Saw (film series)
Encyclopedia
Saw is a horror
franchise
distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment
and produced by Twisted Pictures
that consists of seven films and two video games, published by Konami
. The franchise began with the 2003 short film
which was created by Australian director James Wan
and screenwriter Leigh Whannell
to help pitch
as a potential feature film
. This was successfully done in 2004 with the release of the first feature film
at the Sundance Film Festival
. It was released theatrically that October. The sequels were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
, David Hackl
and Kevin Greutert
and were written by Wan, Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton
and Marcus Dunstan
, and have been released subsequently every October, on the Friday before Halloween
. Both of the creators remained with the franchise as executive producers. On July 22, 2010, producer Mark Burg
confirmed that the seventh film, Saw 3D is the final installment of the series. Series creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell are still open to continuing the series, however, if they can do something "different" with the material. The films collectively grossed over $
873 million at the box office worldwide.
The franchise revolves around the fictional character of John Kramer, also called the "Jigsaw Killer" or simply "Jigsaw." He was introduced briefly in Saw
and developed in more detail in Saw II
. Rather than killing his victims outright, Jigsaw traps them in situations that he calls "tests" or "games," to test their will to live through physical or psychological torture
. Despite the fact that John was murdered in Saw III
, the films continue to focus on the posthumous influence of the Jigsaw Killer and his apprentices by exploring his character via flashbacks
.
The film series as a whole has received mixed to negative reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office. While the films are often compared to Hostel and classified as torture porn by critics, the creators of Saw disagree with the term "torture porn". Writer Luke Y. Thompson of OC Weekly
argued that unlike Hostel, the Saw films actually have less torture than most in the sense of sadism or masochism, as Jigsaw believes that those who survive his methods, will be stronger people for it. He called him a kind of a (deranged) philanthropist
.
reveal the roots of the series, presenting John Kramer as a successful civil engineer and devoted husband to his wife Jill Tuck
, who opened a rehab clinic for drug addicts. Jill lost her unborn baby, Gideon, due to the unwitting actions of a drug addict named Cecil, who fled the scene. Saw VI
later showed that another drug addict, Amanda Young
, also had an unintentional role in the death of Gideon. John grieved over the loss of his child, and distanced himself from his friends and his wife.
In the comic book Saw: Rebirth, John and Jill eventually drifted apart and divorced. After this turn of events, John found himself trapped by his own complacency, until he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer
. Extremely bitter over his squandered life, John began observing the lives of others and became even more depressed as he saw those around him squandering the gift of life that he had just been denied. Flashbacks from Saw II
show that, after surviving a suicide
attempt where he drove his car off a cliff, John was "reborn", and nurtured the idea that the only way for someone to change is for them to change themselves. Then, in Saw IV
flashbacks, he designed the first trap and test for Cecil and decided to use the rest of his existence to design more of these "tests" or "games" as a form of "instant rehabilitation" that would change the world, "one person at a time". John was soon given the name "The Jigsaw Killer" (or "Jigsaw"), because he removed a puzzle-piece-shaped chunk of flesh from those who did not escape his traps. John stated that this name was given to him by the media, and that the cut piece of flesh was meant to represent that these victims were each missing something - what he called the "survival instinct".
Few of Jigsaw's victims are able to survive his brutal mechanical traps, which are often ironically
symbol
ic representations of the problems in the victim's life and require them to undergo severe physical or psychological torture
to escape.
In Saw V
, police lieutenant Mark Hoffman's ties with John are revealed in a series of flashbacks during the film. Hoffman's sister is murdered by her boyfriend, Seth Baxter. Seth is arrested; however, a technicality allowed him to be released, and Hoffman, feeling Seth had not served the full capacity of his sentence, kills him in an inescapable trap designed to look like one of Jigsaw's, laying the blame on him. Jigsaw then kidnaps Hoffman and blackmails him into becoming his apprentice in his "rehabilitation" methods, though eventually Hoffman would become a willing apprentice, helping set up John's tests from almost the beginning, starting with Paul’s trap.
The first surviving victim, Amanda Young
, views Jigsaw as a hero who ultimately changed her life for the better. Amanda, upon Jigsaw's request, agrees to become his protégée. After Amanda survives, John shows Jill her rehabilitation, and Jill then becomes knowledgeable of John's traps and becomes a willing accomplice as well.
In Saw
, Jigsaw has chained the man who diagnosed his cancer, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, in a dilapidated industrial washroom with Adam Stanheight, a photographer who has been tailing the doctor due to a former police detective's suspicions that Gordon is Jigsaw. Lawrence has instructions to kill Adam by 6 o'clock, or else his wife and daughter will be killed. Flashbacks show detectives David Tapp
and Steven Sing, who suspect Lawrence of being Jigsaw, following a trail of clues from other Jigsaw traps. Sing's death from a shotgun trap after saving a victim named Jeff causes Tapp to obsess over catching Jigsaw. Later on, he chases Zep Hindle, who monitors Adam and Lawrence's tests, and gets shot in the chest. Eventually, Lawrence saws his own foot off in order to escape, leaving Adam in the bathroom while Lawrence goes to try to save his family and get help for Adam. It's later seen in Saw 3D that Dr. Gordon found a steaming hot pipe and cauterized his wound, stopping the bleeding and ultimately surviving the trap. John catches up with Gordon and makes him his next apprentice, a fact which he hides from his other accomplices. Flashbacks from Saw III show that Amanda kidnapped Adam and later returned to suffocate him as an act of "mercy killing"; it would be the first time she deliberately intervened during a test and try to kill someone.
In Saw: The Video Game, Jigsaw nurses Detective Tapp back to health and places him in an asylum where he has to save six people. This includes Amanda, a CSI named Jennings Foster, Steven Sing's wife Melissa, a reporter named Oswald McGullicuty, an arsonist named Obi Tate, and Jeff the victim who Tapp and Sing saved. Throughout the game, Tapp is followed by a masked figure known as Pighead, who is eventually killed by him. At the end of the game, Tapp and the other victims escape with their lives but Tapp becomes fixated on finding Jigsaw. He then commits suicide due to depression.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
revolves around Michael, Tapp's son, who is kidnapped by Pighead II and forced to play Jigsaw's game to find out anything he can about his father's death. Along the way, he discovers a drug cartel
that Tapp accidentally stumbled upon. Michael finds and rescues most of the members of the cartel, but they are soon killed by Pighead II. At the beginning of the game, Campbell Iman, who is playing a game to try and find his son, is given a choice to sacrifice himself, a drug-addict who is slowly dying of cancer, and save a "stranger" who has a long life ahead of him, or let the "stranger" die, resulting in his freedom. It is revealed that the "stranger" is Michael. If Campbell chooses to save himself, Michael dies and Jigsaw appears, telling him that his son completed his own test prior to the game. Jigsaw says that all he has to do is walk out the exit. Campbell comes to the conclusion that his son can not live in a world with people like Jigsaw. Campbell attacks Jigsaw, only to be killed by a flying scythe
. If Campbell chooses to sacrifice himself and save Michael, Campbell dies and Michael escapes in an elevator. Michael's fame however slowly dies away.
Saw II
begins with the police tracking a severely weakened Jigsaw to his lair. However, another test is in place, as he and Amanda have kidnapped the son of Detective Eric Matthews
and trapped him and a group of seven convicts, previously framed by Matthews, in a house that is slowly being filled with sarin gas, with Amanda Young among them. He will trade Daniel Matthews' life for Detective Matthews' time, conversing with him until the game is concluded. Matthews loses his patience and assaults Jigsaw, forcing him to take them to the house, only to discover that the video feed from inside the house had been pre-recorded, the events actually taking place much earlier; Matthews' son was locked in a safe in Jigsaw's warehouse, being kept alive with an oxygen tank. Matthews is knocked unconscious by a masked figure and wakes up imprisoned in the bathroom from Saw, which is part of the foundation of the house. Amanda reveals herself to Eric as Jigsaw's protégée before leaving him to die. In a flashback from Saw III, Matthews manages to escape the bathroom by breaking his foot. He confronts and beats Amanda, demanding to know where his son is. Amanda fights him off and leaves him for dead. A flashback from Saw IV shows Hoffman later dragging Eric to a prison cell, keeping him alive for a future game.
The events of Saw III
and IV
occur concurrently. Saw III begins with Jigsaw, weakened and near death, confined to a makeshift hospital bed. Amanda has taken over his work, designing traps of her own; however, these traps are inescapable, as Amanda is convinced that Jigsaw's traps have no effect and that people don't change. A kidnapped doctor is forced to keep Jigsaw alive while another test is performed on Jeff, a man obsessed with vengeance against the drunk driver who killed his son. Jigsaw, unwilling to allow "a murderer" to continue his legacy, designs a test for Amanda as well; she ultimately fails, and it results in the deaths of both Jigsaw and Amanda. Saw IV, meanwhile, revolves around tests meant for Officer Rigg, which are overseen by Hoffman. Rigg fails his test, resulting in the death of Eric Matthews. Rigg is left to bleed to death by Hoffman, who later discovers the bodies of Jigsaw and Amanda. When an autopsy
is performed on Jigsaw, a cassette tape coated in wax is found in his stomach
; the tape informs Hoffman that he is wrong to think that it is all over just because Jigsaw is dead, and he should not expect to go untested.
The events of Saw V
show one of Hoffman's first solo tests, five people connected together by different roles in a disastrous fire that killed several others are put into four interconnected tests of teamwork, killing off one person in each trap. The two remaining test subjects realize at the final trap that each previous trap was meant to be completed by each of the five people doing a small part, rather than killing one person per trap. With this, the two work together and barely manage to escape from the series of traps. They are found by Special Agent Erikson and are alive. Meanwhile, Hoffman has set up Peter Strahm to appear to be Jigsaw's accomplice, while Strahm pursues Hoffman and is eventually killed due to the inability to follow Hoffman's rules, leaving Hoffman free to continue Jigsaw's "work".
Saw VI
begins with Hoffman setting up a game as per John's instructions left in a box for Jill during Saw V. This game centers around an insurance executive named William Easton who oversees a team responsible for rejecting two-thirds of all insurance claims. As William progresses through four tests, he saves as many people as he can and learns the error of his choice to reject so many policies, which inherently "kill" the rejected. His last test is revealed to be a test of forgiveness by the family of Harold Abbott who William rejected a policy to in the past, who's son ultimately chose to kill William using hydrofluoric acid
. Meanwhile, Agent Erickson and the previously thought to be dead agent Perez search for Agent Strahm with the assistance of Hoffman. Upon finding irregularities in previous murder scenes, Perez and Erickson discover Hoffman's identity, but are killed by him before they can go public with his involvement. Hoffman travels back to the site of William's tests in which Jill attacks him to obey John's final request. She leaves Hoffman in a new Reverse Beartrap left behind by John where he is able to manipulate the trap and escape wounded. Hoffman is left in the area, screaming, with his face mangled by Jill's trap.
Saw 3D picks up with Jill and Hoffman battling for control of Jigsaw's legacy. As Jill enters protective custody and makes Hoffman's true identity public, Hoffman sets up a new game involving skinheads to find a way to Jill. Meanwhile, Bobby Dagen, a fraud who has written a book about escaping a Jigsaw trap he never had experienced, is captured and forced to confront people around him who knew he lied about being in a trap. Three of Dagen's friends die, and his trap concludes with him being forced to reenact the trap he claimed to have survived before. He fails, which results in the death of his wife. Meanwhile, Hoffman has posed as a corpse and killed several officers to infiltrate the police station. He finds and kills Jill using the Reverse Beartrap. Hoffman attempts to leave town but is captured by Lawrence Gordon and his accomplices, then placed in the bathroom from the first film. Revealing Jigsaw aided Gordon after his trap and Gordon helped with subsequent traps in return, Hoffman is then left shackled in the bathroom to die.
Age and use of the puppet over the course of the films necessitated its reconstruction. According to Wan, the original puppet's face for Saw involved clay, papier-mâché, and black ping-pong balls with the irises painted in for the eyes, but in later films more sophisticated construction included waterjet-cut foam for the body and remote-controlled animatronics
.
The endurance and popularity of the franchise has resulted in the production of Billy merchandise, as well as references in other media and its use in promotions for the films.
for the first film in the series. In Saw, the implied primary antagonist, Zep Hindle, is revealed to actually be a victim of the real antagonist, the Jigsaw Killer. (The character's name in the script is spelled 'Zep', whereas the music titles are spelled 'Zepp'). As the series continued, the piece was reused in every film as a leitmotif
, often being renamed and remixed to accommodate the changing situations and characters. The music was used in every Saw ending, except for Saw VI where a remixed, slightly modified version of the song was used.
. They were designed to look horrific but ultimately be safe for the actors in them. Writer Marcus Dunstan said, "It's built to function there on the day," and added, "It works. So if there's a scalping chair – there really was a chair with working gears to grind and pull your scalp back." The most potentially dangerous item was a "water box," used in Saw V, in which one of the actors (Scott Patterson, as Peter Strahm) had to keep his head submerged as long as possible. Another element of the traps is that Hackl desired a specific look of rust and menace, but he also wanted them to have a type of beauty about them.
grossed $18.2 million its opening weekend and had become Lionsgate
's second best opening, after Fahrenheit 9/11
(2004). Saw went on to gross worldwide, and is the second lowest grossing film in the series after Saw VI
. At the time, it became the most profitable horror film after Scream
(1996). It is the seventh highest-grossing Halloween
opening weekend. Saw II
opened at number one with $31.7 million, and set a Lionsgate Halloween opening weekend record and is also the third highest-grossing Halloween opener. It became at the time, the widest release in Lionsgate history and one of the best opening weekends for a horror sequel. It is Lionsgate's fourth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. Saw III
placed first by grossing $33.6 million its opening weekend, making it the biggest Halloween debut ever and at the time, Lionsgate's highest-opening weekend. It is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. It has the highest-grossing weekend in the series and also Lionsgate's fifth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.
Saw IV
premiered at number one with $32.1 million making it the second best Halloween weekend opener. In Saw V
s opening weekend it placed second, being beat by High School Musical 3: Senior Year
, and made $30.1 million. It is Lionsgate's tenth highest-grossing film. Saw VI opened in second place behind Paranormal Activity to $14.1 million, which is the lowest of all the Saw films worldwide. It is also the lowest-grossing film in the series. Saw 3D placed first grossing $22.5 million its opening weekend, with 92% of tickets coming from more than 2,100 3D-equipped locations. It had the fifth best opening weekend in the Saw series. It is the most successful film in the franchise since Saw IV.
The Saw series, when compared to the other high-grossing American horror franchises - A Nightmare on Elm Street
, Child's Play
, Friday the 13th, the Hannibal Lecter
series, Psycho
, Scream
, Halloween
, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — with figures adjusted for 2011 inflation, is the fifth highest-grossing horror franchise in the United States and Canada at $457.4 million. This list is topped by Friday the 13th at $687.1 million, followed by the Nightmare on Elm Street series with $592.8 million, with the Hannibal Lecter film series closely behind with $588.7 million. Then comes Halloween with $557.5 million, the Scream series with $442.9 million and Psycho with $376.3 million. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comes next with $304.6 million, and lastly comes the Child's Play film series with approximately $203 million.
Unadjusted for inflation
Adjusted for 2011 inflation
's list of the top twenty-five movie franchises of all time, the Saw series ranks as number twenty-five.
video game company Konami
currently owns the rights to the Saw interactive video game property. Konami stated in mid-2009 that they wanted to make Saw a series of video games to supplement the films. They also wish to make Saw their next big survival horror franchise next to their other property, Silent Hill
. They stated that because Saw focuses on visual intensity and Silent Hill focuses on psychological terror, both could exist in the video game industry without directly competing against each other.
Saw, a video game set between first and second film in the series, was initially released on October 6, 2009.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
, a sequel to Saw, was released on October 19, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ten days before the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D.
on April 12, 2011, series creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell were asked if Saw 3D is truly the final Saw film. Wan commented by saying, "It is finished for now, but since it's such a huge, well-known franchise, it's gonna come back at some point." They were also asked what it would take for them to return to the films. Wan stated, "I would come back if we were allowed to do something different and really cool." Whannell expanded that by saying, "We would want to do something that was a bit of a different take."
Official sites
Other links
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
and produced by Twisted Pictures
Twisted Pictures
Twisted Pictures is an independent production company, mainly creating films of the horror genre. The company was founded in 2004 by Evolution Entertainment's Mark Burg, Oren Koules and Gregg Hoffman...
that consists of seven films and two video games, published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
. The franchise began with the 2003 short film
Saw (2003 film)
"Saw " is a nine-and-a-half-minute Australian short subject horror film released in 2003. It was directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, who also starred in it. It was originally used to pitch their script for a full-length feature film Saw to various studios and actors. The...
which was created by Australian director James Wan
James Wan
James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,...
and screenwriter Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
to help pitch
Sales pitch
In selling technique, a sales pitch is a line of talk that attempts to persuade someone or something, with a planned sales presentation strategy of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale of the product or service....
as a potential feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
. This was successfully done in 2004 with the release of the first feature film
Saw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. It was released theatrically that October. The sequels were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,...
, David Hackl
David Hackl
David Hackl is a Canadian film director and production designer.-Life and career:Hackl was the production designer and second unit director for Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV. Also the production designer for Repo! The Genetic Opera. He was once in talks to direct Saw IV, however, Darren Lynn Bousman...
and Kevin Greutert
Kevin Greutert
-External links:...
and were written by Wan, Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton
Patrick Melton
Patrick Melton is an American screenwriter.-Early life:Melton was born in Champaign, Illinois. He attended Evanston Township High School, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies...
and Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan
Marcus Dunstan is an American screenplay writer and director.-Life and career:Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois...
, and have been released subsequently every October, on the Friday before Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. Both of the creators remained with the franchise as executive producers. On July 22, 2010, producer Mark Burg
Mark Burg
Mark Burg is an American film producer and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the SAW series of films and on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.-Career:...
confirmed that the seventh film, Saw 3D is the final installment of the series. Series creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell are still open to continuing the series, however, if they can do something "different" with the material. The films collectively grossed over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
873 million at the box office worldwide.
The franchise revolves around the fictional character of John Kramer, also called the "Jigsaw Killer" or simply "Jigsaw." He was introduced briefly in Saw
Saw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
and developed in more detail in Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
. Rather than killing his victims outright, Jigsaw traps them in situations that he calls "tests" or "games," to test their will to live through physical or psychological torture
Psychological torture
Psychological torture is a type of torture that relies primarily on psychological effects, and only secondarily on any physical harm inflicted. Although not all psychological torture involves the use of physical violence, there is a continuum between psychological torture and physical torture...
. Despite the fact that John was murdered in Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
, the films continue to focus on the posthumous influence of the Jigsaw Killer and his apprentices by exploring his character via flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
.
The film series as a whole has received mixed to negative reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office. While the films are often compared to Hostel and classified as torture porn by critics, the creators of Saw disagree with the term "torture porn". Writer Luke Y. Thompson of OC Weekly
OC Weekly
OC Weekly, a sister publication of both LA Weekly and The Village Voice, is a free, left-wing weekly paper distributed in Orange County, California and also in Long Beach....
argued that unlike Hostel, the Saw films actually have less torture than most in the sense of sadism or masochism, as Jigsaw believes that those who survive his methods, will be stronger people for it. He called him a kind of a (deranged) philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
.
Overview
Flashbacks from Saw IVSaw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
reveal the roots of the series, presenting John Kramer as a successful civil engineer and devoted husband to his wife Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck
Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...
, who opened a rehab clinic for drug addicts. Jill lost her unborn baby, Gideon, due to the unwitting actions of a drug addict named Cecil, who fled the scene. Saw VI
Saw VI
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...
later showed that another drug addict, Amanda Young
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to...
, also had an unintentional role in the death of Gideon. John grieved over the loss of his child, and distanced himself from his friends and his wife.
In the comic book Saw: Rebirth, John and Jill eventually drifted apart and divorced. After this turn of events, John found himself trapped by his own complacency, until he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Extremely bitter over his squandered life, John began observing the lives of others and became even more depressed as he saw those around him squandering the gift of life that he had just been denied. Flashbacks from Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
show that, after surviving a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempt where he drove his car off a cliff, John was "reborn", and nurtured the idea that the only way for someone to change is for them to change themselves. Then, in Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
flashbacks, he designed the first trap and test for Cecil and decided to use the rest of his existence to design more of these "tests" or "games" as a form of "instant rehabilitation" that would change the world, "one person at a time". John was soon given the name "The Jigsaw Killer" (or "Jigsaw"), because he removed a puzzle-piece-shaped chunk of flesh from those who did not escape his traps. John stated that this name was given to him by the media, and that the cut piece of flesh was meant to represent that these victims were each missing something - what he called the "survival instinct".
Few of Jigsaw's victims are able to survive his brutal mechanical traps, which are often ironically
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic representations of the problems in the victim's life and require them to undergo severe physical or psychological torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
to escape.
In Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
, police lieutenant Mark Hoffman's ties with John are revealed in a series of flashbacks during the film. Hoffman's sister is murdered by her boyfriend, Seth Baxter. Seth is arrested; however, a technicality allowed him to be released, and Hoffman, feeling Seth had not served the full capacity of his sentence, kills him in an inescapable trap designed to look like one of Jigsaw's, laying the blame on him. Jigsaw then kidnaps Hoffman and blackmails him into becoming his apprentice in his "rehabilitation" methods, though eventually Hoffman would become a willing apprentice, helping set up John's tests from almost the beginning, starting with Paul’s trap.
The first surviving victim, Amanda Young
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to...
, views Jigsaw as a hero who ultimately changed her life for the better. Amanda, upon Jigsaw's request, agrees to become his protégée. After Amanda survives, John shows Jill her rehabilitation, and Jill then becomes knowledgeable of John's traps and becomes a willing accomplice as well.
In Saw
Saw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
, Jigsaw has chained the man who diagnosed his cancer, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, in a dilapidated industrial washroom with Adam Stanheight, a photographer who has been tailing the doctor due to a former police detective's suspicions that Gordon is Jigsaw. Lawrence has instructions to kill Adam by 6 o'clock, or else his wife and daughter will be killed. Flashbacks show detectives David Tapp
David Tapp
David Tapp is a fictional character from the Saw franchise. While introduced as a supporting protagonist in Saw, Tapp did not become a major character until Saw: The Video Game, which featured him as the lead protagonist and player character. He also made an brief appearance in a flashback in Saw V...
and Steven Sing, who suspect Lawrence of being Jigsaw, following a trail of clues from other Jigsaw traps. Sing's death from a shotgun trap after saving a victim named Jeff causes Tapp to obsess over catching Jigsaw. Later on, he chases Zep Hindle, who monitors Adam and Lawrence's tests, and gets shot in the chest. Eventually, Lawrence saws his own foot off in order to escape, leaving Adam in the bathroom while Lawrence goes to try to save his family and get help for Adam. It's later seen in Saw 3D that Dr. Gordon found a steaming hot pipe and cauterized his wound, stopping the bleeding and ultimately surviving the trap. John catches up with Gordon and makes him his next apprentice, a fact which he hides from his other accomplices. Flashbacks from Saw III show that Amanda kidnapped Adam and later returned to suffocate him as an act of "mercy killing"; it would be the first time she deliberately intervened during a test and try to kill someone.
In Saw: The Video Game, Jigsaw nurses Detective Tapp back to health and places him in an asylum where he has to save six people. This includes Amanda, a CSI named Jennings Foster, Steven Sing's wife Melissa, a reporter named Oswald McGullicuty, an arsonist named Obi Tate, and Jeff the victim who Tapp and Sing saved. Throughout the game, Tapp is followed by a masked figure known as Pighead, who is eventually killed by him. At the end of the game, Tapp and the other victims escape with their lives but Tapp becomes fixated on finding Jigsaw. He then commits suicide due to depression.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Saw II: Flesh & Blood is a 2010 third person survival horror video game developed by Zombie Studios and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to 2009's Saw: The Video Game, both of which are based in the same fictional universe as the Saw films...
revolves around Michael, Tapp's son, who is kidnapped by Pighead II and forced to play Jigsaw's game to find out anything he can about his father's death. Along the way, he discovers a drug cartel
Cartel
A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products...
that Tapp accidentally stumbled upon. Michael finds and rescues most of the members of the cartel, but they are soon killed by Pighead II. At the beginning of the game, Campbell Iman, who is playing a game to try and find his son, is given a choice to sacrifice himself, a drug-addict who is slowly dying of cancer, and save a "stranger" who has a long life ahead of him, or let the "stranger" die, resulting in his freedom. It is revealed that the "stranger" is Michael. If Campbell chooses to save himself, Michael dies and Jigsaw appears, telling him that his son completed his own test prior to the game. Jigsaw says that all he has to do is walk out the exit. Campbell comes to the conclusion that his son can not live in a world with people like Jigsaw. Campbell attacks Jigsaw, only to be killed by a flying scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
. If Campbell chooses to sacrifice himself and save Michael, Campbell dies and Michael escapes in an elevator. Michael's fame however slowly dies away.
Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
begins with the police tracking a severely weakened Jigsaw to his lair. However, another test is in place, as he and Amanda have kidnapped the son of Detective Eric Matthews
Eric Matthews (Saw)
Eric Matthews is a fictional character from the Saw franchise, who first appeared in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Uncut Edition of the original film. He is the main protagonist of Saw II and a supporting character in both Saw III and...
and trapped him and a group of seven convicts, previously framed by Matthews, in a house that is slowly being filled with sarin gas, with Amanda Young among them. He will trade Daniel Matthews' life for Detective Matthews' time, conversing with him until the game is concluded. Matthews loses his patience and assaults Jigsaw, forcing him to take them to the house, only to discover that the video feed from inside the house had been pre-recorded, the events actually taking place much earlier; Matthews' son was locked in a safe in Jigsaw's warehouse, being kept alive with an oxygen tank. Matthews is knocked unconscious by a masked figure and wakes up imprisoned in the bathroom from Saw, which is part of the foundation of the house. Amanda reveals herself to Eric as Jigsaw's protégée before leaving him to die. In a flashback from Saw III, Matthews manages to escape the bathroom by breaking his foot. He confronts and beats Amanda, demanding to know where his son is. Amanda fights him off and leaves him for dead. A flashback from Saw IV shows Hoffman later dragging Eric to a prison cell, keeping him alive for a future game.
The events of Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
and IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
occur concurrently. Saw III begins with Jigsaw, weakened and near death, confined to a makeshift hospital bed. Amanda has taken over his work, designing traps of her own; however, these traps are inescapable, as Amanda is convinced that Jigsaw's traps have no effect and that people don't change. A kidnapped doctor is forced to keep Jigsaw alive while another test is performed on Jeff, a man obsessed with vengeance against the drunk driver who killed his son. Jigsaw, unwilling to allow "a murderer" to continue his legacy, designs a test for Amanda as well; she ultimately fails, and it results in the deaths of both Jigsaw and Amanda. Saw IV, meanwhile, revolves around tests meant for Officer Rigg, which are overseen by Hoffman. Rigg fails his test, resulting in the death of Eric Matthews. Rigg is left to bleed to death by Hoffman, who later discovers the bodies of Jigsaw and Amanda. When an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
is performed on Jigsaw, a cassette tape coated in wax is found in his stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
; the tape informs Hoffman that he is wrong to think that it is all over just because Jigsaw is dead, and he should not expect to go untested.
The events of Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
show one of Hoffman's first solo tests, five people connected together by different roles in a disastrous fire that killed several others are put into four interconnected tests of teamwork, killing off one person in each trap. The two remaining test subjects realize at the final trap that each previous trap was meant to be completed by each of the five people doing a small part, rather than killing one person per trap. With this, the two work together and barely manage to escape from the series of traps. They are found by Special Agent Erikson and are alive. Meanwhile, Hoffman has set up Peter Strahm to appear to be Jigsaw's accomplice, while Strahm pursues Hoffman and is eventually killed due to the inability to follow Hoffman's rules, leaving Hoffman free to continue Jigsaw's "work".
Saw VI
Saw VI
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...
begins with Hoffman setting up a game as per John's instructions left in a box for Jill during Saw V. This game centers around an insurance executive named William Easton who oversees a team responsible for rejecting two-thirds of all insurance claims. As William progresses through four tests, he saves as many people as he can and learns the error of his choice to reject so many policies, which inherently "kill" the rejected. His last test is revealed to be a test of forgiveness by the family of Harold Abbott who William rejected a policy to in the past, who's son ultimately chose to kill William using hydrofluoric acid
Hydrofluoric acid
Hydrofluoric acid is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water. It is a valued source of fluorine and is the precursor to numerous pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine and diverse materials such as PTFE ....
. Meanwhile, Agent Erickson and the previously thought to be dead agent Perez search for Agent Strahm with the assistance of Hoffman. Upon finding irregularities in previous murder scenes, Perez and Erickson discover Hoffman's identity, but are killed by him before they can go public with his involvement. Hoffman travels back to the site of William's tests in which Jill attacks him to obey John's final request. She leaves Hoffman in a new Reverse Beartrap left behind by John where he is able to manipulate the trap and escape wounded. Hoffman is left in the area, screaming, with his face mangled by Jill's trap.
Saw 3D picks up with Jill and Hoffman battling for control of Jigsaw's legacy. As Jill enters protective custody and makes Hoffman's true identity public, Hoffman sets up a new game involving skinheads to find a way to Jill. Meanwhile, Bobby Dagen, a fraud who has written a book about escaping a Jigsaw trap he never had experienced, is captured and forced to confront people around him who knew he lied about being in a trap. Three of Dagen's friends die, and his trap concludes with him being forced to reenact the trap he claimed to have survived before. He fails, which results in the death of his wife. Meanwhile, Hoffman has posed as a corpse and killed several officers to infiltrate the police station. He finds and kills Jill using the Reverse Beartrap. Hoffman attempts to leave town but is captured by Lawrence Gordon and his accomplices, then placed in the bathroom from the first film. Revealing Jigsaw aided Gordon after his trap and Gordon helped with subsequent traps in return, Hoffman is then left shackled in the bathroom to die.
Billy
Billy is a puppet resembling a ventriloquist's dummy, sometimes seen riding a tricycle, that has appeared throughout the films and has become a type of mascot for the series. It is used by the Jigsaw Killer to communicate with his victims by delivering televised messages or occasionally in person to describe details of the sadistic traps and the means by which the victims could survive. Viewers have sometimes incorrectly identified the puppet itself as Jigsaw, because of its presence and connection to the killer.Age and use of the puppet over the course of the films necessitated its reconstruction. According to Wan, the original puppet's face for Saw involved clay, papier-mâché, and black ping-pong balls with the irises painted in for the eyes, but in later films more sophisticated construction included waterjet-cut foam for the body and remote-controlled animatronics
Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
.
The endurance and popularity of the franchise has resulted in the production of Billy merchandise, as well as references in other media and its use in promotions for the films.
"Hello Zepp"
"Hello Zepp" is a piece of instrumental music that was originally composed by Charlie ClouserCharlie Clouser
Charles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine...
for the first film in the series. In Saw, the implied primary antagonist, Zep Hindle, is revealed to actually be a victim of the real antagonist, the Jigsaw Killer. (The character's name in the script is spelled 'Zep', whereas the music titles are spelled 'Zepp'). As the series continued, the piece was reused in every film as a leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
, often being renamed and remixed to accommodate the changing situations and characters. The music was used in every Saw ending, except for Saw VI where a remixed, slightly modified version of the song was used.
Traps
An important component of each film is the variety of mechanical traps Jigsaw and his apprentices use on their captives to communicate his message. According to David Hackl, all of the traps are real objects, and not CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
. They were designed to look horrific but ultimately be safe for the actors in them. Writer Marcus Dunstan said, "It's built to function there on the day," and added, "It works. So if there's a scalping chair – there really was a chair with working gears to grind and pull your scalp back." The most potentially dangerous item was a "water box," used in Saw V, in which one of the actors (Scott Patterson, as Peter Strahm) had to keep his head submerged as long as possible. Another element of the traps is that Hackl desired a specific look of rust and menace, but he also wanted them to have a type of beauty about them.
Production
| Film | Director | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor | Composer | Production designer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saw Saw (film) Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell... (2004) |
James Wan James Wan James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,... |
Story by James Wan & Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:... Screenplay by Leigh Whannell |
Mark Burg Mark Burg Mark Burg is an American film producer and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the SAW series of films and on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.-Career:... Oren Koules Oren Koules Oren Koules is an American entertainment industry and professional sports industry executive. He was president of Evolution Entertainment, producer of the Saw film series... Gregg Hoffman Gregg Hoffman Gregg Hoffman born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in... |
David A. Armstrong | Kevin Greutert Kevin Greutert -External links:... |
Charlie Clouser Charlie Clouser Charles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine... |
Julie Berghoff |
| Saw II Saw II Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series... (2005) |
Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter.-Personal life:Bousman was born in Overland Park, Kansas, the son of Nancy and Lynn Bousman. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University. He attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park,... |
Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:... & Darren Lynn Bousman |
David Hackl David Hackl David Hackl is a Canadian film director and production designer.-Life and career:Hackl was the production designer and second unit director for Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV. Also the production designer for Repo! The Genetic Opera. He was once in talks to direct Saw IV, however, Darren Lynn Bousman... |
||||
| Saw III Saw III Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars... (2006) |
Story by James Wan James Wan James Wan is a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director of Chinese heritage. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw and creating Billy the puppet. He also directed Dead Silence, Death Sentence and Insidious.-Life and career:Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak,... & Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:... Screenplay by Leigh Whannell |
||||||
| Saw IV Saw IV Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007... (2007) |
Story by Thomas Fenton Thomas Fenton Thomas Fenton is an American screenwriter and his writing credits include the screenplays for Saw IV.-Filmography:*Lady in White *Cheap Shots *Slaughter of the Innocents... & Patrick Melton Patrick Melton Patrick Melton is an American screenwriter.-Early life:Melton was born in Champaign, Illinois. He attended Evanston Township High School, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies... & Marcus Dunstan Marcus Dunstan Marcus Dunstan is an American screenplay writer and director.-Life and career:Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois... Screenplay by Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan |
||||||
| Saw V Saw V Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson... (2008) |
David Hackl | Patrick Melton Patrick Melton Patrick Melton is an American screenwriter.-Early life:Melton was born in Champaign, Illinois. He attended Evanston Township High School, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies... & Marcus Dunstan Marcus Dunstan Marcus Dunstan is an American screenplay writer and director.-Life and career:Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois... |
Anthony A. Ianni | ||||
| Saw VI Saw VI Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith... (2009) |
Kevin Greutert | Andrew Coutts | |||||
| Saw 3D (2010) | Brian Gedge |
Characters
List indicator(s)
- Italics indicate appearances in flashback or archive footage from previous films.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Character | Film | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saw | Saw II | Saw III | Saw IV | Saw V | Saw VI | Saw 3D | |
| John Kramer/Jigsaw Jigsaw Killer John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D... |
Tobin Bell Tobin Bell Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell... |
||||||
| Amanda Young Amanda Young Amanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to... |
Shawnee Smith Shawnee Smith Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker.... |
Shawnee Smith | Shawnee Smith | Shawnee Smith | |||
| Allison Kerry | Dina Meyer Dina Meyer Dina Meyer is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers and Detective Allison Kerry in the Saw films. She portrayed Mrs. Hong as a recurring guest star on ABC's Scoundrels.-Personal life:Meyer was born in Queens, New York... |
Dina Meyer | |||||
| Adam Stanheight | Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, best known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Life and career:... |
Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | Leigh Whannell | |||
| Lawrence Gordon | Cary Elwes Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The... |
Cary Elwes | Cary Elwes | ||||
| Eric Matthews Eric Matthews (Saw) Eric Matthews is a fictional character from the Saw franchise, who first appeared in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Uncut Edition of the original film. He is the main protagonist of Saw II and a supporting character in both Saw III and... |
Donnie Wahlberg Donnie Wahlberg Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television... |
Donnie Wahlberg | |||||
| Daniel Rigg | Lyriq Bent Lyriq Bent Lyriq Bent is a Canadian actor that is perhaps best known for portraying Lieutenant Daniel Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.-Life and career:... |
Lyriq Bent | |||||
| Mark Hoffman | Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor is a Greek Australian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kenny in Picket Fences, and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the Saw films.-Early life:... |
||||||
| Jill Tuck Jill Tuck Jill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in... |
Betsy Russell Betsy Russell Betsy Russell is an American actress who is best known for her role in Private School, and as Jill Tuck, the ex-wife of the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw film series.-Early life:... |
||||||
| Jeff Denlon | Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen is a Scottish actor.Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was brought up partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.Angus attended the University of... |
Angus Macfadyen | |||||
| Lynn Denlon | Bahar Soomekh Bahar Soomekh Bahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:... |
Bahar Soomekh | |||||
| Peter Strahm | Scott Patterson Scott Patterson (actor) Scott Gordon Patterson is an American actor. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls and Agent Strahm in Saw IV, Saw V and Saw VI... |
Scott Patterson | |||||
| Lindsey Perez | Athena Karkanis Athena Karkanis Athena Irene Karkanis is a Canadian actress best-known for her role on The Best Years as fictitious Dominican-American actress Dawn Vargaz.-Filmography:*Chappelle's Show .... Caller... |
Athena Karkanis | Athena Karkanis | ||||
Box office
SawSaw (film)
Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
grossed $18.2 million its opening weekend and had become Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
's second best opening, after Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
(2004). Saw went on to gross worldwide, and is the second lowest grossing film in the series after Saw VI
Saw VI
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...
. At the time, it became the most profitable horror film after Scream
Scream (film)
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
(1996). It is the seventh highest-grossing Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
opening weekend. Saw II
Saw II
Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
opened at number one with $31.7 million, and set a Lionsgate Halloween opening weekend record and is also the third highest-grossing Halloween opener. It became at the time, the widest release in Lionsgate history and one of the best opening weekends for a horror sequel. It is Lionsgate's fourth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. Saw III
Saw III
Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
placed first by grossing $33.6 million its opening weekend, making it the biggest Halloween debut ever and at the time, Lionsgate's highest-opening weekend. It is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide. It has the highest-grossing weekend in the series and also Lionsgate's fifth highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada.
Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
premiered at number one with $32.1 million making it the second best Halloween weekend opener. In Saw V
Saw V
Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
s opening weekend it placed second, being beat by High School Musical 3: Senior Year
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 American romantic musical film and the third and final installment in the High School Musical trilogy. Its theatrical release in the United States began on October 24, 2008...
, and made $30.1 million. It is Lionsgate's tenth highest-grossing film. Saw VI opened in second place behind Paranormal Activity to $14.1 million, which is the lowest of all the Saw films worldwide. It is also the lowest-grossing film in the series. Saw 3D placed first grossing $22.5 million its opening weekend, with 92% of tickets coming from more than 2,100 3D-equipped locations. It had the fifth best opening weekend in the Saw series. It is the most successful film in the franchise since Saw IV.
The Saw series, when compared to the other high-grossing American horror franchises - A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
, Child's Play
Child's Play (film series)
Child's Play is a horror film franchise created by Don Mancini, with its first installment, Child's Play, being released on November 9, 1988. The film has so far spawned four sequels and has gone into other media, such as comic books. The films all feature Chucky, a killer Good Guys doll with the...
, Friday the 13th, the Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
series, Psycho
Psycho (film series)
The Psycho film series is an American horror film franchise loosely based on the Psycho novels by Robert Bloch. The first film, Psycho, was directed by legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in 1960, with three sequels, a spin-off, and a remake following. The official films consist of Psycho,...
, Scream
Scream (film series)
Scream is a series of American horror slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures...
, Halloween
Halloween (franchise)
Halloween is an American horror franchise that consists of ten slasher films, novels, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the fictional character of Michael Myers who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister, Judith Myers...
, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — with figures adjusted for 2011 inflation, is the fifth highest-grossing horror franchise in the United States and Canada at $457.4 million. This list is topped by Friday the 13th at $687.1 million, followed by the Nightmare on Elm Street series with $592.8 million, with the Hannibal Lecter film series closely behind with $588.7 million. Then comes Halloween with $557.5 million, the Scream series with $442.9 million and Psycho with $376.3 million. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comes next with $304.6 million, and lastly comes the Child's Play film series with approximately $203 million.
Unadjusted for inflation
| Film | Release date | Revenue | Budget | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Canada |
Other markets | Worldwide | ||||
| Saw Saw (film) Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell... |
$55,185,045 | $47,911,300 | $103,096,345 | $1,000,000–1,200,000 | ||
| Saw II Saw II Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series... |
$87,039,965 | $60,708,540 | $147,748,505 | $4,000,000 | ||
| Saw III Saw III Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars... |
$80,238,724 | $84,635,551 | $164,874,275 | $10,000,000 | ||
| Saw IV Saw IV Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007... |
$63,300,095 | $76,052,538 | $139,352,633 | $10,000,000 | ||
| Saw V Saw V Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson... |
$56,746,769 | $57,117,290 | $113,864,059 | $10,800,000 | ||
| Saw VI Saw VI Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith... |
$27,693,292 | $40,540,337 | $68,233,629 | $11,000,000 | ||
| Saw 3D | $45,710,178 | $90,440,256 | $136,150,434 | $17,000,000 | ||
| Total | $415,914,068 | $457,405,812 | $873,319,880 | $64,000,000 | ||
Adjusted for 2011 inflation
| Film | Release date | Revenue | Budget | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Canada |
Other markets | Worldwide | |||
| Saw Saw (film) Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell... |
$65,303,370 | $56,695,965 | $121,999,335 | $1,200,000–1,400,000 | |
| Saw II Saw II Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series... |
$100,291,115 | $69,950,938 | $170,242,053 | $4,600,000 | |
| Saw III Saw III Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars... |
$89,414,350 | $94,313,972 | $183,728,322 | $11,200,000 | |
| Saw IV Saw IV Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007... |
$68,351,472 | $82,121,566 | $150,473,038 | $10,800,000 | |
| Saw V Saw V Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson... |
$59,606,215 | $59,995,406 | $119,601,621 | $11,300,000 | |
| Saw VI Saw VI Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith... |
$28,023,839 | $41,024,227 | $69,048,066 | $11,100,000 | |
| Saw 3D | $46,441,540 | $91,887,301 | $138,328,841 | $17,300,000 | |
| Total | $457,431,901 | $495,989,375 | $953,421,276 | $67,700,000 | |
Critical reaction
On IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's list of the top twenty-five movie franchises of all time, the Saw series ranks as number twenty-five.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance... |
Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
|---|---|---|
| Saw Saw (film) Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell... |
48% (162 reviews) | 46 (32 reviews) |
| Saw II Saw II Saw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series... |
35% (116 reviews) | 40 (28 reviews) |
| Saw III Saw III Saw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars... |
25% (83 reviews) | 48 (16 reviews) |
| Saw IV Saw IV Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007... |
17% (71 reviews) | 36 (16 reviews) |
| Saw V Saw V Saw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson... |
13% (70 reviews) | 19 (12 reviews) |
| Saw VI Saw VI Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith... |
40% (63 reviews) | 30 (12 reviews) |
| Saw 3D | 10% (68 reviews) | 20 (17 reviews) |
Films
- "SawSaw (2003 film)"Saw " is a nine-and-a-half-minute Australian short subject horror film released in 2003. It was directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, who also starred in it. It was originally used to pitch their script for a full-length feature film Saw to various studios and actors. The...
", a 2003 short film that served as a promotional tool in pitching the film's potential to Lions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, included on the second disc of the uncut DVD release of Saw.
- SawSaw (film)Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...
, released on October 29, 2004 - Saw IISaw IISaw II is a 2005 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and co-written by Bousman and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell. It is a sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the seven-part Saw film series...
, released on October 28, 2005 - Saw IIISaw IIISaw III is a 2006 Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and story by James Wan and Whannell. Wan and Whannell directed and wrote Saw and Bousman wrote and directed Saw II. It is the third film in the seven-part Saw film series and stars...
, released on October 27, 2006 - Saw IVSaw IVSaw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...
, released on October 26, 2007 - Saw VSaw VSaw V is a 2008 Canadian-American horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson...
, released on October 24, 2008 - Saw VISaw VISaw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment of the seven–part Saw film series and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith...
, released on October 23, 2009 - Saw 3D, released on October 29, 2010
Attractions
- "Saw: The Ride", is a Gerstlauer Euro-FighterGerstlauer Euro-FighterThe Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter is a popular roller coaster design built by Gerstlauer. It was launched in 2003 and now has many installations around the world, including a number yet to be completed. The trademark feature of the roller coaster is its 'beyond vertical' drop, which reaches an angle...
roller coaster themed around the franchise, which opened on March 13, 2009 at Thorpe ParkThorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It features an enclosed dark ride section with special effects, before cars travel outside and are pulled up a 100-foot vertical lift hill into a steep 100-degree drop. - Thorpe ParkThorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
opened a temporary Saw attraction, called "Saw - Movie Bites" for their 2009 Fright Nights event. - It was announced in October 2009 that Thorpe Park would also be adding a permanent, year-round live actionLive actionIn filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
horror mazeMazeA maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
themed around the Saw movies. It opened at the start of the 2010 season, and features six scenes representing one iconic trap from each movie to date. - "Saw: Game OverHalloween Horror NightsHalloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween event that occurs at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore. Universal Studios remains operational during the day and transitions to Halloween Horror Nights at night...
" was a 2009 maze made by Universal StudiosUniversal StudiosUniversal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
for Halloween Horror Nights, based on characters, traps, and scenes from the films. At the Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
rendition of Horror Nights it was titled Saw: Game Over, while at the Universal Studios Orlando rendition, it was simply titled Saw. - "Saw", a themed haunted house, operated during the month of October at Fright Dome, Circus Circus Las VegasCircus Circus Las VegasCircus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. Circus Circus features circus acts and carnival type games daily on the Midway...
. It featured interactive, handcrafted replicas of the "games" set by JigsawJigsaw KillerJohn Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...
. It was introduced in 2009 and partnered with Lionsgate and Twisted PicturesTwisted PicturesTwisted Pictures is an independent production company, mainly creating films of the horror genre. The company was founded in 2004 by Evolution Entertainment's Mark Burg, Oren Koules and Gregg Hoffman...
. - In 2010, "Halloween Fright NightsHalloween Fright NightsFright Nights is a seasonal halloween event held at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The event began in 2006 as Halloween Family Fun Night as a single night event and has since evolved into a major park event across a month...
" at Warner Bros. Movie WorldWarner Bros. Movie WorldWarner Bros. Movie World is a popular movie related theme park on the Gold Coast in Australia. It is owned and operated by Village Roadshow since the take over from Time Warner and is the only movie related park in Australia...
featured a maze created by Sudden Impact Entertainment, based on the characters, traps and scenes from the films. The maze was simply titled "Saw Maze". - "Saw Haunted Attraction" was a maze at the Brea Plaza Shopping Center in 2008 created by Sinster Pointe Haunted Attractions.
- "SAWMANIA" was a fan event in New York. Eventgoers were able to meet actors and directors, and view props used in the films.
Video games
JapaneseJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
video game company Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
currently owns the rights to the Saw interactive video game property. Konami stated in mid-2009 that they wanted to make Saw a series of video games to supplement the films. They also wish to make Saw their next big survival horror franchise next to their other property, Silent Hill
Silent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
. They stated that because Saw focuses on visual intensity and Silent Hill focuses on psychological terror, both could exist in the video game industry without directly competing against each other.
Saw, a video game set between first and second film in the series, was initially released on October 6, 2009.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Saw II: Flesh & Blood is a 2010 third person survival horror video game developed by Zombie Studios and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to 2009's Saw: The Video Game, both of which are based in the same fictional universe as the Saw films...
, a sequel to Saw, was released on October 19, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ten days before the release of the seventh film, Saw 3D.
Other media
- Saw: Rebirth, a comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
prequel to the original film released to promote Saw II. Its canonicityCanon (fiction)In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
was later contradicted by events in Saw IV.
Future
In an interview with IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
on April 12, 2011, series creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell were asked if Saw 3D is truly the final Saw film. Wan commented by saying, "It is finished for now, but since it's such a huge, well-known franchise, it's gonna come back at some point." They were also asked what it would take for them to return to the films. Wan stated, "I would come back if we were allowed to do something different and really cool." Whannell expanded that by saying, "We would want to do something that was a bit of a different take."
External links
Databases- Saw film series at Allmovie
- Saw film series at Box Office MojoBox Office MojoBox Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
Official sites
- Saw website (archive)
- Saw II website (archive)
- Saw III website (archive)
- Saw IV website (archive)
- Saw V website
- Saw VI website
- Saw 3D website
- Official fan club
Other links
- Thorpe Park - home to two Saw attractions
- List of Traps at WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...
- Goodbye John: A Farewell to Saw, as Jigsaw Lays His Last Trap by Scott Mendelson