"Boss, why did that old man end up dying?" Zoroark asked while coordinating the illusion for Gengar's scene with Diantha. Despite multitasking, it couldn't hold back its curiosity.
Zoroark had read Edward's script and was well aware of how unreasonable the ghost in this movie was. But it was confused—after all, the old man had survived before. Why was he dying now?
"Didn't he drink the water when he went up the mountain?" Edward replied, eyes fixed on the performance in front of him, occasionally glancing at the camera angles.
He couldn't afford not to be meticulous—this was his first time incorporating Pokémon elements into a horror film.
Previously, Edward had thought that horror movies in the Pokémon world couldn't include actual Pokémon—otherwise, the story would shift from horror to action. But he had underestimated the audience's creativity.
Fan works had already taken it too far: Gengar beating up Mary Shaw, Blissey healing Mizuko from One Missed Call, even Psyduck confusing Mary Shaw into submission with its dazed look. Edward realized then that unless he responded head-on and gave the ghosts a "buff," fan creations would spread like wildfire.
So, this was his reasoning for including Pokémon in this film: to highlight the inescapable nature of the evil spirits.
"Just drinking the water gets you killed? I thought Chu Renmei might show some mercy for old times' sake," Zoroark muttered, surprised. It had noticed the old man drinking the water but hadn't expected Chu Renmei to be that heartless.
Edward glanced at Zoroark. Honestly, he wasn't surprised it would think that way—he himself had once wondered the same. But after some thought, he realized: Chu Renmei had become a vengeful spirit, and the only known way to make her relent was through true love.
In the original film, the character Fa Mao had embraced Chu Renmei despite her horrific appearance—the very image from the movie poster. He showed no fear, only love. That act made Chu Renmei stop her rampage.
Perhaps, back when Chu Renmei was wrongly accused of infidelity by her husband, her deepest longing was for him to truly love her. If he had, none of the tragedy might have happened.
"She spared the old man once, and for years he lived in peace. But in the end, he drank the water and got himself killed by a Chu Renmei who'd already lost all reason," Edward said, rubbing his temples.
A Wicked Ghost could be summed up with one sentence:
"A tragedy caused by a child's careless words."
Although Chu Renmei died with deep resentment, she hadn't started her vengeance right away. It was the old man who went and told her the truth—triggering her complete breakdown. She nearly wiped out everyone in the village, sparing only him.
But in the end, the old man drank the cursed water and fell victim to the now-unrelenting spirit.
"So, ghosts just don't think logically, huh?" Zoroark asked, having finished its illusion since the unlucky extra had wrapped their death scene, and Gengar had helplessly watched Chu Renmei vanish into the shadows.
"More or less. Their minds are clouded with vengeance—unless you hit that one soft spot in their heart," Edward said, pleased with how the scene turned out. At least it clearly showed how powerless Gengar was in the face of Chu Renmei.
Ghosts in Eastern folklore tended to have some paths to salvation. But if you were dealing with Japanese spirits, then forget it—they were all about the no-way-out narrative.
Edward had studied this in his previous life. Western horror films loved blood and gore, with serial killers as a staple, sometimes mixed in with demons. Chinese horror films often focused on karmic retribution—"don't court death, and you'll be fine." As long as you lived honestly, didn't do anything wicked or disturbing, you were usually safe.
Thai horror was similar, often emphasizing karma and divine justice.
Korean horror wasn't too different either.
But Japanese horror? That was pure hopelessness.
Edward regarded The Grudge as the ultimate embodiment of Japanese-style no-escape horror.
Once you entered the cursed house, you were dead. Even people who met the victims later would also die. No matter how you fought back, it was useless. The only person to survive did so in a spinoff, and only because of "love," "goodness," or "purity"—which fans promptly criticized for not aligning with the series' core philosophy.
That kind of pure, merciless horror—terror for terror's sake—pushed the genre to its extreme. And if you were rating horror purely on its scare factor, it delivered.
"Next film…" Edward pursed his lips.
He was planning to bring The Grudge into the Pokémon world and shake things up.
But for now, the focus was still on completing A Wicked Ghost.
"Diantha, how are you feeling?" Edward asked with a warm smile.
Diantha was a seasoned actress—great at miming and reacting to nothing—but with Zoroark's illusions, her job became even easier.
"Very good! Your Zoroark is quite something. I've seen a lot of Zoroarks, but very few with this level of illusion mastery," Diantha said with a cheerful smile.
She had just experienced it up close. Zoroark's illusions were so realistic that several times she almost reacted instinctively, thinking the attacks were real. If not for her professional self-control, she might've broken character—and that would've ruined the scene.
"Hehe~ That's nothing, really~" Zoroark scratched its head bashfully. But Edward could hear the excitement in its voice and couldn't help but sigh—this little guy really couldn't hide its emotions at all.
"Oh right, Director Edward," Diantha added as if suddenly remembering something.
Edward didn't interrupt. He was curious to hear what she had to say.
"Speaking of Zoroark… do you know the Hisui Region? Recently, Sinnoh has uncovered some artifacts about Hisuian Zoroark. Interested in checking it out?" Diantha asked with a smile.
Edward froze.
He instinctively glanced at Zoroark.
And for a split second—he saw it.
A flash of red fur.
Red?
Edward's heart skipped a beat.
Sure, Zoroark did have dark red fur… but what he had just seen was snow-white.
White and red.
That was—
"Zoroark, would you like to go take a look?" Edward asked gently, still smiling.
Zoroark let out a slightly awkward laugh—but didn't say no.
(End of Chapter)