Arclight Cinema, screening room for the film "Saw." Eric and Gal Gadot, disguised, sat in the back row. For Eric, this was not so crucial, as he was not widely recognized on the street, but it was a different story for Gal Gadot.
After the cast list for "Transformers" was announced, her identity was revealed, and paparazzi began appearing near her apartment. Though not many, the burgeoning star power was evident, even affecting her colleague Bar Refaeli, who also landed on the pages of several magazines.
By late November, Frank Darabont had finally completed the preparations, and filming for "The Walking Dead" began. The process was expedited mainly because Eric entrusted the project entirely to Darabont, who promptly enlisted his old team. Apart from a few roles filled through casting, most of the actors were his trusted colleagues, which significantly sped up the filming process.
By early December, filming was in full swing, starting with simple scenes in the studio or at home. The major scenes were planned for after the holidays, especially those requiring street closures. MGM was negotiating with the authorities, and the process of obtaining permits could take over a month.
"You said Bar Refaeli got reprimanded?" Eric asked with interest.
Gadot sighed, "Things have improved recently, but when she first came to the set, the director scolded her a lot. Every evening she complained to me."
"She couldn't get her positioning right, her expressions were off, and she couldn't cry on cue. She feels like a laughingstock, as if everyone despises her."
"This irritates me. She was offered training, but she just stood like a statue when we had the chance to learn. Now she hopes I'll ask you to talk to the director to be more lenient. But I refused, and now she's not speaking to me."
Eric shook his head, "She's 17, has worked as a model, but is still so immature? Asking me to request leniency from Darabont? He's probably cursing me for hiring her without an audition."
"If she asks for leniency again, tell her this from me: if she doesn't like it, she can leave. I don't want one bad apple spoiling the whole project!"
"Though, given your friendship, it might be hard for you to say that. I'll ask Judy to handle it."
Gal frowned, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Won't Judy mind?"
"Don't worry," Eric smirked. "Judy Newhouse and I have known each other for over four years. I know her character. When a decision needs to be made, she won't hesitate."
At that moment, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the noise abruptly ceased.
A lion roared with a golden mane surrounding its head, and the film began.
On the screen, the main character, Adam, played by Patrick Wilson, woke up in a bathtub, choking on water. His suffering and retching were so convincing that they seemed real.
"See? That's acting!" Eric whispered.
Gal nodded and focused on the screen.
The light turned on, revealing a dirty, closed room where opposite him was Dr. Lawrence, chained to a pipe, and a body lay on the floor in a pool of blood. The atmosphere grew even more grim and foreboding.
After the sound of a saw played on the tape recorder, Adam found a saw in a black plastic bag. Both characters tried to saw through their chains, but it was futile.
"I think this saw isn't meant for the chains, but for our feet!"
One of the viewers sitting in front of Eric involuntarily leaned back. The audience understood the director's idea, and their attention was drawn to the screen. The plot was really getting interesting!
In flashbacks, the first victim appeared. A man named Paul, who liked to attract attention by slashing his wrists, was trapped in a cage full of blades. To survive, he had to crawl through these blades, enduring excruciating pain, with only three minutes to do so.
Thanks to a more generous budget and the support of MGM's prop department, the traps created by James Wan were more impressive. The sharpness of the blades was terrifying, and Eric could already hear many viewers screaming in horror.
Paul desperately tried to save himself, but the blades slowly cut through his thick body, and his screams, accompanied by dripping blood, caused many loud exclamations from the audience.
Eric glanced at Gal, who was squinting through a narrow gap, hoping it would be less scary that way.
Eric hugged her, pulling her onto his lap, realizing they were the only ones in the back row, and decided it would be more comfortable for her.
As soon as the viewers relaxed a bit, the second victim appeared on the screen. A naked man, covered in oil, was infected with a slow-acting poison, and the antidote was in a safe nearby. The room was dark, the floor covered in broken glass, and possible safe combinations were written on the walls.
The man had to carefully use a candle for light, enduring the excruciating pain from the glass, and try to find the right code. In the end, he lost control and accidentally knocked over the candle, setting himself on fire.
When the screen showed the man burning and screaming in agony as he rolled over the glass, every viewer felt a chilling horror inside.
"Charlie, I can't watch this anymore, let's leave," a girl tried to drag her boyfriend away.
The boyfriend, however, was thrilled: "Honey, this film is amazing! I don't want to miss it, please, let's watch till the end!"
The movie continued. Amanda appeared, and the audience saw for the first time the iconic Billy the Puppet of the "Saw" franchise. Amanda's task was relatively simple but required a brutal decision: kill another person and retrieve the key from his stomach. Amanda chose to kill, and after being saved, she exhibited signs of Stockholm syndrome, beginning to feel gratitude towards Jigsaw.
Note: Jigsaw (known as Pila in the Russian dub) is the main antagonist of the "Saw" series.
The fourth trap showed a man tied to a chair with two drills approaching his head. Within a minute, his brain would be pierced. The key to the mechanism was in a box with dozens of other keys. Jigsaw appeared before the viewers for the first time, hidden under a robe, with only his elderly voice heard.
When suddenly a man in a pig mask appeared, the hall filled with screams. Gadot huddled in Eric's arms.
Adam and Lawrence tried to trick Jigsaw by pretending to be dead, but their unconvincing acting made the audience laugh, slightly easing the tense atmosphere.
But they relaxed only briefly. Lawrence, learning that his wife and daughter had been killed, fell into despair. Removing his shirt and tying his leg, he began sawing his ankle while Adam screamed in horror. Blood gushed from the wound, and Lawrence's agonizing screams made the viewers' hearts race.
Many viewers closed their eyes, realizing why one of the posters depicted a severed foot and a saw.
The plot was reaching its climax. When the audience already thought that Jigsaw was the insane hospital orderly, Adam found a tape recorder in the dead orderly's pocket, realizing that he was just another pawn in this bloody game.
At that moment, John Williams's music began to play. On the screen, the body lying in a pool of blood started to rise slowly. Removing his disguise, Jigsaw uttered words that plunged Adam into despair: "The key was in the bathtub."
But Adam had long since drained the water, and the key had gone down the drain.
"Game over!"
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