Chapter 60

Request for recommendation votes!

In the silent cinema, with fewer than twenty pairs of eyes focused on the screen, the door of the screening room was suddenly pushed open from the outside. A man with messy hair and glasses walked in. Seeing the many disapproving gazes from the audience, he quickly gave an embarrassed smile and found a seat at the back.

Just as the movie was about to start, similar to Jones-Butler in the middle, this man also took out a pen and notebook. His name was Tony-Guzman, also a professional film reviewer, from Fox Searchlight.

Unlike the first three who were invited by Bill Rossis, Tony-Guzman had casually wandered over here, seeing a movie about to start and decided to come in on a whim.

In fact, before each film festival, most of the quality-assured films are usually selected by the organizing committee and scheduled for screening in more prominent theaters and times. Most of the professional buyers from major companies focus on that area.

However, among the overlooked films, there are also high-profit films, such as "The Blair Witch Project," which was initially discovered by Lionsgate during a roadside screening.

Everyone knows that the Park City theater district is more likely to have good films, and the companies and buyers who go there to watch films face more intense competition. There are also many people like Tony-Guzman who wander around, looking for projects in remote locations.

Before the screening began, Tony-Guzman specifically looked ahead to confirm that there weren't many colleagues. In such a remote cinema, the films being screened are usually those with a budget of no more than $300,000, and they wouldn't attract many people.

Sure enough, the opening of the film only used dry subtitles to indicate that the production company was Stanton Film Studio, without even a title image...

Stanton Studio? Tony-Guzman, who prided himself on his broad knowledge, had never heard of such a film company.

It seemed to be one of those unremarkable sparrow companies in Los Angeles. The director's name that followed confirmed this: Murphy-Stanton. Who knew who he was...

Tony-Guzman couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, leaning back completely in his seat, planning to just watch the beginning. If it wasn't engaging, there was no need to waste more time.

The subtitles flashed by in just a few seconds, and a black-and-white image appeared on the screen. The camera seemed to be a bit shaky. A female audience member in front of Murphy suddenly muttered, "Damn, this crap again."

"Shh..." Her male companion made a gesture to be quiet, "Daisy, be quiet."

The young girl named Daisy still complained, "After 'The Blair Witch Project,' a lot of weird films have appeared. Handheld shooting, shaky camera, first-person perspective, it's so annoying and makes me want to vomit!"

"Can't you just make a decent film!" she continued, "Can't you let people watch a decent film!"

Murphy turned his head to look at her, understanding that this was the negative effect of 'The Blair Witch Project.' The marketing campaign over a year ago was brilliant but also quickly exhausted the market. Audiences who had been fooled once were naturally more critical and resentful of similar films. Unfortunately, the North American film industry is prone to following trends, and many tried to replicate this success, but it backfired, making it even harder for similar films to succeed and further exhausting the market.

However, the girl quickly quieted down under her companion's persuasion.

Seeing the black-and-white image and the shaky camera, Jones-Butler secretly shook her head, thinking it was another imitation of 'The Blair Witch Project.' As a professional buyer from Miramax, she had a good understanding of the market and knew that such films currently had little value.

But the camera only shook a few times before stabilizing. A large hand covered the lens, seemingly placing the camera on a stand. At the same time, a faint, pitiful woman's cry could be heard, not loud but very tragic, as if she were undergoing inhuman torture.

"Uh..." Daisy's mouth opened slightly, "What's happening?"

The large hand turned the camera, and Daisy immediately covered her mouth, muttering, "Oh, my..."

In the black-and-white image, a girl lay on the ground, her face upturned, covered in bruises, her eyebrows split, her mouth swollen, her skin torn, her long hair disheveled, and drops of blood trickled onto the grass...

Despite the black-and-white image, the sight was still shocking, especially since the girl looked to be only thirteen or fourteen, in the prime of her youth. Why had she become like this?

The answer soon appeared. The large hand reappeared in the frame, clenching into a fist and striking down. A gray figure appeared, but cleverly did not completely block the lens. The screen clearly showed the fist hitting the girl's nose.

Fluid splattered, and the girl's head snapped back as if hit by a car, clearly showing the force of the punch.

Violence... raw violence! Jones-Butler made a note in her notebook.

"You are so proud, thinking you are so great..."

A maniacal voice spoke, the gray figure turning to face the camera, "I like girls your age. I tried everything to win your affection, but you rejected me. This is your punishment!"

In just one sentence, he revealed his identity and character—perverted, extreme, and a pedophile!

His words were vicious, yet his glasses-wearing face appeared gentle and kind, creating a strange contrast on the screen.

"The acting is good, and the makeup is excellent..." Tony-Guzman propped his chin up, "The director's use of the camera is also very skillful, capturing this contrast between appearance and inner nature. The camera can't make any mistakes."

The violent adult man and the pitiful young girl, one intent on punishment and the other pleading for mercy, created a strong contrast and drove the conflict in the opening scene.

Watching the film, Daisy instinctively took the girl's side, hoping for a savior to appear and save the girl who was under the shadow of death.

However, a sharp wallpaper knife shattered her hope. The man walked up to the girl, grabbed her long hair, and placed the blade against her seemingly pristine throat.

"Please..." The girl's plea was unbearable to watch.

The man made a slicing motion, and the screen went black...

Murphy exhaled. The throat-cutting scene had been cut during the fine editing, done by him and Griffith. Although it was a black-and-white shot, it was hard to say that the MPAA wouldn't give it an NC-17 rating.

The screen lit up again, and the image turned to color. It was still the same man, now sitting in front of a computer. The camera slowly moved up, finally showing a close-up of the screen, which displayed an online chat.

Seeing the chat, Daisy's heart raced. Was another girl about to suffer a terrible fate?

Jones-Butler, however, turned to look at Murphy. This guy clearly knew how to control the pace and stir the audience's emotions.