Chapter 93: Psychopath

The warehouse used for filming was quite large, and the crew had only used less than half of the space for the set. The remaining space was mostly vacant, but now it was filled with many huge boxes. By the time Murphy brought everyone from the crew over, most of the boxes had already been opened by Paul Wilson and Jonah Hill, revealing countless brand-new syringes inside.

"This looks pretty scary," Jonah Hill kept scratching his head.

His only scene had been filmed a few days ago, but the chubby man had stayed with the crew to help out, saying that as long as the crew provided meals, he was happy to assist.

Murphy knew he was like many newcomers in Hollywood, not in great financial shape, so he didn't refuse his help. Besides, this chubby guy was quite strong and made for a good temporary mover.

Two interns walked in carrying some smaller boxes. Murphy called everyone over, took one of the small boxes from the interns, opened it, and took out a specially made rubber needle. "Our job today is to replace all the syringe needles with these."

These syringes would be used in the scenes featuring Amanda, played by Carey Mulligan. Of course, they couldn't use metal needles. Becker Clyburn had specially ordered rubber needles from a company. The needles were coated with a special gel on the outside, making them indistinguishable from metal ones.

The needles cost over ten thousand dollars, far more than the syringes themselves, which made Murphy abandon the idea of adding too many killing devices. Despite the lower personnel costs, they still needed to save on expenses to avoid exceeding the budget, which would be problematic.

For small crews like this one, the biggest advantage was the ability to wear many hats and do work beyond their primary roles. These unknown and inexperienced guys generally didn't refuse such tasks.

Nearly thirty people sat around the boxes, starting to replace the syringe needles with rubber ones. After finishing a box, the two nearest to each other would exchange boxes for a double-check to avoid any mistakes.

After that murder research meeting, Murphy had written various scenes using different killing devices, with the mechanisms becoming more ingenious. However, due to budget constraints, most had to be abandoned, which was somewhat regrettable.

Those who had studied this series knew that the intricate killing mechanisms were a key factor in its success.

The much-touted twisted logic of Jigsaw wasn't a major commercial selling point in such a film.

As a director, there should indeed be more pursuits, such as the film's meaning, philosophical thinking, and artistry. However, given Murphy's current situation, what he urgently needed was not these, but commercial success.

Like other directors, having enough commercial success as a foundation makes it more practical to consider those things in the next step.

"Look, in Murphy's script, the old man seems to be conveying a value of cherishing life," said Jonah Hill, the lively chubby guy, who was named part of the 'Despicable Trio' by Murphy after that drunken night. "This set of values seems very cool, giving people a chance at rebirth, feeling like a great judge, an omniscient and omnipotent god, but this doesn't cover up the fact that the old man is a total psycho!"

"I don't think so," James Franco threw a needle into the box. "Reverence, cherishing, gratitude, integrity, these thoughts themselves aren't wrong..."

"But can a normal person do what the old man did?" Jonah Hill interrupted James Franco. "Would you dare to do it? No! Because it's inhumane, not something a normal person should do."

Seth Rogen adjusted his glasses and nodded in agreement, "Calling the old man a psycho is completely accurate. Who gave him the right to test others? Maybe they made mistakes, but everyone is equal in terms of personality. You don't have the right to do anything to them against their will. That's why we need morality and laws."

He turned to James Franco and said mercilessly, "You think you understand the old man's values, but honestly, you're just pretending."

"You two..." James Franco pointed at them, defending himself, "When did I agree with his values? I just think Jigsaw is a psychopath with logic, depth, and taste!"

After a few more verbal jabs at the two, he turned to Murphy and asked, "You're the screenwriter, how do you evaluate Jigsaw?"

"Imposing your values on others is inherently psychopathic," Murphy said without looking up as he continued installing the needles. "The greatest arrogance, ignorance, and stupidity of man is thinking oneself to be a god."

"Yeah, you're the best at pretending!"

Murphy was met with three highly raised middle fingers.

Such discussions were common among those who had watched the series. At first glance, the bloody scenes and terrifying games in "Saw" made one think the designer of these games was a bit of a psycho. However, as the plot developed and the original intention behind the design was revealed, some people's views might change, finding this behavior reasonable.

But some people, deeply impressed by the bloody scenes and uncomfortable with some game setups, held onto their initial impression, finding it hard to change. They insisted that the old man was a psycho, while those who supported him felt it was because they hadn't understood his motives and objectives deeply enough and had only seen the blood and violence, claiming they didn't truly get the movie.

This is also part of the film's charm.

After nearly thirty people worked all afternoon, they finally replaced all the needles. Murphy had Paul Wilson and Jonah Hill, along with three interns, carefully check again to ensure no metal needles remained.

Realistically, if an actor got pricked by a real needle, as long as there was no complaint to the actors' union, some compensation would resolve it. But since the role was played by Carey Mulligan, Murphy didn't want to see this girl get hurt during filming.

After much preparation, the densely packed syringes were placed in a narrow metal tunnel. Even knowing the needles were made of rubber, the metallic sheen still made one's scalp tingle.

Especially for those with sharp object phobias, seeing these would surely make them faint.

Once Carey Mulligan finished her makeup, the filming of this crucial scene was about to begin.