Chapter 124: I Choose Life

Not only was the operations manager flattering this unassuming middle-aged man, but the duty manager of the theater also rushed over upon hearing the news. Kevin Harland also joined in, greeting him with a smile. Although the middle-aged man merely nodded slightly, Kevin felt very honored.

Watching the man leave the theater, Kevin Harland sighed, thinking if he could achieve just a third of that man's success in his lifetime, he would be very satisfied.

The middle-aged man named Mintz left the theater, and a car immediately drove up and stopped in front of him. He opened the door, got in, gestured for the driver to start driving, then pulled out his phone and made a call.

"You've overlooked a film!" he said sternly. "Starting tomorrow, immediately conduct a market survey on 'Saw.' Also, establish a profile on Murphy Stanton. From now on, all his films should be monitored by CinemaScore!"

After hanging up, Mintz made several more calls, repeatedly mentioning "Saw" and "Murphy Stanton," as if he and his professional company had made a significant oversight regarding these two.

His name was Ed Mintz, the founder of the renowned CinemaScore company!

This is considered the most authoritative film market analysis institution in all of Hollywood and even all of North America. Ed Mintz's surveys and analyses don't involve the artistic aspects or other professional ratings of films; they focus solely on the market.

Ordinary moviegoers and even seasoned fans might be unfamiliar with the name Ed Mintz, but industry professionals know well the capabilities of him and his company.

He never attends any premieres, and his name never appears on Hollywood power lists, but over the past few years, he has made a tremendous contribution to the Hollywood film industry—CinemaScore, the market research company he founded, has provided invaluable box office reference information to the entire industry.

Unlike professional critics or the media, CinemaScore is completely market-oriented. Surveys are often conducted immediately after viewers watch a film, and the ratings based on these audience responses are the best real-time market data.

CinemaScore's ratings are easy to understand: A means success, B means okay, satisfactory, and C is bad news, indicating an impending box office disaster. Newly released films rarely receive a C rating or lower; if they do, it usually means the film shouldn't have been released in theaters at all.

Despite being nearly sixty, Ed Mintz had no intention of retiring. He maintained the good habit of personally going to theaters to watch movies and experiencing the frontline market. Besides watching many mainstream commercial blockbusters, he also chose to watch some low-budget films.

Mainstream commercial blockbusters have significant investments and plenty of audiences. Even if CinemaScore releases accurate data predictions, it doesn't attract much attention. However, if a small-budget film gains recognition and CinemaScore makes a suitable market prediction, resulting in a box office explosion, it highlights CinemaScore's expertise.

Ed Mintz had accurately predicted that "The Blair Witch Project" could gross over $100 million in North America. At the time, everyone thought that if such a poor-quality film made $50 million, it would be a miracle. The result surprised everyone, and Ed Mintz proved CinemaScore's prowess.

A few nights ago, he saw a late-night trailer for "Saw" and found it interesting, so he made time to watch it tonight.

"It was definitely worth the trip!" he muttered to himself in the backseat. "If a film like this, with the right marketing, doesn't achieve good results, it would only mean the tastes of North American horror fans have undergone a 180-degree shift."

Unlike ordinary viewers, Ed Mintz paid attention to the director's name from the beginning. Not recognizing it and having no impression of it, he thought he might have been misled by the trailer and that it was just a low-quality B-movie. But after watching it, he was thoroughly impressed.

"The director's plot design can trigger the audience's imagination, imagining what would happen if they were in the characters' shoes," he recalled and pondered. "This unknown element stimulates viewers' interest. Not knowing where they are or what will happen, everything is out of control. That's the scariest part."

Ed Mintz nodded, highly approving of the film. That director, Murphy Stanton, had made a breakthrough. Compared to traditional suspense horror films, he excelled in engaging the audience's interaction and participation.

"Murphy Stanton..." he repeated the name.

This unknown director was incredibly smart, using inner fears and the ruthless satire of human nature to guide the audience into self-examination, thus evoking deep-seated chills!

It was an exquisite narrative and a masterful creation of a terrifying atmosphere, unseen in the last five or six years!

Ed Mintz believed this wasn't a simple rookie director, as evident from the film's narrative technique.

The impressive cross-cutting was one thing, but the seamless combination of flashbacks and chronological storytelling was exceptionally well done.

Using flashbacks, Murphy Stanton skillfully intertwined the timelines of the police, the criminal, and the protagonist, making the plot tighter and more gripping! Especially the battle of wits between the police and the criminal, moving from scenes to clues to reasoning and validation, kept viewers glued to the screen.

Even Ed Mintz felt the tension rise as if he were there.

Sitting in the car, Ed Mintz couldn't stop thinking about the film.

The characters seemed unrelated in their daily lives but were so similar under specific conditions! When the mystery was revealed, who was undergoing the psychological interrogation—the characters or the viewers?

He shook his head. This was the director's brilliance, using extreme human interrogation to give Jigsaw a so-called mission, making his character appear strangely sacred.

"Faced with life and death, what is your choice? Life or death?"

For some reason, Ed Mintz recalled this question. At first glance, it seemed redundant, but what if additional conditions were attached? If it were a matter of life and death for you or someone else? Human selfishness crumbles at this moment, and perhaps only a twisted mind could come up with such a soul-stirring theme...

"Murphy Stanton..." he whispered the name again.

From the 1970s to now, he had seen countless movies, including many horror films, and was used to predictable last scares like Alien resurrection, Godzilla laying eggs, and random killers. But the ending of this film was as surprising as "The Sixth Sense" two years ago. It left such a deep impression that he couldn't stop thinking about it and couldn't rest.

Of course, the film had its flaws.

For instance, the victims' backgrounds should have been more detailed to help viewers understand the ending. While the ending was unexpected and logically explained, it lacked sufficient buildup, revealing the twist too hastily. The actors' performances were too rigid and formulaic, lacking a standout. The plot was too tight, with no emotional buffer, keeping the audience's nerves on edge for ninety minutes, which could lead to fatigue...

Thinking of this, Ed Mintz laughed at himself. He had never heard of Murphy Stanton before, probably a new director. Why was he being so demanding? The director wasn't Sam Raimi or Ridley Scott. Despite its flaws, the film was definitely a masterpiece!

In fact, if marketed well, it could become a classic in the horror genre.

As the car neared an estate on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Ed Mintz's phone suddenly rang. Seeing the number, he frowned slightly.

He answered the call. "What is it so late?"

"BOSS..." The voice on the other end was one of his subordinates. "I've set up the personnel as you instructed, but the film is only showing in thirty theaters this weekend, and a consulting firm is already collecting audience feedback."

Ed Mintz asked, "Do you have their data?"

"A little, but it's not very accurate," the subordinate said succinctly. "Today's data shows an audience approval rate close to ninety percent!"

"Hmm," Ed Mintz nodded, not surprised. "Don't worry about what they're doing. Start our work tomorrow!"

The car drove into the estate. Ed Mintz returned to his room, quickly washed up, and prepared for bed. But as he lay down, he couldn't sleep, his mind filled with the image of Jigsaw standing up. Despite previously thinking the buildup was insufficient, the unexpected effect left such a deep impression that it seemed etched in his mind, impossible to erase.

On the West Coast, it wasn't yet midnight, but on the East Coast in New York, it was already late at night. In Louis-Gonzalez's bedroom, all was quiet until he suddenly sat up, shouting and thrashing.

"I choose life! I don't want to die!" He flailed his arms wildly. "Don't strap me down, I don't want my joints dislocated! Don't push me in, I have trypanophobia, those needles will kill me..."

"Ah..." he let out a wail.

The wail finally woke his wife. She turned on the bedside lamp, looked at him, and smacked him on the back. Louis-Gonzalez shivered.

"Ah..." he was still shouting unconsciously but had opened his eyes.

Seeing his wife's familiar face, Louis-Gonzalez realized he had had a nightmare. He quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a smile.

"Go back to sleep!" His wife turned over and lay down.

Louis-Gonzalez, however, couldn't sleep until dawn.

The sun rises later on the West Coast than on the East Coast. Early in the morning, Murphy arrived at Fox Searchlight. According to their agreement, there was a meeting every morning during the preview period to report on the situation and make necessary adjustments.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT