Chapter 25 Chapter 25: I’ve Found It
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
August came abruptly. Wang Yang had been living in simple reclusion for the past one and a half months. Day after day, he would log on to his computer and promote his film.
After two months of continuous effort, their viral marketing campaign had shown its full effect and even started to take on a life of its own. Discussions relating to “Kevin’s Murder” were mushrooming on every single online forum, even when Lionsgate’s staff weren’t fanning the flames with their posts and threads. As word of the movie spread from tens to hundreds to thousands of people, rumors formed. Speculations abounded. Stories were told, embellished, and told again. Burdened with traffic, the official website of Paranormal Activity eventually crashed. Lionsgate had no option but to swap out their official website servers for new ones.
Even the web portals were abuzz with reports of the strange internet phenomenon. Featured prominently on Yahoo was the headline: “A Movie Adapted from a Real-Life Case of Demonic Possession?” Thankfully, Yahoo’s coverage of the recent online sensation was, at best, superficial. It merely recounted the rumors, and there was no indication of them digging deeper into the matter. After all, no one was the wiser. Even in the grand scheme of internet history, the viral marketing tactic employed for Paranormal Activity was considered a revelation, let alone in the world of cinema.
Yahoo’s news report was a welcoming sight to Wang Yang and Lionsgate Films. After all, who wouldn’t want a cost-free and effective form of advertisement?!
Ever since the news report had been published, traffic at the movie’s official website had spiked exponentially. Posts spawned all over the internet, from online communities to web forums. People, hungry for truth, had begun to question if the whole incident was real or just a sham. The market had spoken—the time was ripe for the movie to be released. Should they have missed the boat, everything they’d done up until then would have been in vain. Once the media had begun to investigate the matter, the truth would’ve been out in no time. And when that happened, the once-curious audience would’ve naturally lost interest and forgone seeing the movie.
Meanwhile, all the groundwork had been laid for Paranormal Activity’s release. Just a month ago, the movie had passed MPAA’s ratings evaluation. As Wang Yang had predicted, it was classified as PG-13. And just a few days ago, Lionsgate had finished copying his movie onto 25 reels of film, which were then sent out to 25 theaters across 5 cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The first day of Paranormal Activity’s test screening finally came. Since they did not intend to publicize the movie’s director or its actors, the premiere ceremony had been naturally omitted (it was more of a blockbuster thing). The movie was scheduled to screen at midnight and run until 2 a.m. Although the time slot couldn’t have been more apt for a horror movie, it was also the time when people would have been going to sleep, especially during the summer holidays. By then, moviegoers would empty their pockets and have their fill of entertainment for the evening, and very few would stay back for the graveyard slot.
Sure, the timing of the schedule could have been better. Then again, the screening had been organized with a very specific audience in mind, namely the curious who’d been hooked by the online marketing propaganda. They would go to the theaters just to see the movie, whether it was screened during the day or night. Therefore, Wang Yang had no concerns regarding the screening schedule. He wasn’t pinning his hopes on the uninitiated or the casual moviegoer, anyway.
Although there was no official ceremony for his movie’s premiere, that didn’t mean Wang Yang couldn’t have his own little celebration. At that time, he and Jessica were in a car on their way to the movie theater.
On that day, Wang Yang wore a brand-new, black attire that made him look more mature than usual. Combined with his tall, robust physique, he looked overwhelming. Jessica, dressed for the occasion, was equally stunning. Her flowing, auburn hair and her vividly beautiful face that somehow managed to be sweet and alluring at the same time gave her a youthful charm that few could resist.
Sitting in her Ford Focus with her hands firmly on the steering wheel, Jessica kept her eyes on the road ahead. Wang Yang was sitting in the passenger seat beside her, listening to a relaxing song on the radio. Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed. He paused the music, took out his cell phone, and saw who was calling him. “It’s Rachel,” he said, looking sidelong at Jessica with a smile.
Barely grazing his eyes with hers, Jessica said, “Oh, please send my regards to her.”
Wang Yang nodded and answered the call with a smile. “Hi, Rachel!” he said happily. “Jessica and I are heading to the theater. She wants me to send you her regards!” Then, he held the phone to Jessica’s lips. Jessica smiled and said, “Hi, Rachel. Good evening.”
“Good evening, Jessica,” said Rachel over the phone, giggling as usual.
After the girls had exchanged their greetings, Wang Yang held the cell phone back to his ear. Looking outside the car window at the dazzling city lights, he said excitedly, “We’re on our way to the cinema to watch Paranormal Activity. I’m so pumped!” he laughed.
“That sounds awesome,” Rachel replied to Wang Yang’s comment flatly. Then, suddenly, in a manner that Wang Yang thought to be half-joking, she asked, “Is it just you and Jessica going to the movies? Wow! Yang, don’t tell me you two are dating?”
“No, haha!” Still smiling, Wang Yang’s eyes jumped unconsciously to Jessica. Unable to hear their conversation, Jessica grimaced and said, “Are you guys talking about me?” Wang Yang looked at her, shrugged, then went on to explain his situation to Rachel. “You know, Zachary is in the same boat as you; he can’t go to the theaters. And Joshua had to go to another theater to see how things are going over there. So there’s that.”
The fact was, Joshua wanted very much to join them at the theater, but Jessica had banished his idea to oblivion before anything could come out of it. Consequently, Joshua had been relegated to another cinema. It was the premiere of Wang Yang’s first movie, and Jessica had intended to share the momentous occasion with him alone. Bringing her pesky little brother Joshua along was definitely not part of her plan. But now that she had Wang Yang all to herself in the car, hearing his conversation with Rachel filled her with terrible premonition. Why would Wang Yang need to explain all this to Rachel?
Without preamble, Rachel heaved a sigh of disappointment and said over the phone, “Yang, I really wish I could fly to Los Angeles and watch Paranormal Activity in a theater. But here I am at York University, all cooped up as you guys wanted. What a drag!” At once, she huffed out an “Oh, God” in a slightly exasperated tone and apologized, “I’m sorry, Yang. I’m just feeling a little on edge. The movie that I starred in is about to premiere, yet I can’t go and see it. I envy you, to be honest. I bet it’ll be an unforgettable experience.”
“Yeah, I’m really sorry, Rachel.” Wang Yang apologized sincerely. From Rachel’s tone, he could tell she was very unhappy. He’d never heard such a passionate rush of feelings from Rachel. As it turned out, despite her ordinarily gentle demeanor, her tendency for smiles, and her sweet, dimpled face, she wasn’t without her temper.
If he had had his way, Rachel would have come to Los Angeles and watched the movie with him and all their friends. However, Lionsgate had expressly prohibited her from doing so. What if someone in the theater recognized Rachel? Disguise herself with a hat, a pair of shades, and a face mask? Wouldn’t that attract even more attention? In order to ensure nothing went wrong during the movie’s test screening, Lionsgate decided it was best to err on the side of caution.
All Wang Yang could do was smile and console her. “But, sooner or later, you’ll get to watch it, Rachel. It’s coming to Toronto soon, I think.”
“No, I’ll come to Los Angeles and watch it.” In her returning placidity, Rachel’s voice softened. She said, smiling, “All right, I’ll leave you two to it. Since I have no movies to watch, I may as well go to bed. Goodnight!”
“All right. Goodnight, Rachel.” Wang Yang ended the call and breathed a small sigh of relief. Then, he looked sidelong at Rachel and lamented, “Rachel’s a little upset. She’d been looking forward to seeing herself on the big screen. But now…” Feeling a pang-like regret, he shook his head and said, “If only we could have all watched it together. Rachel, Zachary, everyone. Wouldn’t that have been swell, Jessica?”
“Yeah.” Jessica gave a faint nod. Sure, it’d have been swell if everyone were to have watched it together. But it’d also have been swell, if not more so if it were just the two of them watching. She felt sorry, happy, and thrilled all at once: sorry because she understood Rachel’s frustration and sympathized with her; and happy and thrilled because she could go to the premiere with Wang Yang and witness such a pivotal moment with him.
She had witnessed Wang Yang’s entire journey to success. Ever since they’d been little, she’d been hearing Wang Yang talk about how he wanted to become a director and make films when he grew up; after they had been reacquainted, she saw Wang Yang’s gumption to get up and get things done—from writing the script, to planning, to shooting, to finding a publisher, up until that day, when his film would finally see the light of day. Every step of the way, she was there bearing witness. She’d seen the blood, sweat, and tears. She’d seen the joys and triumphs. She’d seen it all, and it made her feel happy for him.
As Jessica’s recounted their adventure, her eyes wandered to Wang Yang. Her heart was a weak mush trying to pick up the pace. Unlike most guys his age, Wang Yang was not childish. He thought wisely and acted maturely. He dreamed big, never gave up despite challenges, did many things well, yet was cheerful and amusing. He was head-and-shoulders above boot-lickers, a*s-kissers, prima-donnas, blowhards, and Jack Franks. He was God among men. He was cool. And he was about to become the youngest director ever to release a film…
“Hey, Jessica, what’s on your mind?” She rattled her head and her thoughts scattered. She shifted her focus back on her driving.
The place they were heading to was a cinema called “The Vitascope”. It was also the place where they had found each other and become reacquainted. Due to the cinema’s strategic location downtown and its proximity to USC and several other high schools, it had been shortlisted by Lionsgate as one of the potential venues for screening the movie. After that, Wang Yang had selected it as one of the 25 cinemas where his movie would be test screened.
They pulled up at the parking lot in Jessica’s Ford Focus and made their way to The Vitascope cinema. By that time, it was almost midnight. Although the lights shone brightly all around them, there were hardly any customers left at the cinema’s ticket office.
Jessica’s face flashed with delight when she spotted Paranormal Activity among the slew of posters that hung on the ticket office’s wall. She waved enthusiastically at Wang Yang and bellowed for him to come over. “Yang, come quick! Look, it’s Paranormal Activity’s poster!”
“Wow! Really?” Wang Yang hurried over. And there it was on the wall—a poster of Paranormal Activity. The poster had a simple design. In the middle was a picture of a bedroom—his apartment bedroom—shrouded in a darkness that extended throughout the poster. Set against the dark background were advertising copies: “Ever wonder what goes on when you’re asleep?””Demonic possession murder case. View with caution!” Besides that, there was also a Lionsgate logo and other corporate trademarks, but no information about the filmmaker or the actors.
“This is beautiful…” Wang Yang said as he reached out his hand and gently caressed the poster on the wall. Standing beside him, Jessica observed him with tender, loving eyes and smiled.
Though the poster, crammed into a corner at minimal cost, was inconspicuous, it had Wang Yang quaking with excitement all the same. His very own movie poster, hanging on the wall of a cinema! Clenching his fists with enthusiasm, he said to Jessica smilingly, “Come on, let’s go inside!” Jessica nodded.
“Hi, I’d like to buy two tickets for Paranormal Activity, please!” Wang Yang said to the ticket seller across the glass pane at the counter, still smiling and in good spirits. As the portly, middle-aged, white gentleman prepared his ticket, Wang Yang took the opportunity to scuttlebutt. “Hey, dude, how’s the movie selling? Did many people come to watch it?” That remark piqued Jessica’s interest as well. She peered eagerly at the portly ticket seller, looking questioning.
Indolently, the portly ticket seller produced two movie tickets and handed them to Wang Yang. “Oh, this movie? Relax, son. There are plenty of seats left in the theater,” he said in a monotonous drawl. But as soon as he clapped his eyes on Jessica, his eyebrows went up. Instantly, his face changed from apathetic to sunny. “You lucky b*stard. But remember, no horseplay,” he said to Wang Yang with a wink.
Wang Yang and Jessica stood stunned a minute. Then, Jessica stormed off, appalled and somewhat mortified. Wang Yang rolled his eyes at the ticket seller. For a moment, he seemed to grope for words. He pulled out two 10-dollar notes, plunked them on the counter without saying a word, and followed Jessica into Theater No. 2.
The theater was dark and hollow with hardly a soul in sight. Attendance was abysmal, and those who did show up sat far between one another. Just as they were told, there were plenty of seats left—at ten minutes until showtime, no less. Sales weren’t looking too great for this particular screening.
“Yang, it’s okay. There are 25 cinemas. Who knows, this might be the only one with such a small audience.” Jessica comforted Wang Yang with her well-meaning words as they stood at the back of the theater.
Wang Yang gave her a look that meant “don’t worry”, and said, “I’m all right, Jessica. There’s no need to worry about me. To be honest, I kind of knew it’d turn out this way. I’m happy as long as someone showed up to watch it. The most important thing is that those who came to see the movie will recommend it to their friends. It’s the publicity that counts.” Shrugging and appearing cheerful, he said, “You see, someone has to take the first step and bite the crab. Once they’ve tasted it, other people will know how good crab tastes. The key of this screening is to scare their pants off. The more freaked out they are, the more likely they are to urge their friends and family to see the movie. That’s people for you. Once they get spooked, they wish others would get spooked the same, so that they can laugh at one another and say, ‘look at you, you look so funny when you’re scared!’”
The movie screenings marked a departure from the viral marketing tactic which had worked so well. Whether or not the screenings would be equally effective depended on the movie’s ability to shock and terrify the first batch of viewers.
Jessica nodded. She recalled how scared she’d been when she’d seen the movie for the first time. And, as Wang Yang had said, she couldn’t wait for Erin and her other friends to watch the movie so she could see their silly, frightened reactions. Surveying the sparse audience in the seats below, she smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be positively horrified!”
The theater, which could hold 500 people, seemed extremely empty that night. Seating was on a first-come, first-served basis, and they had plenty of choices. After looking around, they went back to the very same spots they had sat in when they got reacquainted. As they leaned back in their seats, Wang Yang was hit with a sudden, burning curiosity. He asked Jessica, “Say, do you remember the day we met? It’s such a huge theater, yet somehow, we ended up sitting next to each other. Wow, what a miracle! Jessica, why did you choose this spot?”
Shaking her head at Wang Yang, Jessica said, “I don’t know. Out of habit, I guess. I always sit in a similar spot whenever I go to a movie theater.” Wang Yang gave her a big thumbs-up and complimented her. “You have good taste. This is the best place to sit in a movie theater!” Jessica nodded and said, “I think so, too.”
Nevertheless, some details tended to fall apart in memory. For instance, neither of them remembered how Wang Yang used to tell Jessica when they were little, “Do you know where’s the best place to sit in a movie theater? Hah, I bet you don’t. Let me tell you…”
They fell into a conversation, and before they knew it, it was nearly 12 a.m. and the midnight screening was about to begin. The theater was still as vacant and hollow as when they had first entered it, and the audience was still as sparse. The occupancy of the seats could not have been more than 10 percent.
Silence settled like dust as the audience turned their attention toward the big screen in front. At that moment, the entire theater was completely quiet. The Lionsgate logo appeared on the big screen for a few seconds, followed by pitch blackness. Then, Kevin, played by Zachary, came into focus, apparently filming himself. Smiling at the camera, he said, “Hi everyone. I’m Kevin! And this is our new home!” The movie had not been edited at all. It was the same version that Wang Yang had used back when he’d been courting publishers.
On the big screen, Kevin was touring his apartment with his DV camcorder held in one hand. He captured every part of his and Mae’s new home, cheerfully giving introductions as he went from the bedroom to the kitchen and beyond.
“Ugh!” Suddenly, inside the dark theater, the audience made a hushed, startled gasp as the shot juddered violently during Kevin’s house tour. Not even the big screen could obscure the DV camcorder’s cruddy image quality. As the camera swayed back and forth, the big screen turned into a blurred, indiscernible mess of forms and colors.
For the first time in the evening, Wang Yang was nervous. Would his small audience find the juddery shots and the grainy picture quality unacceptable? As he mulled over the problem, he thought he heard a man’s voice coming from two or three rows behind him say, “Jesus! Has someone gone nuts? Ugh, they call this a movie? God, why does it look like that…” Then, he heard another voice say, “Dude, don’t you know? This movie is a collage of real-life DV footages. Kevin is actually dead…”
The movie played on. After 30 minutes or so, Wang Yang finally began to relax. Furtively, he heaved a sigh of relief. No one in the audience had left! The first half-hour was the biggest hurdle for any movie. Once the audience had watched past the 30-minute mark, they’d usually stay until the end of the movie. As time went by, the audience in the theater got more and more engrossed in the movie, to the point that not even a single comment was whispered among them. All that was heard were the occasional deep-breathing sounds and startled gasps.
Wang Yang surveyed the audience again. In hushed, happy tones, he reported sidelong to Jessica, “Hey, looks like it’s doing pretty well!” Equally delighted, Jessica replied, “Yeah, and it’s not even the best part yet. They’re in for a real scare.”
Towards the end, the movie became more and more unsettling for the audience. Their skins crawled when they saw Rachel stare into the mirror with her crazed expression, and their hearts nearly seized up when they saw a ghostly image flicker across the television screen in the living room. These elements of psychological horror worked wonders. They dragged the audience into the disturbed pits of their minds, prodded at their psyche, and put them through the wringer until they were teetering on the brink of breaking down.
Soon, the movie had reached its climax. Suddenly, there was a scream from Kevin. His desperate cries for help became weaker and weaker until his strength gave out. At that point, the audience was left staring at a vacant bedroom. The stillness was jarring. The entire theater was awash with hushed voices. Utterances of “Oh, my God’s” rose and fell in waves. Some members of the audience held their heads in their hands, some squirmed in their seats, others cowered unconsciously. Kevin’s screams had sent chills into the audience’s hearts, induced goosebumps on their skins, and caused their bodies to tremble uncontrollably.
The sound of footsteps became louder and louder. The scariest part of the movie was about to come. Everyone in the audience held their breaths in suspense as they listened to the sound of feet tapping on the corridor. Wang Yang felt nervous once again. That scene would make or break the movie…
The footsteps stopped. After a few seconds, Kevin’s body was flung into the room!
“Ah! Ah…” Abruptly, the entire theater was filled with bloodcurdling screams. There was complete pandemonium. The scene had hit the audience with such an impact that they lost control of their faculties. People burst out in high-pitched wails, fell backward from their seats, and dropped on the floor in muffled thuds, collapsing into tears. “Help, help!” Amid the chaos and the out-of-control screeching of the audience, sobs and cries for salvation were heard.
Watching the audience’s reaction and hearing their screams, Wang Yang clenched his fists. Tears welled up in his eyes. Wasn’t that what he’d always dreamed of? To set the world afire with his movies? At long last, he’d done it. The audience’s horrified faces and their screams of terror said it all. He’d done it! He’d fulfilled his dream!
“Yang, I’m so proud of you,” Jessica whispered to Wang Yang as she looked sidelong at him. Her hand went into her purse and brought out a tissue. Handing it to Wang Yang with a smile, she repeated what he’d said to her on the day they were reacquainted, “You might need one of these.”
“Thanks. Is this for last time?” Wang Yang accepted the tissue with a smile, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, and rubbed his nose, which had started to tingle. He looked around at the audience, still jumpy and unsettled by the movie, and said with a sense of pride and accomplishment, “Jessica, I’m so happy right now. All I can think of is, ‘Wow, this is awesome!’ Look at them. Hearing their screams tonight made all my hard work worth it. What’s a little frustration and setback anyway? Just look at their reactions. Isn’t this beautiful?”
In her gentle, affectionate voice, Jessica said, “I know, Yang. I know.” She looked back fondly upon Wang Yang’s journey up until that day. She fixed her eyes on Wang Yang’s and said, “Yang, this is what you’ve been searching for, ever since you were little.”
“Yes!” Wang Yang opened his arms wide as if he were embracing the cinema, smiled, and said with beatitude, “And now I’ve found it.”