butler approached Murphy and asked in a low voice, "Is everything ready?"

Murphy nodded in response. "We're ready to start anytime."

Jones-Butler glanced at Weinstein, then, once the chubby man had settled in, he said, "Let's begin."

With Murphy's signal, Seth Rogen went to close the curtains while James Franco turned off the lights. Murphy stood behind the projector, and the screen opposite lit up.

Including Weinstein, everyone from Miramax in the screening room had their attention fixed on the screen.

Murphy focused on his task of running the screening, occasionally glancing towards the audience. The people from Miramax were completely engrossed in the film, with many jotting down notes in their notebooks. Murphy's main focus, however, was Weinstein. From behind, he couldn't see the expression on the chubby man's face, but his posture remained rigid, as if he hadn't moved in a while.

What did that signify? Either he had fallen asleep, or he was completely absorbed in the film.

Regardless of the interpretation, Murphy believed the former possibility to be extremely low. After all, this was "Saw," and with his current abilities, Murphy might not surpass his predecessor by much, but he wouldn't do much worse either. Especially with the copious use of cross-cutting, the film delivered plenty of suspense and graphic scenes.

In the Western world, such scenes were terrifying, unlike in the East, where they were more likely to induce disgust. Traditional horror films in North America were vastly different from those in other regions, often relying on copious amounts of blood and gore for their fright factor.

This wasn't just Murphy's opinion; it was an objective reality.

A horror film that couldn't even establish a basic atmosphere of fear was bound to fail. Murphy's film, however, succeeded. When Kerry Mulligan's character plunged into a sea of syringes, there were audible gasps from several people in the room.

Jones-Butler's rapid, shallow breaths were evidence enough. Even on the second viewing, the scene still elicited a visceral reaction.

When Jonah Hill's character found himself ensnared in a maze of traps, the sight of blood, bile, tears, and saliva flowing freely was simply...

Finally, Harvey Weinstein shifted his posture, wiping the sweat from his forehead unconsciously. His overweight body sent shivers down Murphy's spine.

This film was genuinely frightening.

Then came the twisted contortions of the victims, as their bodies were broken...

Several people glanced back, curious to know just how twisted the director must be to conceive of such elaborate murder methods.

What they saw, however, was a young, calm, and earnest face.

As the scene unfolded with the nurse breaking into the sealed room, Weinstein nodded subtly. This was indeed an excellent horror film, showcasing many of the best elements of traditional Hollywood horror while skillfully addressing the shortcomings of traditional slasher flicks.

Weinstein was well-versed in Hollywood-produced horror films, many of which followed the same tired formula of senseless bloodshed. This, of course, was driven by market demand, as the most accessible, widely distributed, and popular films were often these brainless killing sprees, especially the never-ending series like "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Friday the 13th," and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Even Miramax's flagship series, "Scream," could be categorized under this type.

Without a doubt, these traditional slasher films had their flaws, often creating a monstrous killer with a flimsy, twisted, or supernatural excuse, showcasing an array of extreme deaths as their main attraction.

The biggest problem this approach brought was audience fatigue, which directly contributed to the recent downturn in the traditional horror film market.

But this "Saw" film was different. Though it presented itself with violence and gore, it was rich in entertainment value, featuring traps, human darkness, confined spaces, the mystery of the true culprit, and more.

The filthy set, chilling traps, and bone-chilling torture scenes were all laden with intense horror. Skillfully employing flashbacks and flash-forwards to elucidate the intricacies of the plot, the narrative's interweaving complexity rivaled that of a top-tier detective novel. Beneath its B-movie facade lay a film of first-rate suspense, one that could be rewatched, savored, analyzed, and even empathized with.

It was an outstanding horror film.

Weinstein made his judgment, though his face remained calm. Such a horror film had indeed been rare in recent years, but was it really as exaggerated as Jones-Butler had claimed?

But in the next moment, he changed his mind.

The nurse wasn't the perpetrator. The corpse lying in the sealed room rose to its feet, hunched over and appearing frail and feeble, yet with eyes that were razor-sharp, as if they could see through the fabric of the world.

Then came the flashback cross-cutting, particularly the police's statement about the killer enjoying watching their handiwork up close, which caused many in the room to have a sudden realization.

Weinstein tightly gripped the armrest of his chair, a hint of surprise on his chubby face. Despite countless viewings, this ending was completely unexpected.

He couldn't help but glance back at the projector. In just a few months, that young director had made such remarkable progress, it was truly unbelievable.