Directing duo The Spierig Brothers bring an ambitious energy and clean look to the franchise, from a genuinely claustrophobic set piece in a grain silo to more subtle touches, like a trailer-ready shot of jogger running past a body that everyone can see but her. ![]() Meanwhile, the barn setting was a nice change of pace for trapping the standard group of assholes, using farm equipment to take them out one by one. Though the ending twist dabbled once again in the complex timeline, it was satisfying to see a (slightly) younger Kramer on his first adventure. “Jigsaw” was billed as a soft reboot for the series, coming seven years after the previous installment. Image Credit: ©Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection Thinking too hard about all of the “lessons” taught or characters’ connections and motivations might leave your brain as damaged as the Reverse Beartrap, so it’s best to leisure in the grand guignol and not ask too many questions. Concurrently, a desperate father (Angus Macfadyen) plays a deadly game to exorcise vengeance from his heart. Plotwise, Kramer is being kept alive by a doctor (Bahar Soomekh) who gets kidnapped by Shawnee Smith’s Amanda, continuing her increasingly mustache-twirling villain turn as a Jigsaw disciple who, ironically, can’t play by his rules. From a legendarily gross ribcage-bursting contraption to a woman being frozen alive, a man drowning in pig guts, and tons of gore in between, the “oh shit” moments are definitely elevated. Luckily, Bousman is behind the camera again and has become flashier with the games. “Saw III” is the last installment where the character arcs haven’t become completely convoluted, but the seams are definitely bursting. (Warning: spoilers abound for every film except “Saw X.”) To celebrate the franchise’s tenth installment - the Kramer-focused prequel “Saw X,” which heads to Mexico in order to punish some medical fraudsters - Variety has ranked the films, taking into account gore, games, acting, plot and fun. ![]() Never a critical favorite, the series’ top-rated installment on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 50% rotten, but has captivated genre fans enough to have rebirth after rebirth, thanks to some surprisingly boffo box office conjured up with a cheap budget. Yet each film twists the formula a bit to keep things fresh. Stylistically, there are many touchstones running through the series: The iconic “Hello Zepp” theme music, which plays during the films’ many twist endings puppets gory traps and frantic music video editing. Along the way family members, enemies, friends and protégés are introduced, creating a surprisingly dense “Saw” family tree. ![]() Kramer died in the third installment, opening the door for a new Jigsaw, Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who never really took on the mantle correctly. Originally spearheaded by John Kramer (Tobin Bell), a serial killer named Jigsaw who tried to get his victims to appreciate their lives through murderous games that demanded sacrifice, the series soon swelled and grew complex. Living and dying by Jigsaw’s gruesome traps, the overarching story has become increasingly convoluted in the pursuit of keeping the elderly (and, midway through the series, dead!) antagonist’s work alive. While the “Saw” series lost some cultural cachet after releasing ten films over nearly 20 years, it’s remained a great party franchise for horror fans.
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