Saw Fest
Two friends, an idea, and a message—
“It was weird to be 25 and sitting in a neurological ward and I’m surrounded by people who actually had brain tumors. It was very scary and it was my first proper look at mortality. I really wanted to get my health back and it really hammered how important good health is. If you’ve got that, you’ve got everything,” said Leigh Whannell, screenwriter of the Saw series.
It’s a new branch of horror, where psychological forethought is just as important as the gruesome scenes of blood, organs and whatnots. It takes a look at human inabilities, their faults, their weaknesses—their overall selfish nature. But bottom-line, it’s pure entertainment.
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Title: Saw |
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Rated: R |
Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller |
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Runtime: 103 minutes |
Release Date: October 29, 2004 |
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Synopsis: Two men awake to find themselves chained to pipes in a sullied restroom—they don’t know each other, they don’t remember how they got there, but they’re caught within a game, where only one, if at all, has the choice of life. |
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Title: Saw II |
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Rated: R |
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller |
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Runtime: 93 minutes |
Release Date: October 28, 2005 |
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Synopsis: Eric Matthews, a detective is led to the crime scene of yet another victim caught in Jigsaw’s infamous live or die games. The estranged, albeit brilliant mind of this deranged man sends Matthews in a fruitless attempt at saving more victims. He either comes too late or just in the nick of time to see the cruelty that Jigsaw installs. Somehow, he himself gets entangled and he becomes not the seeker, but a player in this vicious cycle of killing others to save yourself. |
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Title: Saw III |
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Rated: R |
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller |
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Runtime: 113 minutes |
Release Date: October 27, 2006 |
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Synopsis: Even at his deathbed, the game continues. Jigsaw’s new protégée kidnaps a doctor by the name of Lynn Denlon and imprisons her in a warehouse where she is forced to provide care for the ailing man. The game continues as life trickles on by, with Jigsaw’s life in the hands of one of his pawns, who’s none the wiser, and an additional player whose fate is ironically crossed with the woman who’s forced to take care of the man who planned it all. |
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Title: Saw IV |
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Rated: R |
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller |
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Runtime: 92 minutes |
Release Date: October 26, 2007 |
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Synopsis: A tape is found in the stomach of John Kramer a.k.a. Jigsaw. It seems as if even death can’t put an end to this game. Other players are caught within the malicious web of this brilliant mastermind, all the while trying to save themselves and their loved ones. |
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Title: Saw V |
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Rated: R |
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller |
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Runtime: 92 minutes |
Release Date: October 24, 2008 |
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Synopsis: A test of friendship and a lesson on teamwork. Players within the game are desperately searching for the final apprentice of the late Jigsaw only to encounter a traitor amongst them. |
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Each film ties into the other. It’s not a sequel, but more of a continuation at the exact spot where the last film left off. Directed by James Wan, David Hackl, Darren Lynn Bousman, and Kevin Greutert, written by Leigh Whannell and others, starring Leigh Whannell, Toby Bell, Danny Glover, and many other notable actors/actresses—Saw became more than just a film, it became a Halloween tradition. Each character was remarkably complicated, and because there seemed to be no end to the movie, they had plenty of time to fully develop. With each Saw installment the complicated makings of the antagonist Jigsaw (John Kramer) became clearer, using flashbacks, the viewers are able to interpret why Kramer became who he was. Each player, no matter how insignificant had a story, and somehow, since the very beginning, the characters were continually tied in with each other. There was plenty of blood, plenty gruesome scenes, some too sickening to even take—sometimes you wonder about the people who thought up such a thing… The franchise deserves 5 out of 5 stars, because it’s more than just the gore, it has development; it has character, atmosphere—all the things that make a good story good. The actors acted well, the script was mind boggling, good directing, and the scenes were absolutely bone chilling. No complaints—can’t wait for Saw VII.
Note: Synopsis was written by me as well
