I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"Director Lu, could you please tell me what the highlights of your new movie are?"

"Director Lu, are you here to watch the premiere of a similar film at this time because you were involved in its production?"

"Some people say that 'The Mouth of a Madman' will break box office records again. What do you think of this statement, Director Lu?"

Faced with questions from reporters, some serious and some with ulterior motives, Lu Ban did not answer. He simply pointed to the main creators who were left standing aside.

"I'm just here to watch the movie, you should go and interview them."

He then sat down and did not respond to any of the reporters' questions.

Some reporters tried to force their way to sit next to Lu Ban to ask questions, but for some reason they all left disappointed and didn't get a chance to speak to Lu Ban again when the film started.

"No. 9 Huangmei Street" is a classic haunted house movie.

The protagonist's family elders passed away, leaving behind a house. The relatives, each with their own ulterior motives, staged a power struggle within the house. However, the house itself turned out to be haunted, and as a result, the opportunistic relatives died one by one, leaving only the kind-hearted protagonist alive.

It's a very simple script, but perhaps too simple.

As a seasoned horror film director, Lu Ban was completely immune to this kind of plot and scene setting.

Moreover, the actors' performances were jarring, and the costumes and props were of very low quality. The most criticized part was that after the eldest brother died in the movie, the eldest sister-in-law and the second brother staged a passionate scene in front of the eldest brother's funeral hall, which can be described as a prime example of selling movies at funeral halls.

As for Ye Cheng, he played the eldest brother's son, a rich second-generation who liked to court death, which was a natural fit for him. Although his acting skills in normal situations were not very good, his performances in the ghost scenes were quite good, capturing the essence of fear, which satisfied Lu Ban.

Perhaps because Lu Ban watched the movie, it gained some attention amidst a sea of ​​mass-produced horror films, and the number of viewers increased slightly.

Within two days, "No. 9 Huangmei Street" was still able to appear on the box office charts.

Most of the reviews for the movie were negative, but Ye Cheng's acting was the only one that received praise.

"This movie is boring and not scary at all. The acting is awkward. I really can't imagine why Lu Ban would watch it."

"I just couldn't understand that passionate scene between my sister-in-law and second brother in the mourning hall. The director's imagination is really rich, but it seems to have been used in the wrong place."

"I must say, that guy's son's acting is pretty good, especially the scenes where he encounters ghosts. His performance has that feel of a Lu Ban movie."

"I think the biggest benefit of this movie is that it discovered the actor Ye Cheng. He seems to have a lot of talent for acting in horror movies, and he may become a great star in the future."

"Is it possible that we went to see a horror movie, while Lu Ban went to relax and watch a comedy?"

At the end of April, Lu Ban received a call from Ye Cheng.

"Director Lu, thank you so much. My acting skills have been recognized. Although the movie's box office performance was not ideal, many more film and television companies have contacted me."

Ye Cheng sounded quite happy. After all, entering the entertainment industry was his dream, and now that his acting skills had been praised, he should be very happy.

"That's great."

Lu Ban was also happy for Ye Cheng.

"Yes, there is a problem now."

As Ye Cheng spoke, his mood suddenly dipped.

"what happened?"

"Those film and television companies all come to me to make horror films and want me to play the lead role, even though I'm clearly not the type of person who specializes in this genre!"

Ye Cheng said helplessly.

"It's okay. If you do well in one genre, people will remember you. Look at some actors, they only play one or two roles in their whole lives, and people still remember them. If you can specialize in horror films, your future is very bright."

Lu Ban comforted her.

With the opening up of the horror film market, actors like Ye Cheng, who are good at acting in horror films, will definitely gradually receive more attention, Lu Ban thought.

With the premiere approaching, Lu Ban didn't rest; he went to the Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital.

He didn't come here for a medical consultation.

Ye Cheng's situation spurred Lu Ban into action.

He believes that with the rise in popularity of horror films, people's demands on horror film directors, screenwriters, and actors will continue to increase. Compared to ordinary films, horror films have more specific requirements, and talented individuals are even harder to find.

Lu Ban can only produce one movie every few months on his own. If he wants the whole world to accept those strange things and gradually change their perceptions, then the efforts of all mankind are needed.

Lu Ban has always believed in the people's view of history. He himself is just one of the people in this wave. True history needs to be created by the masses.

Therefore, the contradiction between the people's growing demand for horror movies and the backward production of horror movies became the main social contradiction in Lu Ban's opinion.

To resolve this contradiction, Lu Ban needs a manual to guide the production of horror films, which can be used to educate and train new horror film talents.

The method Ye Cheng used to improve his acting skills by personally experiencing terrifying events was very primitive, backward, and inefficient. What Lu Ban needed was an industrialized production standard.

Therefore, he came to the Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital to gather material, intending to seek help from the patients there and improve his theory of horror film production.

Although Lu Ban did not make this public, given that "The Mouth of a Madman" was about to be released, film and television reporters naturally seized on any rumors and did not let Lu Ban's every move go unnoticed.

Many reporters had already found out about this in advance.

They were preparing to interview Lu Ban at the mental hospital.

Chapter 247 Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital

Jiang Weicai is an entertainment reporter, and also known as a paparazzi by many.

Sometimes he would stake out rental apartments near his target for a month at a time, capturing evidence of the other person's infidelity.

He sometimes uses various means to get close to his target and obtain first-hand information.

Jiang Weicai believes that calling him a paparazzi is an insult; he is a new-era agent and a professional intelligence officer.

This time, Jiang Wei set his sights on Lu Ban.

Lu Ban's film "Crying" set a box office record for domestic horror films, and its box office of over 2 billion yuan also ranks among the top 20 in the domestic box office charts.

The promotion for this film, "The Mouth of a Madman," is even greater, and with the previous film already in the works, industry insiders generally expect it to gross over 2 billion yuan, and possibly even 3 billion yuan.

Therefore, obtaining firsthand information about this film is a major scoop for an entertainment reporter like Jiang Weicai.

Some say that entertainment reporters are always trying to create a big news story. Jiang Weicai thinks this statement is correct. If a reporter can only write about neighborhood relations, cultural performances, and leaders' meetings, then he is an incompetent reporter. If a reporter cannot write some earth-shattering news stories, then he has done nothing at all.

Driven by a journalist's sense of mission, Jiang Weicai decided to follow Lu Ban.

However, Lu Ban was notoriously immune to reporters. Apart from a few major national magazines, getting anything out of Lu Ban was practically impossible. Moreover, the actors in Lu Ban's film were kept very secret, and Jiang Weicai's colleagues searched for a long time but couldn't find a single piece of information.

On one occasion, several magazine reporters rented a house across from Lu Ban's house to investigate, but they were inexplicably taken away by the police, which made the reporters wary.

Therefore, capturing gossip about Lu Ban has become the biggest pursuit for entertainment reporters.

When Jiang Weicai heard that Lu Ban might go to Jiangcheng Mental Hospital, he immediately felt that this was a good opportunity.

Since Lu Ban didn't tell anyone else, there probably weren't any bodyguards or anything like that, so I could easily get close to Lu Ban.

However, after Jiang Weicai and some other entertainment reporters scouted the location in advance, they discovered that the security measures at Jiangcheng Mental Hospital were much stricter than they had imagined.

Because some patients who may suffer from serious mental illnesses live here, guards have been added to prevent these patients from being agitated, and ordinary people have no way to enter.

Many reporters backed away, but Jiang Weicai did not give up.

He believes that this is what makes him different.

Jiang Weicai came up with a solution.

He contacted a doctor he knew, used his connections to obtain a medical certificate, and then completed the transfer procedures.

The day before Lu Ban went to the mental hospital, Jiang Weicai had already been admitted to Jiangcheng Mental Hospital as a patient with schizophrenia.

He waited for Lu Ban.

By the end of April, the weather had become quite hot, and spring in Jiangcheng carried a damp smell. The fragrance of flowers mixed with the humidity entered people's noses, causing some patients with rhinitis to suffer from both.

Lu Ban arrived at the Jiangcheng City Mental Hospital and saw his contact person.

"Dr. Hao, it's been a long time."

That was the doctor who had diagnosed him earlier; his surname was Hao, and he was a good doctor.

He thoughtfully asked Lu Ban many questions and even prescribed him medicine. Although Lu Ban didn't take it, he felt much better.

How have you been feeling lately?

Dr. Hao looked at Lu Ban with a sense of unreality.

This person should clearly be an extremely dangerous mental patient, but unexpectedly, he has now made a blockbuster movie and even visited a mental hospital.

For a time, Dr. Hao didn't know who had the mental illness.

Of course, good cooperation is essential.

The investors in this mental hospital include Jiangcheng Industrial. They have been instructed by higher authorities to assist Lu Ban in gathering information, so Dr. Hao naturally has to accompany him throughout the process.

"I feel pretty good about myself."

Lu Ban replied.

Regarding the sample collection, we have arranged for some patients with mild symptoms to provide support.

Before Dr. Hao could finish speaking, Lu Ban raised his hand to signal.

“Dr. Hao, I think that this one-on-one consultation method may make patients feel suppressed, restrained and unable to open up. These patients are all extremely sensitive people, and their behavior under such circumstances may not be true. I think it has little reference value.”

"really."

Dr. Hao nodded slightly.

Many patients are resistant to doctors and treatments, and many even believe they are not sick.

If you try to communicate with them like you would a doctor, they might resist, and you'll end up empty-handed.

"I have a suggestion."

Lu Ban looked at the hospital ward and said.

"How about I pretend to be a mental patient and live with them? That way I can eliminate the barriers and get the most authentic information."

"?"

Dr. Hao looked at Lu Ban.

Pretending to be a mental patient?

Aren't you a mental patient?

Why would you need to pretend?