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Chapter 159: The Final Decision
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 18:50:25 +0000 UTCThe crew's apology letter was brief, only mentioning the movie's name and the cause of the Puzzle Killer incident.
That video, in fact, came from the Saw crew's camera angle, where two criminals, scared to tears, were taken away by the police. The cameraman thought it was so realistic and wouldn't reveal any crew information, so he uploaded it online.
The Billy dolls were just a part of the promotion, but it unexpectedly caused so much attention, even leading to panic among the citizens of New York City.
The apology letter also emphasized the torture devices and the figure of Jigsaw.
"We indeed made many terrifying torture devices because they are necessary props to flesh out the character of Jigsaw."
"The human torsion device is just one of them; there are even more thrilling torture devices in the movie."
"Even the crew was frightened by the devices and realistic scenes, so we recommend that those with a weak heart should not watch it in theaters."
"This movie is a consideration of human nature, with Jigsaw having an extraordinary charm that makes one both love and hate him."
They also expressed deeper apologies at the end.
"For the panic caused by the movie clips, we deeply regret it. As a gesture of apology, we will rent a theater and, within two days, offer free screenings of Saw for the citizens of New York City. Additionally, we will distribute Billy doll merchandise in the city center for free."
"So is this true or not?" Judy was confused. Although the crew had clarified, and the criminals had been interviewed, it seemed like the truth had emerged.
But for some reason, she still felt uneasy.
"It should be true," Milon was more optimistic than Judy. "This is just a marketing stunt by the crew. What a joke, we've been worrying about this for so long."
"Okay, I hope so. But were the scenes really that realistic? They managed to scare two criminals to tears?"
"Yeah, sounds pretty intense. They even warned that weak-hearted people shouldn't watch?" Milon, though a bit scared, pretended not to care.
And there were many others thinking the same way as Milon.
Especially with the media's deliberate guidance, the cause and effect of the whole situation were downplayed. Instead, the emphasis was placed on the realistic scenes and terrifying torture devices.
Over the past two days, every newspaper had reported on the Saw movie's realistic scenes that frightened criminals, making many people more curious about the film.
But the debate on the terrifying Pumpkin Head forums was far from over.
Because the apology letter on the Jigsaw website and the Tokyo IP did not provide a clear explanation, the whole thing remained ambiguous.
In the pinned post about the crew's apology letter, the ID "Pumpkin Ghost Shadow" spoke up: "If, and I say if, everything is real?"
Scary Glasses: "What do you mean?"
Pumpkin Ghost Shadow: "What if Jigsaw really exists, and the crew's statement and the police's clarification are the lies?"
Scary Glasses: "How could that be?"
Zodiac Killer: "Why not? I think this is all a government conspiracy. Jigsaw is a real killer, and to prevent panic, they made the crew their scapegoat. The criminal must have been pardoned by the prosecutor and said that."
Scary Glasses: "But movie filming usually takes months. This movie might have been filmed last year, far earlier than Jigsaw appeared!"
Pumpkin Man 0991: "Actually, this crew popped out of nowhere. I've never heard of them before."
Jigsaw Cultist : "Exactly, I saw the crew's interview, and they said they finished filming this movie in just over twenty days. This further proves that they definitely started filming after Jigsaw appeared."
Scary Glasses: "That doesn't prove anything. Horror movies are usually shot quickly. And why would the government want to cover up Jigsaw?"
General James: "Of course, to cover up scandals! Everyone knows there are many scandals in the FBI's unpublished files. Maybe Jigsaw was a former employee of the FBI, and because of dissatisfaction with the government, he came out to punish the wicked in his own way."
Pumpkin Ghost Shadow: "Wait! Are you General James?"
General James: "Hehe, yes, I'm back."
Scary Glasses: "But you were banned from your IP!"
General James: "I told you I'm in the army. I have lots of computers. Do you think I'm lying to you?"
Zodiac Killer: "No, I just think with someone like you is in the military. This country is doomed."
Jigsaw Cultist : "Anyway, Jigsaw exists. You can see his comments on his website."
Milon quickly clicked on the SAW website and found that the latest comment was prominently displayed on the homepage.
"Blind trust will be the last drop of hot oil poured on the skulls of the lambs."
"WTF!" He couldn't believe it, covering his head with both hands.
So Jigsaw really exists?
Or is this just another trick by the crew?
For a moment, Milon couldn't tell.
Though Milon couldn't decide, many obsessive forum users across the internet all agreed this was part of a conspiracy to cover up Jigsaw's existence.
They believed that anyone who could write such a profound warning and create such terrifying torture devices must be a real person.
They promoted the evidence of Jigsaw's existence across forums, including but not limited to the Tokyo IP, the crew's swift filming, and the inconsistent attitudes of the police.
This led many young people to believe it, and the Saw crew was even considered as imitating Jigsaw.
But no one said they would boycott the movie, as everyone shared the same belief.
Just like Pumpkin Man 0991's post.
"If the movie is meant to cover up Jigsaw's existence, we can't let anyone smear him! After watching it, we must strike back!"
"If Jigsaw was born in the movie, then we must watch it too. Perhaps we can find the true prototype and philosophy of Jigsaw."
With this mindset, many of Jigsaw's loyal followers also planned to go watch the movie.
However, in reality, more people were just curious about how terrifying Saw would be.
"Did you hear? It's just a movie. Damn, I ended up buying two extra guns."
"Right, but it seems that real criminals were scared to death. The crew even said weak-hearted people shouldn't watch."
"Who's the weak-hearted one? Me? Or you? Haha, just kidding, it's just a horror movie."
"So, are you going to watch it?"
"Of course! I have to see what kind of movie dares to say such things."
These kinds of conversations were everywhere across the U.S. While some were dissatisfied with the crew's promotion creating such realistic effects, these opinions were mostly limited to New York City. In fact, people from other states were more curious about the movie.
Even within New York City, some young people eagerly made plans to go watch the movie because no one wanted to be called weak-hearted, especially after real criminals were reportedly scared.
At this point, Ethan's promotional plan had successfully worked, making the otherwise unnoticed film achieve more visibility than it deserved.
When Shay, the president of New Line, heard the news, he could only shake his head and sigh.
"What do we do now, boss?" Keller from the marketing department didn't know what to do. They had planned for the exposure, but the Saw crew had beat them to the punch.
The difference between their own exposure and others' was enormous.
The latter would only make the public feel deceived, but the former could make people believe it was a misunderstanding, a case of mistaken identity.
And with the crew's low-key apology, promising to make amends, the impact had been reduced to an acceptable level.
"The most crucial thing is that this movie has sparked nationwide discussions." This was the real reason Shay felt helpless.
It was far more effective than any advertisement they had bought. Shay didn't know what the movie's opening day box office would be, but he sensed it would exceed his expectations.
"This is truly brilliant promotion." Shay stared at the lemon on his desk, suddenly losing his appetite. "Go check the production and distribution companies of this movie."
"Got it." Keller left the office after completing the task.
He spent the rest of the afternoon working, only leaving the office at 6:30 p.m.
As he drove past a square, he suddenly saw an advertisement on a big screen nearby.
The entire scene was in black, with a single beam of angelic light shining down from above, highlighting a wooden floor.
Then came the sound of squeaking, and a pale-faced puppet with two red circles on its cheeks slowly rode a children's bike out of the darkness and stopped under the light.
It was dressed in a clean suit, a red tie, and its pupils were a strange red.
Keller immediately recognized this as Billy, the representative of Jigsaw from Saw.
There was no doubt that this was a movie promotional ad.
Keller quickly turned the corner, parked by the side of the road, and rolled down the car window to watch carefully.
In the ad, Billy, after stopping the bike, laughed twice, suddenly opening his mouth to address everyone: "Good evening, everyone. I'd like to play a game with you."
After this line, various movie clips flashed by, along with music and Billy's voice-over.
"This game involves morals, money, and ideals."
"Either you leave alive, or you sleep forever."
When the movie clips ended, Billy turned his bike around and rode off.
"If you're willing to accept this invitation, then on October 18th, we'll meet again."
Saying this, he threw an invitation letter, which fluttered in the wind and appeared in the center of the screen, revealing a line of text.
"Saw is set to release! October 18th, let's judge human nature together!"
After watching the entire advertisement, Keller's heart was pounding. He specifically looked around at the reactions of the passersby and noticed that everyone was pointing and commenting on the advertisement.
Clearly, this intriguing movie advertisement had caught everyone's attention.
"This won't do!" Keller felt that the promotional team for Saw was truly brilliant, managing to create such a symbolic character like Billy.
And they were able to film it in such a creative way.
Anyone involved in promotion knows how powerful a symbolic character or icon can be.
So, if they didn't take action soon, Texas Chainsaw Massacre would risk being abandoned by the audience.
