Chapter Seventy-Nine: Death Director

  Afterwards, the police intervened and investigated near the cinema.

  Old John died of excessive fright, and he himself also suffered from severe heart disease, which was also the main reason why he would die suddenly after being frightened.

  Although Old John was a lonely old man with no direct relatives to file a lawsuit and claim, the cinema where the incident occurred was still sued by a local "Old Man Rescue Organization" that had nothing better to do. The charge was "showing an unrated movie, resulting in the death of the audience."

  Rated R for violence and terror.

  But according to the content's level of horror, it should be rated NC-17, and viewers under 17 (including 17-year-olds) are prohibited from watching.

  The film didn't execute at this level afterwards, so it has to take responsibility for scaring the audience to death!

  The US "Elderly Assistance Fund Charity", the "American Film Rating Advocacy Organization" and the "US Community United Association" respectively gave their support and response to this sudden incident.

  As a result, the whole of America was in an uproar over this matter.

  Those various "charitable organizations", the "grassroots groups" that flaunt "justice" and "truth", as well as some editors and journalists who have nothing better to do, have all published commentaries, directing their spears at that unfortunate movie theater and the film "The Blair Witch Project".

  "We don't know how the American Film Association classifies film ratings, but today we saw a cruel reality: Old Mr. John was scared to death in the cinema by this movie! Such a tragic situation makes us reflect, who is to blame?!"

  "Movies are supposed to entertain the masses, but today they have become a murderer of the elderly! The unclear film rating, the vague concept of classification, and the fleeting warnings and reminders during the screening make us extremely angry. Why can horror movies like 'The Blair Witch Project' be screened so openly?"

  "There is no doubt that 'Paranormal Activity' and the cinemas showing it must bear major criminal responsibility. An elderly American man died quietly in a cinema, this cannot be a joke, but should be an alarm bell ringing out our call for greater scrutiny of horror movie ratings!"

  ……

  All sorts of rumors and speculations emerged one after another.

  Previously unknown, the lonely and widowed old man Johnsen suddenly became the headline of newspapers and magazines. The news of his death in a movie theater even made it to the prime-time news on American CBS, with a scrolling volume that exceeded that of US President Clinton's sex scandal.

  Old John never expected to be so famous after his death. He should be smiling in the underworld now.

  Apart from Old John, the person most affected by this incident is undoubtedly Yi Feiyang, the director of "Ghost Blowing Lamp".

  Originally, this "Chinese magician" who was seen as frequently creating miracles in the North American film industry suddenly became a "movie killer", and many people with ulterior motives called him... "Death Director"!

  "Director of Death", this title is very inauspicious. At least in Yi Feiyang's view, wearing this hat would bring bad luck for three years.

  However, this is not the end of it. Several social organizations that are particularly annoying... mainly those that assist the elderly and stray animals, directly took Yi Feiyang's new film to court, charging that: the movie was too frightening, demanding that the US authorities ban the continued screening of "Ghost Recording".

  No kidding. American legal institutions are really democratic and free, they take all kinds of cases.

  After a group of lawyers stuffed with food studied it, no matter how Louis Kornfeld, the private lawyer of Yi Feiyang, protested, the Los Angeles Film Management Bureau finally issued a document: Prohibiting the full release of "Ghost Recording" in North America, and strictly prohibiting the film's poster, as well as promotional advertisements and items from being published by various media.

  In short, completely ban "Paranormal Activity"!

  As a result, the posters of "The Ring" that were originally everywhere on the streets and in subways, which Paramount spent a lot of money to create, were banned from being posted. The TV stations that had signed advertising contracts began to ban trailers for "The Ring".

  Across North America, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit, many theaters have banned the full trailer of "Paranormal Activity". The bus ads and shuttle bus ads for "Paranormal Activity" have also been withdrawn...

  Facing this "ban", the most embarrassing one is Paramount Pictures, originally thought that with Yi Feiyang's play, it could create a box office miracle like "The Blair Witch", but who would have thought that it was cut off halfway and died directly at the hands of "public opinion".

  "The Gallows" cannot be screened normally, Paramount's losses are no longer just advertising fees and publicity expenses, but also the endless box office revenue afterwards! And that shocking number one at the box office rankings!!!!!

  Compared with him, Yi Feiyang was also extremely depressed.

  I thought creating this fusion of "Ju-On" and "The Grudge" would bring me unexpected benefits, but I didn't expect it to scare people to death.

  And as those media said, he became the first horror movie director in 20 years whose film was banned in America!

  The last predecessor who was banned was who? Yi Feiyang didn't know, only knowing that he had washed away a new historical record, and just after officially filming an opera, he was banned!

  Yi Feiyang really didn't know whether he should congratulate himself for becoming famous overnight or curse himself for stepping in dog shit.

  In short, the phone of the film company has been ringing non-stop these days, with countless people inquiring about their information, and countless others waiting outside the company, hoping to catch a glimpse of this Chinese "death director"!

  Yi Feiyang is not afraid of these American paparazzi, nor is he afraid of those so-called "justice media organizations" that sue him. He just feels a little uneasy in his heart.

  Old John's death made Yifei Yang feel a little guilty and ashamed in his heart.

  So, when he heard that today was Old John's funeral day, Yi Feiyang thought of a way to avoid the buzzing reporters outside the company and drove to the public cemetery in West Los Angeles.

  "The Rose Garden" is the name of this public cemetery.

  This cemetery is a public burial ground funded by the Los Angeles government, for those who have no money, no children, no relatives and no friends. The final resting place is here.

  The caretaker of the cemetery is a black pastor from a nearby church, nobody knows his name, he's just called "Rose Pastor", because every time after burying the deceased, he would very compassionately put a bright red rose on the coffin in place of their family and friends.

  But this time, "Rose Lawyer" no longer threw roses because someone else had done it for him.

  In the desolate cemetery, a cold wind blew against the withered tombstones. Yifei Yang and Heather stood together in front of Old John's grave.

  As Yifeng Yang and Heather together placed a beautiful rose on the coffin, the pastor began to recite scripture fluently.

  "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. May the Lord have mercy on you. From now on, may the Lord lead you to eternal bliss in heaven. Lord, hear our prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

  A layer of dust and dirt had settled on the coffin.

  Yi Feiyang and Heather quietly watched as the coffin was slowly covered with dust.

  Life and body, ended like this, buried in dust.

  Yi Feiyang's mood was terrible, especially when he saw the little dog called Bobo barking non-stop at the coffin covered in dust, Yi Feiyang had a feeling of "guilt".

  Yes, although I didn't have any intention of harming others. However, I did film this movie and knew during filming that it was a horror movie combining elements of "Ju-On" and "The Ring", with an extremely twisted effect. But driven by the desire for fame and fortune, and swayed by the desire to win at all costs, I didn't make any concessions, and instead proudly allowed it to be publicly screened in major cinemas. And greedily sought more cinema chains to show it...

  Now that the tragedy has occurred, what's the use of regretting it? Can one's regret save the old man lying in the coffin? Can one's remorse help this poor little dog who has lost its master?!

  No. Now no matter what I do, it's all in vain anyway.

  He has become a "director of death" and a "murderer" in people's mouths...

  No one will forgive themselves, and no one will pity themselves...

  Although, for all of this, I was always unintentionally at fault...

  The cold wind blew across Yifeiyang's face, and beside her, Haishewei saw clearly that on Yifeiyang's originally strong and courageous face, a hint of inexplicable sorrow seemed to appear.

  Heather wanted to comfort Yifei Yang, but didn't know what to say.

  The black pastor, after completing the burial ceremony, suddenly said to Yi Feiyang: "Dear friends, you are the only ones who came to see off Old John. I thank you on his behalf."

  "Mr. Minister, surely you know... old John?" Hester asked.

  The black pastor nodded, "Yes, this poor lonely old man, maybe one of the few friends I have, huh, yes, except for little dog Bobo, probably the most familiar to him is me."

  Loneliness and solitude led him to two places he liked the most, one was the church, the other was the cinema. The church gave him spiritual faith, letting him sing with fellow believers; the cinema gave him joy in life, letting him shout and scream with the crowd...

  "He was lonely, but he was happy. He once told me that his greatest wish in life was to sit in a movie theater, eating popcorn until he died. Now, his wish has come true. So I think he's happy. You don't have to blame yourselves, nor do you need to feel any pain or guilt over this incident..."

  "Look at this, the graveyard was personally chosen by old John himself. At that time I accompanied him drinking... God forgive me, I rarely drink and even more rarely get drunk... but that time I really got drunk with him, together in this graveyard we drank till we were dead drunk. We talked about life, talked about God, talked about the meaning of living..." The black pastor sighed, lost in thought.

  Yi Feiyang snapped out of his daze, and the little dog Bobo was facing the gradually filling grave, barking softly, no longer having the courage he had at the beginning.

  Yi Feiyang bent down and picked it up in one hand, then rubbed his face against its cute little head and said, "Will you be with me from now on?"

  The little dog Poppo seemed to understand what he said, and with a "wang" sound, it stuck out its small tongue and licked Yifei Yang's face.

  In the cold wind, one person and one dog huddled together closely.

  Tomorrow, he will face new circumstances!