Among the different genre of films, the movies that provide the reverse attraction of sadism and violence are the horror movies. If anything succeeded to draw the audience to the multiplexes post-Scream it is the Saw series. Its gory, eerie setting revolving around captive and hapless prisoners to test their skill and patience to save them caters to the taste of the thriller lovers.

The Plot

Tobin Bell featuring as John Kramer, a lunatic murderer sets traps to kill innocent lives. The only way to escape is to follow his evil design to save them. Adam and Lawrence wake up to find themselves in a dilapidated and discarded bathroom. They are both chained except the third guy who is a corpse lying in a pool of blood. Two tapes tell them to follow some directions to escape from their ordeal. The tape instructs Lawrence to kill Adam before six o’clock if he wants to save his wife Allison and his daughter. To their utter horror they learn that the corpse belongs to another victim who committed suicide before the lethal poison could kill him. Following the signs they find a saw that is meant to cut their feet rather than their chains.

Production

Though the film was not the first of its kind, it was shot in an extremely low budget but managed to draw the attention of moviegoers, and did a box office of $103,096,345 worldwide. Initially Australian director, James Wan and screenplay writer Leigh Whannell had difficulty in finding a producer for their way ward film. Until they came across Twisted Pictures which enabled them to shoot initially with $30,000 and shot on a short schedule of 18 days.

Opinion of the Makers

Leigh Whannell in an interview mentions that the term “torture-porn” which is ascribed to the movie does not affect him much as its popularity has brought him fame. For director Wan it is not so because only a section of the feature film focuses on torture.  Due to stringent financial condition of the film, the duo got to experiment with lot of innovative ideas, like, shooting in an elevator with the help of security cameras. What both the creators unanimously agreed upon is the role of music. The score provides some extra thrill and enhances the horrifying factor of the movie. The sound track was composed by Charlie Clouser in six weeks.

The Result

Renowned actor Cary Elwes posed as Lawrence whereas Leigh Whannell himself as Adam. Together they did an outstanding job that broke all box office records in the first week of its release with a gross collection of $18.2 million.

Sequels of the Franchise

• Saw II
• Swa III
• Saw IV
• Saw V
• Saw VI
• Saw VII

Saw II is said to be a worthy sequel with excellent performances by Wahlberg and Bell. The sadistic game that that was the backbone of the first part remains the main attraction here too. A group of vulnerable prisoners is held captive in a discarded house. They are warned to save themselves within two hours before a poisonous gas kills them. The son of detective Matthews also inhabits the house. Jigsaw strikes a deal with him, saying that the detective can save his son if the former chats with him. The awesome performances of the duo at once remind the audience of the legendary Hannibal Lecter.

Saw III is made by the duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Bell manages to deliver a stunning performance as Jigsaw, who this time plays the sadistic game through his loyal protégé Amanda. The same dark sinister approach seemed to have worked wonders with the audiences.

The menacing game continues again in Saw IV. Jigsaw’s elaborated traps lead two FBI agents to hunt him down after a tape is found in Kramer’s stomach during autopsy. As per the trend Bell stunning acting remains to be one of the positive features of the movie.

The following sequel attempts the discovery of the identity of the protégé of the notorious Jigsaw. The plot revolves around the desperate attempts of five hapless people trying to solve an intricate maze to save themselves.

The last and sixth sequel of the Saw portrays Costas Mandylor as Hoffman shows the continuation of Jigsaw legacy. Director Kevin Greater features this film around a vile health insurance executive who constructs a series of traps leading to brutal deaths.

The latest in this list is the addition of the 3D version of the movie. It shows the continuation of the sadistic game of Jigsaw, which is carried forward by his loyal Costas Mandylor. The film offers various intriguing traps with a touch of a twist. The additional flavor is added by Bell through the strategy of flash back, though his presence in the screen was for a very short time.

The film won several awards like

• Golden Trailer Awards
• Fantasporto, etc.