I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 164 - 164 163. Film Festival Opens_1

Chapter 164: 163. Film Festival Opens!_1 Chapter 164: 163. Film Festival Opens!_1 Deep into the night, fortified by alcohol, Jia Wenbin finally finished watching “Cry”.

He never had the habit of eating or drinking while watching movies, but who knew? Jia Wenbin had never thought a film could truly frighten him before.

Not until the end, when a simple list of actors scrolled by and authentic photos and videos from the demolition site of Nanhua Private Renji Hospital appeared on the side, did Jia Wenbin feel an uncanny sense of unreality.

Although the stuff that appeared in the ending was a bit far-fetched, it looked so real, as if something was lurking underneath the bed or inside the closet.

Moreover, aside from the scenes with suggestive functions and the thrilling imagery, the most terrifying thing was its portrayal of the ugliest side of human nature.

Was the real culprit that monster that could turn dead people into walking corpses?

No, the real culprits should be the hospital’s dean and the doctors who wanted to break taboos.

One could say that even without the monster, these people might have used other means to achieve their ends.

And if Jia Wenbin were honest with himself, if he didn’t know the true consequences of the monster and were in their position, able to master the technique of raising the dead, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t do the same.

The most frightening thing is always the human heart.

After a sigh, Jia Wenbin reached out to grab his drink.

But he discovered his hand was trembling slightly.

With his right hand steadying his left, Jia Wenbin managed to drink the last bit of liquor in his cup.

“This movie, purely in terms of plot arrangement, doesn’t have anything particularly notable. But its strength lies in photography, special effects, and atmosphere creation. In the horror genre, it’s indeed an excellent piece,” he said.

Jia Wenbin had made commercial films and wasn’t burdened by the arrogance of the old school academe; he knew very well that the standard for judging horror movies is simple: it’s good if it’s scary.

And Lu Ban’s “Cry” was, without a doubt, a quite excellent horror film.

“It seems that this year’s film festival may really see the emergence of a dark horse,” Jia Wenbin thought.

For some reason, he felt a sense of schadenfreude when he thought about how his colleagues and students would react to this movie.

…

On November 20th, the ten-day Yannan University Student Film Festival kicked off.

Several cinemas in Yannan will take turns showing the films in competition and nominated for the festival. Due to their special nature, independent movies and student films will earn more than they would in regular cinema releases, with a profit margin of up to forty percent.

Among them, the movie that audiences undoubtedly awaited was “The Brevity of Spring Night”. The director Lin Mo was only twenty-five this year. His graduation film “Wonderful Weekend” won the Yannan University Student Film Festival’s Gold Award for student films. He later dabbled in shooting advertisements and short dramas. This year, he brought a feature film to the big screen.

This movie also resonated deeply with students and young people, telling the story of several friends post-university life, facing various setbacks, downfalls, confusion, and degradation in society, having the essence of sentimental literature.

As for Lu Ban’s “Cry”, although “Film Report” mentioned it before, it is, after all, a relatively professional industry magazine, and the general audience doesn’t have much understanding of it. Those who don’t follow online films and don’t often visit vintage video websites have only a vague impression of Lu Ban.

The 20th, the first day of the screening.

According to the rules, films of the same caliber were shown in rotation, with basically consistent schedules for the several movies, no exceptions.

The first showing of “Cry” was set for 9:10 PM.

This was a somewhat awkward time since a film would end around eleven o’clock, most shops would be closed, and public transport like the subway would be nearing its last service, leading more people to opt for the eight o’clock screening instead.

Of course, there are some exceptions.

For example, Bai Qiquan from Yannan University of Technology and his girlfriend Pang Zhen planned to buy tickets for the eight o’clock screening of “The Big Test! The Big Test! The Big Test!”, but they hadn’t anticipated that everyone would rush to buy tickets on the first day and scalpers would skulk around, so they didn’t manage to get any.

After some consideration, they could only buy tickets for the nine o’clock showing of “Cry”.

“A horror movie, huh? You’re not going to be too scared to go back to the dorm alone afterward, are you?”

As Bai Qiquan arrived at the cinema entrance, he teased his girlfriend.

“Ha, who was it that grabbed my hand the whole time during the last ghost movie, too scared to look at the screen?”

Pang Zhen chuckled incredulously.

The nine o’clock audience was quite large; the ticket hall was already seated with many people, many of them young people like themselves.

After all, it was a horror movie, and it was being shown at night, so only young people seeking thrills had come to watch.

“Tickets, please.”

When the time came, the cinema staff called out, and everyone began to queue up.

“Do you think we’re the only ones here for the nine o’clock showing?”

Bai Qiquan looked at the empty corridor ahead with a sense of unease.

He felt that the cinema should not be so quiet.

“No way, aren’t there a lot of people waiting over there?”

Pang Zhen pointed to one side.

Bai Qiquan looked over, only to find that there was no one there.

“Where are the people?”

He immediately countered.

“Right there, look, a whole bunch of them. Could they be from some company? They’re all dressed the same; must be a team-building event?”

Pang Zhen said earnestly.

Bai Qiquan felt a chill run down his spine, as if the people lining up in front and behind were giving him strange looks.

It was then that his girlfriend couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Were you tricking me just now?”

Bai Qiquan was somewhat embarrassed.

“Are you going to need me to walk you back to your dorm later?”

Pang Zhen laughed brightly.

The two entered the cinema and sat down, looking around, the theater was indeed full.

After the advertisements, the film began.

Speaking of watching horror movies, Bai Qiquan had seen several, but this was his first time watching one in a cinema.

But with so many people together, it shouldn’t be scary, right?

Bai Qiquan quickly realized how terribly wrong he was.

For example.

When he watched horror movies at home, if there were scary scenes, he could either switch the scene, look elsewhere, or even fast-forward – in any case, he could avoid some of it.

But in the cinema, especially with his girlfriend beside him, Bai Qiquan could not do that.

He could only widen his eyes and watch as the nurse in the film walked step by step along the deserted corridor of the hospital.

Subconsciously, Bai Qiquan wanted to grasp the hand of his girlfriend that he was holding tightly.

But at that moment, he found that she was holding on even tighter.

“No, I need to muster courage!”

Bai Qiquan encouraged himself in his mind.

Then, he saw the elderly patient in the intensive care unit mechanically waving at the audience through the camera.

In an instant, a chill surged up from his stomach, Bai Qiquan felt all the hairs on his body stand on end. He wanted to scream, but his throat seemed to be blocked, unable to make a sound, and he could only hold his girlfriend’s hand tightly.

At that moment, Bai Qiquan was filled with intense regret, a deep, profound regret.