Chapter 349: The Movie Begins

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: The Movie Begins

Soon, the promotion for Saw began to expand from online to offline. Thanks to the outstanding reputation of the horror game, many people who hadn’t even played it had gradually heard the name of this movie through other channels.

October 30, 2003. While many regions had already begun to enter the prologue of winter, the temperature in Los Angeles remained quite high.

Outside a small art house cinema in Hollywood, the area was bustling and steaming with energy.

The premiere poster for Saw was posted in the most prominent position at the cinema entrance. Against a dark background, the red gear pattern was identical to the logo in the game, and the slogan below, "Jigsaw’s Trial, The Screen Opens," instantly evoked shared memories among the audience.

There was no red carpet at the cinema entrance, no throng of A-list stars, and even the media area had very few cameras. After all, this was just an independent horror film with a budget that had barely exceeded one million dollars. There weren’t enough funds to support a grand spectacle.

But this did not affect the atmosphere at the scene in the slightest. The nearly 300-seat cinema was packed, and the corridors were crowded with viewers who had heard the news. The vast majority of them carried the same label: "Jigsaw’s Trial" game players.

William was wearing a black jacket, clutching the premiere ticket he had earned by beating the game, his face unable to hide his excitement.

Standing beside him was his good friend Tom, a guy equally obsessed with horror themes, who was currently standing on tiptoe to peer inside the cinema, his tone jubilant:

"Oh my god, I still can’t believe it! We actually got tickets to the premiere! This is my first time attending a movie premiere! You and I pulled three all-nighters just to crack the password for the last level of that game. Thinking about it now still feels thrilling!"

"Remember when we got stuck on the ’Jigsaw Token’ collection stage?" William smiled and patted his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"That metal badge hidden in the air vent. If you hadn’t thought of using the audio frequency from the game to crack the mechanism, we never would have gotten the clearance token. Now we can finally see the movie plot corresponding to these clues. I bet that badge is a key prop for Jigsaw in the movie!"

Tom nodded repeatedly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the phone in his pocket. The screen wallpaper was a screenshot of the movie clip unlocked upon beating the game.

"Do you think the secret room in the movie will be exactly the same as the abandoned hospital in the game? I absolutely love that oppressive atmosphere in the game, with the emergency lights flickering on and off, every step making me fear triggering a jump scare. I hope the movie can recreate that immersive sense of horror."

"It definitely will!" William said with conviction. "The sound effects and scene design in the game are so professional. Since Director James Wan was able to control the details of the game so well, the movie certainly won’t be bad.

Do you remember that fuzzy whisper in the game? The one we heard after amplifying it with audio software. ’Make your choice.’ I bet that’s absolutely the core line of the movie. Maybe it’s what Jigsaw says when setting traps for the protagonists."

As the two were chatting, a burst of heated discussion came from nearby.

A few girls were gathered together, holding printed maps of the game’s foreshadowing analysis, discussing excitedly:

"Look, the password ’7319’ in the game. I bet there’s actually a secret room numbered 7319 in the movie, and all the trials happen there!" "And that toolbox, the prop in the game is exactly the same as in the movie clip. It might contain the key clue to solving the trap!"

William listened in, his anticipation growing even stronger.

He looked around and found that most of the audience were young people of similar age to him. Many were discussing their puzzle-solving experiences in the game and sharing the Easter eggs they had discovered.

Some held signs that read "Jigsaw, I’m ready," some wore T-shirts with red gear patterns, and others were exchanging answers to the game’s puzzles, as if it were an offline gathering exclusively for players.

"I didn’t expect this movie to have such high attention," Tom remarked. "My roommate isn’t a horror fan and hasn’t played the game, but he saw the foreshadowing analysis post we shared on Facebook last week, and now he’s actually come to the premiere with me, saying he wants to see just how amazing this ’movie made popular by a game’ really is."

William smiled, feeling the same way: "There are many people around me who were recommended by friends, too. The game’s reputation is just too good. Not only are we core players discussing it, but even ordinary netizens are sharing related topics. Right now, the search volume for Saw on Google is still rising. Many people who haven’t played the game are paying attention to this movie out of curiosity."

Just then, the cinema lights suddenly dimmed, and the venue instantly quieted down, leaving only scattered whispers.

Robert Smith walked onto the stage. He was wearing a simple black suit with a gentle smile on his face. He picked up the microphone and said,

"Welcome everyone to the global premiere of Saw. First, I want to thank all the players who participated in the ’Jigsaw’s Trial’ game. It is your enthusiasm and support that allowed this movie to be seen by more people."

Warm applause immediately erupted from the audience. William and Tom also clapped vigorously, their palms turning red.

"This movie is the painstaking work of Director James Wan. It tells the story of a secret room trial concerning human nature and choice," Robert continued.

"I hope that during the viewing process, everyone can feel the tension and excitement we wanted to convey, and also find those familiar shadows from the game within the plot. Now, let us enter the world of Jigsaw together."

As he finished speaking, the cinema screen lit up. The familiar red gear pattern appeared again, accompanied by the iconic sound of mechanical friction from the game, and the main feature of Saw officially began.

William gripped Tom’s hand tightly, leaning forward slightly, his eyes fixed intently on the screen. The moment he had waited three months for had finally arrived.

This horror carnival that started on Facebook was about to reach its final climax on the big screen.

And Irene Coppola, who had come up with this unique promotional method, was staring at the monitor with furrowed brows.

The filming of the final battle had entered its most critical stage.

The heavy rain effect simulated by the hydraulic devices was excellent, and with the constantly tilting ship, if you didn’t look at the green screen, it felt as if everyone was drifting on the sea. The visuals were very realistic.

In fact, all the actors had indeed been soaking in this artificial heavy rain for a week.

"Very good, that take is a wrap! 10-minute break on set, make sure not to wander off," she ordered in a deep voice into the walkie-talkie.

Upon hearing the instruction, the actors immediately relaxed. They warmed themselves or drank water. In such a high-pressure environment, even getting a cold became a luxury, so everyone’s thermos was filled with a thick ginger soup that Irene Coppola had ordered to be brought back from the East, and Irene Coppola herself was no exception.

Since starting the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean until now, the amount of ginger soup she had drunk had unknowingly become much more than in her previous life.

Although the taste was choking, the effect was truly first-rate. Having been soaked in the "heavy rain" for a week straight, the number of people in the entire crew who had caught a cold could be counted on one hand.