Chapter 43: The Staggering Release of the Mr. Vampire Trailer

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Naturally, Chen Mo had never had any designs on the actresses or female staff in the production crew. It was simply that the little heiress was acting as though she were guarding a strategic pass, leaving him caught between laughter and tears.

What Chen Mo had not expected was that Teng Huatao still refused to give up. He called once more and asked whether, if Chen Mo did not use Emblem and allowed Teng to choose the cast, Chen Mo would let him direct the film.

Chen Mo refused him again.

What kind of joke was that? Just because Chen Mo was not using Emblem for this film did not mean he had fallen out with them. Besides, he and Teng Huatao were hardly close enough for Chen Mo to hand over such a fine opportunity. Chen Mo was not his father.

The reason he had agreed to meet Teng and exchange a few words before was merely to make things difficult for Emblem and drive a wedge between the two of them. He had never once considered handing over this potential box-office dark horse.

Mr. Vampire had finally wrapped. Next came post-production, promotion, and distribution.

Unlike theatrical films, online movies could be promoted and released much more quickly.

Moreover, Chen Mo was not working exclusively with any one video platform this time. Instead, all three platforms were joining forces to create an online theatrical network.

His film could even be promoted with all sorts of grandiose titles, such as the first major online film or the pioneering work of online cinema.

Since the video platforms were still feeling their way forward in the online-film market, many aspects were still experimental, including box-office statistics and revenue-sharing arrangements.

At present, the pricing model for Mr. Vampire was five yuan per valid view, split fifty-fifty. In other words, Chen Mo would receive 2.5 yuan for each valid view.

The three video platforms had adopted fairly simple and straightforward methods.

Nonmembers could pay five yuan to watch the film directly. Existing members could watch it at half price, while new members and those who renewed their subscriptions could watch it free of charge within twenty-four hours.

Of course, this was also an experiment for the platforms. What mattered most was seeing what kind of results it ultimately produced.

Then came the publicity campaign. The three major platforms attached great importance to their online-film initiative, so they provided exceptionally powerful promotional resources for this first release.

There were banners on the homepages, pop-up recommendations during videos, and more.

They could be said to have pulled out all the stops. At the same time, they introduced benefits such as allowing paid viewing fees to be deducted from membership charges.

The initial publicity results were quite good. Many netizens were encountering this new model for the first time and expressed considerable interest.

There was still controversy, however.

“An online movie? What on earth is that?”

“An online theatrical network? Does a movie that never plays in cinemas really count as a movie?”

“Why wouldn’t it? Watching films online is perfectly normal. It’s simply a movie made specifically for online release—and this really is the first of its kind.”

“It mainly depends on the quality. If the movie is good, five yuan really isn’t expensive.”

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“If the movie is good, I don’t mind spending a few yuan. But why do existing members only get a discount instead of watching it for free?”

For a time, online theatrical networks and paid online viewing became the hottest topics of discussion.

With all three online video platforms promoting the film together, the publicity quickly spread far beyond their original circles.

This new model also attracted the attention of the media. After all, it truly was unprecedented.

But although the outside world was watching, the film had not yet officially premiered, so coverage remained sparse.

Of course, as the netizens had said, regardless of the format, what mattered was whether the movie itself was worth watching.

At present, Mr. Vampire had released only a trailer of less than two minutes. Chen Mo had hastily edited it for promotional purposes.

Besides, this was not yet the era when most online blockbusters would be branded as shoddy, laughably bad productions. Domestic cinema screens were scarce in those days, and the annual output of films was limited. It was not easy to find a new movie to watch.

Thus, this new online film released by the three major video platforms held considerable appeal for many netizens.

After all, the trailer required neither membership nor payment, and watching it took hardly any time.

Moreover, the title and poster of Mr. Vampire made it clear that this was a horror film unlike the theatrical releases of the day.

Films of this kind were still extremely rare in the country.

As a result, quite a number of netizens clicked on it.

Wang Guang was one of them. As a film enthusiast, he had watched countless movies and was especially fond of B-movies—the sort unavailable in cinemas and viewable only online.

So when he saw the promotional banner for Mr. Vampire and read the title, his first reaction was disappointment.

He had seen some of the old Hong Kong films and was no stranger to the word “zombie.” But most of the old Hong Kong “zombie movies” of the past were really comedies trading on the name.

Take Maoshan Zombie Fist, for example. Apart from hopping around, the zombies in it were practically useless.

Most of the other “zombie” films were similar. They called their monsters zombies, but in reality they were simply following the Western vampire formula.

Still, it had been many years since he had seen a new film in this genre, so he clicked on the trailer anyway. He wanted to see whether Mr. Vampire was yet another case of giving a film an impressive title while selling something entirely different.

The trailer began with Uncle Jiu, played by Lam Ching-ying, appearing on screen.

Behind him was an excavated graveyard, with a coffin resting in the open.

Dressed in a Taoist robe, Uncle Jiu stood with his hands behind his back and addressed the crowd:

“Today, Master Ren’s remains are being brought into the light once more. Anyone aged thirty-six, twenty-two, thirty-five, or forty-eight, and anyone born in the Year of the Rooster or Ox, turn around and avert your eyes!”

Wang Guang was astonished at once. The opening of the trailer gave the film an unmistakably authentic feel.

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The scene shifted. It was still Uncle Jiu, but he was no longer wearing his Taoist robe. Instead, he stood before a wall lined with countless spirit tablets.

Holding three sticks of incense, he frowned and said, “People fear three long stretches and two short ones. Incense fears two short sticks and one long one. And yet it’s burned into precisely this arrangement!”

Sure enough, the three sticks in his hand had burned into two short pieces and one long piece.

Wang Guang began to grow excited. From these two brief scenes alone, he felt an urgent desire to know what would happen next.

Those two fragments already incorporated a wealth of traditional folk knowledge. And Lam Ching-ying’s Uncle Jiu instantly possessed the air of the true master Taoist that people imagined such a figure should have.

Most people had heard the saying that people feared three long stretches and two short ones, while incense feared two short sticks and one long one. But it was rare to see the idea used in a film. Why was that? Why had the incense burned in such a way?

And why had those born in the Year of the Rooster or Ox been told to turn away earlier? All of it aroused his curiosity terribly.

But a trailer existed to leave the audience hanging. It could not reveal too much.

The scene soon changed again.

An old man, drenched in blood and with a bluish-black face, lunged toward the camera, clawing wildly.

Uncle Jiu and one of his disciples stretched a line across the path. When the zombie charged, it struck the line head-on. Sparks flew, and the zombie was sent tumbling backward.

Qiu Sheng leaped high into the air, caught the peachwood sword Uncle Jiu threw him, and drove it straight into the zombie’s chest!

The shot changed rapidly. Once again there was Uncle Jiu, this time with two young disciples. One of them, an especially ugly fellow, asked, “Is there something wrong with the coffin?”

Standing before it with his hands behind his back, Uncle Jiu replied, “There’s nothing wrong with the coffin. The problem is the corpse!”

As if to prove his words, the next shot cut instantly to a coffin surrounded by several paper effigies. It suddenly exploded in every direction.

A corpse dressed in a Qing official’s robes slowly rose into the air.

“Roar!”

The next moment, a rotting face with sharp fangs appeared abruptly on the screen, its mouth opening in a furious howl.

“Good heavens!”

The shock sent Wang Guang tumbling straight out of his computer chair.

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