John Kramer (also known as " The Jigsaw Killer " or simply " Jigsaw ") is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the Saw franchise . Jigsaw made his debut in the first film of the series, Saw , and appears in all subsequent installments, with the exception of Spiral , in which he is only mentioned and featured in photographs. He is portrayed by American actor Tobin Bell .
149-625: Jigsaw first appears in the 2004 film Saw . In the series' narrative, John is a former civil engineer dying from an inoperable frontal lobe tumor . After a failed suicide attempt, John becomes psychopathic , furious at people wilfully throwing their lives away, when people like him were having theirs cut undeservedly short. To both punish and enlighten the self-destructive, John creates lethal traps, devices, and scenarios that force his victims to inflict pain and anguish upon themselves or others in order to escape, though not always in one piece. The tests are typically symbolic of what Jigsaw perceives as
298-498: A $ 12.3 million total in seven weeks. In Australia, it opened in 161 theaters with $ 1.2 million and totaled out to $ 3.1 million in six weeks. In Italy, the film opened on January 14, 2005 in 267 theaters to $ 1.7 million and grossed $ 6.4 million in six weeks. Saw opened to $ 1.5 million from 187 theaters in France on March 16, 2005 and made $ 3.1 million by the end of its four-week run. Saw came to gross $ 55.1 million in
447-507: A mausoleum , a man named Trevor and a lawyer named Art Blank are chained to a large device. Trevor's eyes have been sewn shut, and Art's mouth has been sewn shut, making communication between them impossible. When the device begins pulling them together, they panic, and Art kills Trevor to retrieve a key from his collar. Meanwhile, the police discover the remains of Detective Allison Kerry. Hoffman cautions Officer Daniel Rigg for barging through an unsecured door in attempt to save Kerry. Hoffman
596-477: A nonlinear narrative revolving around the mystery of the Jigsaw Killer , who tests his victims' will to live by putting them through deadly "games" where they must inflict great physical pain upon themselves to survive. The frame story follows Jigsaw's latest victims (Whannell and Elwes), who awaken in a large, dilapidated bathroom, with one being ordered to kill the other to save his own family. The screenplay
745-508: A "Year of the Pig" Chinese New Year festival. John had snatched them and donned one, while using the other one to hold his chloroform -soaked rag. The second mask was then used to knock out his first test subject, Cecil, by placing the mask over his head with the chloroform rag still inside. When working on the original Saw film, writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan wanted their antagonist to have some sort of mask. After some discussion,
894-473: A Jigsaw trap, at a book signing. Hoffman later makes Bobby go through a series of tests (including re-enacting the very test that he falsely claimed to have survived) in which he comes face-to-face with those who knew he lied (except his wife), but refused to expose his secret; all are killed in separate traps despite his efforts to save them. John appears at the end of the film, where it is revealed that he recruited Dr. Gordon (a survivor of one of Jigsaw's tests in
1043-462: A day, which he considered a great challenge. Due to the tight shooting schedule , Wan could not afford to shoot more than a couple of takes per actor. "It was a really tough struggle for me. Every day, it was me fighting to get the shots I did not get. I had high aspirations, but there's only so much you can do. I wanted to make it in a very Hitchcockian style of filmmaking, but that style of filmmaking takes time to set up and so on", Wan said about
1192-531: A desire for his victims to succeed, but stressed that their fate was always in their own hands. The video and audio tape instructions for his games often echo this idea: "Live or die. Make your choice." Billy the Puppet is an icon of the Jigsaw character. John has often used this puppet character for the purpose of delivering messages to his victims via a television screen, but at times it has also been physically present with
1341-444: A drug addict, robbed the clinic at which she was employed and accidentally slammed a door into her stomach. Rigg's next test is at a motel, where he is instructed to abduct the manager, Ivan Landsness, revealed to be a serial rapist. Angered by seeing videos of Ivan's exploits, Rigg forces Ivan into a prearranged trap which forces him to gouge out his eyes; he fails to do it in time and the trap dismembers him. Rigg's next test occurs in
1490-408: A fire alarm and leaves. Strahm and Perez arrive on the scene, where it is learned that all of the victims were defended by Art, who is also Jill's lawyer. After a photographer is accidentally killed on the scene, Perez finds Billy , Jigsaw's puppet, in the office. She is told that Strahm will "soon take the life of an innocent man" and that Perez’s "next step is critical". Ignoring past clues that she
1639-402: A flaw in each person's moral character or life. He cuts the shape of a puzzle piece from the remains of people who fail to survive his "tests," hence the nickname Jigsaw Killer. In Saw II , John says that the puzzle piece is meant to symbolize that the subject was "missing a vital piece of the human puzzle: the survival instinct." The Jigsaw Killer's identity remains uncertain until the end of
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#17328581644741788-484: A flaw in the person's life (most of the traps are made of scavenged materials, rusty bolts, decaying iron, or anything else he thinks will help him create a new "game"). John calls these tests "games", and tells the person the "rules" of the game, usually by microcasette or video tape. The rules are tasks that the person must perform in order to pass the test and survive, though the tasks often involve extreme self-mutilation; however, not only have there been occasions where it
1937-473: A good candidate for a trap due to her addiction and her role in Jill's assault. Saw V features flashbacks which explore the relationship between John and Detective Hoffman. Hoffman killed his sister's murderer with a deadly game that mimicked John's tests. Unlike John's tests, Hoffman's were inescapable. After discovering Hoffman's identity, John blackmailed Hoffman into becoming his apprentice. John also appears in
2086-430: A groundbreaking new technique cures cancer patients. He travels there and undergoes the procedure given by Cecilia Pederson, "curing" him of his cancer; however, he soon realizes that the operation was a fake and everyone involved works to defraud cancer patients, making Pederson rich. John enlists the help of Amanda Young and Mark Hoffman, with Amanda traveling to Mexico City to help kidnap each fraudster and subject them to
2235-562: A horror genre production label, Twisted Pictures . The film was given a small production budget and was shot in 18 days. Saw was first screened at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2004. Due to positive audience reception, Lionsgate picked up the distribution rights for the film. Originally planned for a straight-to-video release, they decided to instead release the film in theaters in North America on October 29, 2004. The film received mixed reviews from critics. After topping
2384-429: A house filled with deadly nerve gas , along with several people who were framed by Eric for crimes they did not commit. John tells Eric that he will let Daniel survive if Eric talks to him until the game is complete. Eric eventually loses patience, assaults John, and forces John to lead him to the house at gunpoint. It is later revealed that the test in the house took place before John and Eric ever made contact, and Daniel
2533-444: A legacy, having a successor to continue with his work. The impulse is Deleuzian. Jigsaw remains calm, neutral and impassive throughout the Saw films (not least because of his terminal condition) yet his only expressed wish, concern or desire, is that his legacy is maintained – the work of testing the fabric of humanity should go on. "Jigsaw" – as the intensive site of being, a locus of desire,
2682-421: A myriad of memorable, nasty set pieces, but its lofty ambitions are undercut by a nihilistic streak that feels more mean than profound." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. Dennis Harvey of Variety gave
2831-535: A person with extreme beliefs and he really thinks he's making a difference. He's a vigilante if anything. He thinks he's making a difference." Tobin Bell , the actor who plays Jigsaw, describes his character's role as being more of a scientist or engineer and "he thinks very specifically and very pragmatically." About Jigsaw's games being detail-oriented, Bell said: "My sense is that Jigsaw is so detail-oriented that I think he thinks in terms of worst case scenario. I think he's
2980-408: A photo of Alison and Diana's captor, whom Gordon identifies as Zep Hindle, an orderly at his hospital. Zep, seeing that Gordon has still not killed Adam, moves to murder Alison and Diana, but Alison frees herself and fights him. The struggle attracts Tapp's attention, and he saves Alison and Diana before chasing Zep to the sewers, where he is shot in the chest after a brief fight. Gordon, only aware of
3129-410: A pipe. Across the room is oncologist Dr. Lawrence Gordon, and between them is the corpse of an apparent suicide victim holding a revolver and a microcassette recorder. Both men find a tape in their pockets, and Adam retrieves the recorder. Adam's tape urges him to survive, while Gordon's tape orders him to kill Adam by 6:00, or his wife, Alison, and daughter, Diana, will be murdered. After listening to
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#17328581644743278-670: A positive reaction. It was the closing film at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2004 . Lionsgate initially planned to release the film direct-to-video , but due to the positive reaction at Sundance, they chose to release it theatrically by Halloween. It was released on October 1, 2004 in the United Kingdom, October 29, 2004 in the United States and December 2, 2004 in Australia. The film
3427-430: A power saw. As he dies, John pulls out a tape player revealing that Jeff has failed his test by killing him, and that Jigsaw has abducted Jeff and Lynn's daughter Corbett. Jeff is forced to play another game to find Corbett. Saw IV opens with John's autopsy where a wax-coated tape is found in his stomach. The tape reveals to Detective Mark Hoffman that he will be tested, with the end of the film revealing that Hoffman
3576-408: A puppet in his darkroom, where he stored photos of Gordon. Held at gunpoint, Alison calls her husband and warns him not to trust Adam, who admits to Gordon that he was paid by Tapp to spy on him, and reveals his knowledge of Gordon's affair with one of his medical students whom he had visited on the night of his abduction. Gordon deduces that the affair is the reason why he is being tested. Adam finds
3725-430: A result of his cancer and suicide attempt, John decided to dedicate the rest of his life to teaching people to appreciate their own lives. The producers of Saw III and director Bousman see Jigsaw, not as a serial killer, but a "scientist" who is determined to initiate the survival instinct in his "subjects," believing that humanity no longer uses its instinct of survival. While the character's discovery that he has cancer
3874-430: A rubber knife” and said that "if the terrible craft of Bousman's film doesn't turn your stomach, the borderline pornographic violence will. It's disconcerting to imagine anyone enjoying the vile filth splashing the screen." Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter said "the famously inventive torture sequences here seem depleted of imagination", but added that "it hasn't yet jumped the shark like such predecessors as
4023-403: A school where Rigg attacked a man named Rex acquitted of abusing his family, though Rigg's career was saved by Hoffman. In one of the classrooms, Rigg discovers Rex and his wife, Morgan, chained back to back with a spike impaled through their bodies. Morgan has removed every spike but one, killing Rex and leaving herself barely alive; Rigg tells her she must remove the last spike herself, then pulls
4172-444: A screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan , and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton . It is the fourth installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2006's Saw III . The film stars Tobin Bell , Scott Patterson , Costas Mandylor , Betsy Russell , and Lyriq Bent . The film picks up where the previous film left off, with the death of John Kramer . However, it
4321-423: A sex trafficker named Brenda strapped to a device that scalps her. He rescues her, although he is warned not to, and Brenda later attempts to stab Rigg; Rigg subdues her and learns that Brenda was told that Rigg was there to arrest her for her crimes. Strahm interrogates Jill Tuck, Jigsaw's ex-wife, who recounts Jigsaw's backstory. She was once pregnant with a boy named Gideon but suffered a miscarriage when Cecil,
4470-500: A stamp of final approval, a post-(mortem)-script to the game, the jigsaw piece represents the admission of the subject's missing survival instinct, the corporeal body's non-relational or "snagged" desire. Those marked with jigsaw pieces are the ones that got away, left inert, reduced to the zero intensity of death. It would seem strange that Jigsaw – surely the last figure ever to be deemed sentimental – should choose to extract this symbolic jigsaw piece from these subjects, except that Jigsaw
4619-414: A standard-sized cassette, and another on an 8-track tape for use in a car stereo. Huntley remarked that John's voice recordings operated for a specific purpose as part of his M.O.: they allowed John to be present, not as "a participant or even a spectator but instead as a referee, observing the rules pertinent to that particular subject rather than salaciously enjoying the 'victim's agony.'" The pig mask
Jigsaw (Saw character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4768-569: A tape already loaded in, while at other times the tape would be found separately in an envelope marked with the victim's name or the tape on its own reading "Play Me." One tape was found in John's stomach during his autopsy at the beginning of Saw IV , coated in wax to protect it against his digestive acids. Both of his apprentices, Amanda Young and Mark Hoffman, eventually began making their own microcassettes, but not always altering their voices as he did. In Saw 3D , Hoffman recorded one set of instructions on
4917-436: A trap to atone for their behavior. After Pederson seemingly escapes from her restraints, she puts John and Carlos, a local young boy John befriended, into the trap meant for her. However, it is soon revealed that John had planned for this. After Pederson attempts to retrieve the stolen money, John, Amanda, and Carlos are freed, leaving Pederson to attempt to escape her final trap. Ultimately, Pederson and her husband are trapped in
5066-418: A very good judge of character, so his sense that, for example, that Detective Matthews was going to play right into his trap, which he did, was right on. Now, it seems to me that he's always got a second plan in place. And there's probably been a number of second plans. I mean, we've only seen three movies. Maybe there are six more somewhere where he failed, where something didn't play out." Speaking about playing
5215-438: A video will, in which he declares his love for Jill and leaves her a mysterious box. In Saw VI , John appears in flashback as well as in video recordings. The recordings are for John's victim William Easton, who inadvertently caused John's death by denying his insurance claim. In a flashback set between the second and third films, John presents Amanda to Jill as proof that his games work as rehabilitation. A flashback set before
5364-502: A villain with a superficially pedantic motive behind his crimes (his victims, if they survive, have learned to appreciate life more), it lacks the finesse and polish of the David Fincher film." When asked if the 1995 thriller film Seven was an inspiration to Saw , Whannell said, "For me as the writer, definitely. I mean, Seven is just a very well constructed film, and if you're writing a thriller, it can't hurt to study it. In terms of
5513-506: Is a thematic prop worn by John and his accomplices throughout the Saw film series to conceal their identities while abducting their "test subjects". As the series continues, the purpose of the pig mask is explored in detail; it is explained to be a tribute to the "Year of the Pig," the year in which John started his work. The origin of the pig mask was shown in Saw IV , revealing the first known pig masks to have been latex strap-on masks used at
5662-463: Is acknowledged to be the "final straw" that drove him to his actions, Bell has stated in an interview that "His terminal cancer is one of the elements of his life but he's as angry over the fact the world is going to hell in handbasket because it's no longer the survival of the fittest; it's the survival of the mediocre. That drives him as much as anything else. He doesn't just talk about his frustrations, he does something about them, and he puts himself on
5811-531: Is another one of John's accomplices. Saw IV also explores John's backstory. John was a successful civil engineer and property developer, as well as a devoted husband to his wife Jill Tuck . Jill ran a recovery clinic for drug users and was robbed by Cecil, one of her patients. Cecil accidentally injured her during the robbery and she subsequently miscarried. John became bitter after the loss of their unborn child, and he and Jill ultimately divorced. After being diagnosed with cancer and attempting suicide, John becomes
5960-483: Is his impulse to humiliate and torture his victims and justify it with some twisted morality." He said the film is "seriously undermined by the half-baked, formulaic detective story in which the horror is framed." Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times also gave the film a mixed review, saying, " Saw is so full of twists it ends up getting snarled. For all of his flashy engineering and inventive torture scenarios,
6109-483: Is in danger, Perez leans toward Billy and is critically injured by shrapnel when its face explodes. She is rushed to the hospital. After learning that he had cancer and only a short while to live, as well as a suicide attempt, Jigsaw placed Cecil in a trap; Cecil then lunged at Jigsaw after escaping but fell to his death in a mesh of razor wire. Strahm makes connections from Jill's story to the Gideon Meat Factory,
Jigsaw (Saw character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6258-409: Is introduced to FBI Agents Peter Strahm and Lindsey Perez, who deduce that Amanda , Jigsaw's apprentice, would have needed assistance with Kerry's death, indicating that there is another apprentice. That evening, Rigg and Hoffman are kidnapped. Rigg is told that Detective Eric Matthews is in fact still alive, and is given ninety minutes to save himself. He is then given his first test, where he finds
6407-418: Is just a champagne problem. —Leigh Whannell (screenwriter) on his feelings of the film being labeled "torture porn". Wan shot the short with a 16mm camera over two days and transferred the footage to DVDs to ship along with the script. Whannell wanted to play the lead character in the feature film. The short helped show that Wan and Whannell were a "director-actor team" rather than just wanting to sell
6556-435: Is linguistically consistent in explaining how he "takes" or "cuts" the piece of skin. The jigsaw shape marking those who "fail" is the adding of a subtraction – in effect, the removal of their inability, their unfulfilled potential or their lack – the excision that leaves the whole of the body that is not the closed, inert corporeal body but is, instead, the " body-without-organs ," that is, the nexus point where energy pools amid
6705-483: Is more disturbing than compelling, with material already seen in the prior installments." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 36 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Scott Schueller, writing for the Chicago Tribune , called it "a film as edgy as
6854-534: Is possible for the subject not to harm themself if they are bright enough (such as the "razor box trap" in Saw II ), but not all of the traps require self-mutilation, as one trap actually required a man (Jeff Denlon) to burn his deceased son's possessions to retrieve the key to save the second victim. Many of the games involve measured time constraints provided to the victims, such as clocks or active timers. John elaborated on his appreciation of "time" in Saw II, outlining
7003-424: Is revealed that John had planned for his death and left behind a series of recordings and clues that would lead investigators to his final game. As the detectives try to unravel the mystery of John's final game, they are drawn into a web of deceit and deception that reveals more of the motives behind his lethal games. Saw IV was the first film in the franchise to not be written by Leigh Whannell or James Wan . It
7152-517: Is styled like early David Fincher films and "boasts an intricate structure — complex flashbacks-within-flashbacks explain how the characters have come to this crisis — and a satisfying mystery to go with its ghastly claustrophobia." He ended his review saying, "As good an all-out, non-camp horror movie as we've had lately." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B minus, calling it "derivative and messy and too nonsensical for its own good." He described Jigsaw's intent as "to show you
7301-633: Is the third lowest-grossing wide opening, fourth after the Toy Story re-release in 2020. At the end of its run, the release had grossed $ 815,324, bringing the film's overall domestic gross to $ 56,000,369. For its 20th anniversary in 2024, Fathom Events set a theatrical release of the unrated version on October 20 and 23. Saw 's soundtrack was mainly composed by Charlie Clouser , and took six weeks to complete. Other songs were performed by Front Line Assembly , Fear Factory , Enemy , Pitbull Daycare and Psychopomps . Megadeth 's song "Die Dead Enough"
7450-541: The Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th movies eventually did." Peter Hartlaub from The San Francisco Chronicle called it "the Syriana of slasher films, so complicated and circuitous that your only hope of understanding everything is to eat lots of fish the night before and then watch each of the previous films, in order, right before you enter the theater." James Berardinelli wrote that " Saw IV functions as
7599-457: The "Real Action Hero" line. On the commentary track of Saw IV , several discussions occur about John's decision to use references to pigs. In the series, the producers explained that John was a spiritual person; however, it has never been revealed what religion he follows. In Saw IV , John's ex-wife Jill explains his organized and planned lifestyle, stating that she had conceived their miscarried son Gideon, with John planning for him to be born in
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#17328581644747748-582: The Billy the Puppet. In the game's "Freedom" ending, Tapp escapes from the asylum, but cannot overcome his obsession with Jigsaw and later commits suicide; the game's sequel confirms that this ending is canon. Tobin Bell reprised his role as the voice of the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw: The Video Game sequel Saw II: Flesh & Blood . Tobin Bell also sold his likeness for John Kramer, who actually appears in
7897-431: The Jigsaw Killer and Cecil is his first victim. The film also further illuminates Amanda Young's backstory and connection to John Kramer. In a flashback, it is revealed that Amanda, suffering from heroin withdrawal, was the one to convince Cecil to rob the clinic - inadvertently causing Jill's miscarriage and the couple's divorce. After Cecil became Jigsaw's first victim, John soon focused his sights on Amanda: seeing her as
8046-698: The Jigsaw Killer comes across as an amateur. Hannibal Lecter would have him for lunch." She said the film "carelessly underscores its own shaky narrative at every turn with its mid-budget hokiness". She also noted that Elwes and Whannell had trouble keeping an American accent. Another mixed review came from Roger Ebert , who gave the film 2 out of 4 stars and lamented the gimmicks and plot contrivances but nonetheless described Saw as "well made and acted, and does what it does about as well as it could be expected to". Richard J. Leskosky of Champaign-Urbana 's The News-Gazette said, " Saw wants to be taken as another Seven . Though it features perverse gross-out scenes and
8195-456: The Pighead robe is red. Saw (2004 film) Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell , from a story by Wan and Whannell. It is the first installment in the Saw film series , and stars Whannell alongside Cary Elwes , Danny Glover , Monica Potter , Michael Emerson , and Ken Leung . The film tells
8344-416: The United States and Canada and $ 47.9 million in other markets for a worldwide total of $ 104 million . At the time, it became the most profitable horror film after Scream (1996). On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 50% of 192 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: " Saw ensnares audiences with a deceptively clever plot and
8493-543: The Year of the Pig. On the commentary track, the producers explain that in the Chinese zodiac , the Pig stands for fertility and rebirth. John is seen several times throughout the series with figurines of clay soldiers and buddhas , further symbolizing his reverence to various Asian cultures. Cut-outs were made, in the shape of jigsaw puzzle pieces , from the flesh of John's deceased victims who failed to pass their test. John received
8642-428: The bathroom before sealing the door, leaving Adam alone to die. After finishing film school, Australian director James Wan and Australian writer Leigh Whannell wanted to write and fund a film. The inspiration that they needed came after watching the low-budget independent film The Blair Witch Project . Another film that inspired them to finance the film themselves was Darren Aronofsky 's Pi . The two thought
8791-454: The body-without-organs – can survive the death of the organism John Kramer... What seems to be consistent thematically through the Saw films is that "Jigsaw" is a part for various players, an identity composed of pieces... John was also assisted by Obi in the kidnapping of the victims of the nerve gas house, shortly before the events of Saw II , and Zep Hindle throughout the first film. It is said in
8940-470: The character, Bell stated that "[y]ou have to think of someone like Jigsaw from a very specific point of view. He doesn't view himself as some kind of diabolical psychotic. You know there's a little bit of evil in everyone. It just gets carried further. Most of us have some sort of moral fiber that restricts that. Some framework. And then others because of their lives and what happens to them, the thing develops in some other way." Bousman mentioned that Saw III
9089-411: The cheapest script to shoot would involve two actors in one room. Whannell said, "So I actually think the restrictions we had on our bank accounts at the time, the fact that we wanted to keep the film contained, helped us come up with the ideas in the film." One idea was to have the entire film set with two actors stuck in an elevator and being shot in the point of view of security cameras. Wan pitched
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#17328581644749238-448: The choices, the selection of a potential, are in the hands of the subjects of his games and he only intervenes in order to keep the game within its rules so a decision can be reached. The subjects are faced with a shocking choice that forces them to acknowledge what Deleuze identifies as the virtual – that is, the unacknowledged aspects of our experience with reality. This, in effect, is the particular game that Jigsaw himself plays; one where
9387-405: The die by the subjects, aleatoric opportunities... As Jigsaw makes clear to Detective Matthews during their conversation in Saw II , where Jigsaw's motivation and philosophy are most comprehensively explored, "I've never murdered anyone in my life. The decisions are up to them." Whilst it probably wouldn't stand up in court, he is at least correct in his usual, carefully literal sense. The decisions,
9536-553: The directors commentary that Brad and Ryan worked for Lawrence and acted as his muscle, recruited after their trap. They helped Lawrence to abduct Hoffman and they chained him in the bathroom. Kevin Greutert , the editor of Saw , Saw II , Saw III , Saw IV , and Saw V , and the director of Saw VI and Saw 3D , stated that Amanda, in particular, is "such a peculiar aspect of the Jigsaw character," citing that John had developed genuine "tender feelings" for her. The term "apprentice"
9685-407: The door with one second to spare; despite Matthews' attempts to stop Rigg by shooting him, he is killed. Rigg shoots Art while, in another room, Strahm encounters Jeff, who brandishes a gun. Strahm, who is unaware that Jeff is frantically searching for his daughter, kills Jeff. Hoffman, who was never in any danger and is Jigsaw's other apprentice, rises and seals a dying Rigg and a bewildered Strahm in
9834-500: The duo's script could serve as a prequel to the first film, detailing a traumatic event in Jigsaw/John 's early life. However, producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules did not want to do a prequel and dropped the idea, but the script led Dunstan and Melton to be hired to write the next three Saw films. Thomas Fenton also joined Dunstan and Melton as writer to the film. Marek Posival was attached to write at one point. Stepping into
9983-488: The ending, he faces either Michael (tempting him into becoming another apprentice) or Campbell Iman (offering him freedom but forced to lure him into a lethal trap when he tries to attack him). The producers of the Saw films have fought to differentiate the Jigsaw Killer from other horror film killers. Darren Lynn Bousman , the director of Saw II , Saw III , and Saw IV , has stated on the character's role "He's not Jason or Freddy . He's not even Hannibal Lecter . He's
10132-425: The entire film with the camera over his shoulder. There was no time for Elwes and Whannell to rehearse their scenes together to not conflict with the schedules of Glover and Emerson, who were only available for a certain number of days. Glover completed his scenes in two days. Emerson found the shoot "punishing", but a "real adventure" he was glad to survive. According to Elwes, his dialogue averaged 12 to 16 pages
10281-539: The events of the first film. It filled in some of his history, showing him as a toy designer at Standard Engineering Ltd. who was too lazy to do much with his life, ultimately ending his relationship with Jill. Saw: Rebirth also reveals John's discovery that he had terminal cancer and outlined how his subsequent suicide attempt impacted his train of thought. His relationships with Dr. Lawrence Gordon, Zep Hindle, Paul , Amanda Young, and Mark were explored, along with his transformation into Jigsaw. Rebirth 's continuity
10430-439: The events of the third and fourth films explores the group dynamic between John, Amanda, and Hoffman. It is also revealed that John gave his ex-wife a key, which she later used to open the box he gave her in Saw V . In the present, it is revealed that the box contained six envelopes containing future test subjects, a thicker envelope, and an updated version of the "reverse bear trap." She gave Hoffman envelopes 1 to 5, but envelope 6
10579-491: The factory. These games are revealed to have taken place before Jigsaw's autopsy, and Hoffman is warned via the microcassette that he can expect to face a test of his own. In January 2007, Saw writer James Wan stated that a script was under development. Leigh Whannell told Fangoria that he and Wan would be executive producers stating, "James [Wan] and I, as executive producers, are still treating it like our baby; we'll still oversee it. I've definitely been privy to
10728-469: The film a negative review after its Sundance premiere. He called it a "crude concoction sewn together from the severed parts of prior horror/serial killer pics". He called the screenplay "convoluted", criticizing the use of "flashbacks within flashbacks" and red herrings . He described the film as being "too hyperbolic to be genuinely disturbing". Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle gave
10877-401: The film a positive review, saying the film "combined B-movie acting with a twisted mind-set and visual tricks designed to camouflage cheap effects" and that it was "terrifying at some moments and insinuatingly creepy at many others." She called the killing scenes "amazingly evocative for such a low-budget movie". Empire 's Kim Newman gave the film four out of five stars. He said Saw
11026-470: The film tenth in its list of the Top 20 Horror Films of the decade, with the article calling Saw "perhaps the most influential horror film of the decade". The Daily Telegraph listed the film number 14 on their Top 100 list that defined the 2000s. The film was nominated for best horror film at the 31st Saturn Awards . Saw IV Saw IV is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from
11175-637: The film would not feel like a Saw entry without the character. Like in previous entries, rewrites took place during the writing process, leading many unused ideas for the film to later be recycled for Saw V . Even though Tobin Bell 's Jigsaw Killer character was killed off in the previous entry, in March 2007 it was announced that he signed on for Saw IV and Saw V . With a production budget of $ 10 million production budget, principal photography took place from April 16, 2007 to May 3, 2007 in Toronto . Saw IV
11324-547: The film, but as the script developed it was clear that more funds would be needed. The script was optioned by a producer in Sydney for a year but the deal eventually fell through. After other failed attempts to get the script produced in Australia from 2001 to 2002, literary agent Ken Greenblatt read the script and suggested they travel to Los Angeles , where their chances of finding an interested studio were greater. Wan and Whannell initially refused due to lack of traveling funds, but
11473-421: The film, which now people say, 'Wow, that's such a cool experimental style of filmmaking', we really did that out of necessity to fill in gaps we did not get during the filming", he explained. Lionsgate picked up Saw 's worldwide distribution rights at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival days before the film premiered on January 19, 2004 . There it played to a packed theater for three midnight showings to
11622-423: The first film) as an apprentice. In Jigsaw , John's recorded voice is heard during the tests. He appears in person during the final test, confronting its two participants with the truth of their past misdeeds. After loading a double-barreled shotgun with one shell that he describes as "your key to freedom," he leaves the room. It is later revealed that this test took place ten years ago, and that John chose one of
11771-538: The first film. It is ultimately revealed that John Kramer has been posing as a bloodied corpse on the floor of the bathroom where Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam Stanheight's test is taking place. In Saw X , set between the events of Saw and Saw II , John is undergoing treatment for brain cancer but is given notice that he will soon die of the disease. Through a reunion with an acquaintance from his support group, he learns of an unauthorized operation in Mexico City where
11920-405: The five victims to become his first apprentice. In Spiral , John does not appear (except in photographs) but is said to have inspired the copycat killer central to the film's plot. Spiral is the only film in the series in which Tobin Bell does not reprise the role of John Kramer. The character of John Kramer is also featured in the non-canon comic book Saw: Rebirth , which is set prior to
12069-520: The floor." He quickly showed the short and script to his partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Evolution Entertainment . They later formed Twisted Pictures as a horror genre production label. The producers read the screenplay that night and two days later offered Wan and Whannell creative control and 25% of the net profits. Even though Wan and Whannell received "better offers" from studios like DreamWorks and Gold Circle Films , they were not willing to chance Wan's directing and Whannell acting in
12218-511: The flow and fold of forces and durations , existence beyond the living organism. A hand-drawn jigsaw puzzle piece was also present on the back of a photograph in Saw as part of a clue for one of his games. Throughout the Saw series, John developed a tendency to recruit "apprentices" to carry on his perceived mission. Amanda Young, Detective Mark Hoffman, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, Logan Nelson, and two masked men named Pighead ( Saw: The Video Game ) and Pighead II ( Saw II: Flesh & Blood ) are
12367-465: The franchise was tricky for Dunstan and Melton, given the serialized nature of the Saw films. However, they counted on Bousman and the crew to watch over them, pitching a trilogy that would start with Saw IV and conclude in Saw VI . The duo did not have any trouble in bringing Jigsaw back into the story despite his death in the last film, as the character had been dying since the original film, feeling that
12516-408: The game. John tests Detective Tapp's estranged son Michael , who is wanting to get to the bottom of his father's death. Jigsaw personally taunts Michael throughout the game, always being out of reach. Via case files, it is also revealed that he built nearly half of the city (explaining his numerous hideouts in the series). He appears to seek the destruction of the drug cartel run by corrupt cops. In
12665-413: The gunshots and screaming, is shocked but cannot reach his cell phone. In desperation, he saws off his foot and shoots Adam with the corpse's revolver. Zep enters the bathroom to kill Gordon, but Adam, having survived the gunshot, bludgeons him to death with a toilet tank lid. Gordon crawls out of the bathroom to find help while Adam searches Zep's body for a key. He finds another tape, which reveals that Zep
12814-446: The hypocrisy of his own work against others doing things that are just as bad, if not, worse." Chase Hutchinson writes that the events of the film "essentially birth Jigsaw into the maniac that will carry out even more harebrained torture schemes" and he is granted "a new lease on life" despite remaining sick. In the series, John usually builds deadly traps for his subjects, which are often a symbolic representation of what he perceives as
12963-420: The idea of Jigsaw putting others in a literal version of the situation but only giving them a few minutes to choose their fate. Wan did not intend to make a " torture porn " film, and the script only had one short segment of torture. He said the film "played out like a mystery thriller". It was not until the sequels that the plot focused more on torture scenes. Whannell and Wan initially had $ 30,000 to spend on
13112-544: The idea of Jigsaw wearing a rotting pig's head was chosen to symbolize his pessimistic view of the world and the disease that he was "rotting" from. Nevertheless, the mask given to them from production (a rubber Halloween mask) was considered by them to be less than satisfactory. A number of things were added to make it look more gruesome, including long black hair and pus running from its eyes and nostrils. Whannell has still admitted to being disappointed with its final appearance compared to his intended one, but has admitted that
13261-435: The idea to Whannell of two men chained to opposite sides of a bathroom with a dead body in the middle of the floor and they are trying to figure out why and how they are there. By the end of the film, they realize the person lying on the floor is not dead and he is the reason they are locked in the room. Whannell initially did not give Wan the reaction he was looking for. He said, "I'll never forget that day. I remember hanging up
13410-405: The ideas they've had and the scripts they’ve been writing, and it’s coming along well. I'm actually excited". That following month, Darren Lynn Bousman , who previously directed Saw II and Saw III , was announced to return as director. David Hackl , who served as production designer for the two previous Saw films, was offered to direct the film, but the day he received the offer his wife
13559-466: The importance of savoring every moment. He also stated his belief that telling someone the time in which they may die would awaken an alertness for every moment of existence. Jake Huntley wrote of the complexity of Jigsaw's character in the Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies . Huntley described the intention behind John's actions, and evaluated the extent to which they can be analyzed to fit into
13708-540: The killing."" Daniel M. Kimmel of the Telegram & Gazette called it "one of the most loathsome films this critic has seen in more than 20 years on the job". The New York Times 's Stephen Holden gave a mixed review, saying the film "does a better-than-average job of conveying the panic and helplessness of men terrorized by a sadist in a degrading environment, but it is still not especially scary. What sets its demon apart from run-of-the-mill movie serial killers
13857-431: The lead role. In order to finance the film, Hoffman, Burg, and Koules put up a second mortgage on their Highland Avenue headquarters. Saw was given a production budget of between $ 1 million and $ 1.2 million. Cary Elwes was sent the short film on DVD and immediately became interested in playing Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the film. He read the script in one sitting and was drawn in by the "uniqueness and originality" of
14006-501: The line. His cancer was about one element in about 130 elements that caused him to create the world that he's created." John is depicted in the Saw films as being extremely cunning and intelligent. In Saw: Rebirth , he is depicted doing extensive study in multiple fields to gain knowledge for designing his tests, and recurring director Bousman himself has described Jigsaw as being "extremely educated" in an interview. Saw X director Kevin Greutert said bringing Tobin Bell back as Jigsaw
14155-410: The man who introduced John to the scam and set him up for a trap. In October 2024, it was confirmed that John Kramer will return again for Saw XI , as his story "isn't done" yet and there is more to learn about his past. In Saw II , John leaves a clue to his location at the scene of a game. When the police apprehend him, John reveals to Detective Eric Matthews that Eric's son Daniel is trapped in
14304-462: The mask has been featured on numerous Jigsaw action figures. NECA has released two Jigsaw figurines with the pig mask; the original was John wearing the mask in his black cloak, and a Saw III variant of John wearing it in his red cloak. In addition, the Be@rBrick line has released a "bear" version of John wearing the pig mask. Medicom has also released a figurine of John wearing his infamous pig mask in
14453-407: The mask has since become one of the "staples" of the Saw franchise. Along with Billy and perhaps John himself, the mask has since become one of the more iconic symbols of the franchise. It has appeared on both the posters for the first film and the fourth. The mask has also been featured on many forms of merchandise. Officially licensed pig mask accessories have been sold for Halloween. In addition,
14602-430: The mostly male audience was under 25 years of age. Saw had also become Lionsgate's second best opening, after Fahrenheit 9/11 's $ 23.9 million (2004). On its second weekend, an additional 152 theaters were added, bringing the theater count to 2,467. It dropped to number four, making $ 11 million, a 39% drop from the opening weekend. Saw opened in the United Kingdom to $ 2.2 million in 301 theaters, grossing
14751-416: The nickname "Jigsaw" from the police and the press stemming from his tendency to perform such a ritual; however, he never encouraged that name and in fact disapproved of it. Huntley argued that the jigsaw pieces that John cut out of the flesh of his failed test subjects was not intended as a mere stylized signature, but rather that it had a much deeper philosophical reflection. He stated that: Far from being
14900-414: The only known Jigsaw apprentices. Jill Tuck was an assistant in a certain game. Huntley analyzed Jigsaw's intentions in taking in protégés as stemming from the terminally ill character's desire to overcome death itself, and argues that this is further evidence of his thought process being characterized by Deleuzian philosophy. Huntley argued: Jigsaw decides that the answer is to achieve immortality through
15049-476: The opening weekend box office, the film would go on to gross $ 104 million worldwide to become one of the most profitable horror films since Scream (1996). A sequel, titled Saw II was released in October 2005. The success of Saw launched a media franchise , including several films, video games, theme park rides, and merchandising. Adam, a photographer, awakens in a dilapidated bathtub with his ankle chained to
15198-535: The organism might be failing but the flow of desire succeeds and endures. Jigsaw might resort to discussing Darwin's "little trip to the Galapagos Islands" to provide a theoretical underpinning for his project and echo Nietzsche in talking of the will to survive, but this merely misdirects investigators and witnesses in the same way that the gruesome traps and freely flowing gore earn him his unsettling serial killer soubriquet. Jigsaw's games are designed to crack open
15347-530: The pair's agent, Stacey Testro, convinced them to go. In order to help studios take interest in the script, Whannell provided A$ 5,000 (US$ 5,000) to make a short film based on the script's jaw trap scene, which they thought would prove most effective. Whannell played David, the man wearing the reverse bear trap. Working at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , Whannell and Wan knew cameramen who were willing to provide technical assistance for
15496-562: The participants have a chance of survival. John administers a final test to Amanda to decide whether she will be a worthy successor. Meanwhile, Dr. Lynn Denlon is forced to keep John alive via emergency surgery. Her husband Jeff also undergoes a test, meant to be a punishment for his inability to forgive a drunk driver who killed one of his children. John attempts to prevent Amanda from failing her test, but she admits that she no longer believes in John's philosophy and shoots Lynn. Jeff subsequently shoots and kills Amanda. Jeff then kills John with
15645-435: The philosophies associated with Deleuze , Darwin , and Nietzsche : The subject of one of Jigsaw's games is therefore always presented with an opportunity, the aim of which is to reinvigorate the potential of the subject, jump-start the survival instinct and instill a celebration or "savoring" of life. In Deleuzian terms, it is the potential of life that is at stake... It is this that gives Jigsaw's games their Deleuzian tone,
15794-509: The phone and started just going over it in my head, and without any sort of long period of pondering, I opened my diary that I had at the time and wrote the word 'Saw'." Before writing the word "Saw" in a blood-red, dripping font, the two had not come up with a title. "It was one of those moments that made me aware that some things just really are meant to be. Some things are just waiting there to be discovered", Whannell said. The character of Jigsaw did not come until months later, when Whannell
15943-413: The police following Sing's death, has become obsessed with the Jigsaw case, and remains convinced that Gordon is the killer. Meanwhile, Gordon finds a box containing two cigarettes, a lighter, and a one-way cellphone. Adam asks Gordon for the cigarette but Gordon discourages this. He recounts his abduction in a parking garage by a pig-masked figure. Adam recalls his own abduction when he returned home to find
16092-414: The producers' net profits from the film and did not. Elwes claims he only received $ 53,275 and a salary of $ 2,587.20. The case was later settled out of court and Elwes reprised his role five years later in Saw 3D . Shawnee Smith , who is not a horror fan, initially refused the role of Amanda Young , describing the script as "horrific". However, after watching the short, she agreed to the role, which
16241-403: The purpose of its inclusion in his "games." Another of John's trademarks is his use of microcassettes to deliver instructions to his victims, disguising his voice as on the Billy videotapes. A flashback in Saw IV reveals that he accomplished this by speaking into a reel-to-reel tape recorder, then slowing down the playback. Often, a victim would find a microcassette recorder left for them with
16390-544: The release of Saw II . The short film, also entitled Saw , was included on the DVD. The film was later released on Blu-ray on June 27, 2006 . On May 11, 2021 , Saw was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray with a new 2160p transfer and a new 58 minute making-of documentary . Saw opened at number three on Halloween weekend 2004 in 2,315 theaters and grossed $ 18.2 million , behind Ray ($ 20 million) and The Grudge ($ 21.8 million). According to Lionsgate's exit poll, 60% of
16539-468: The robe to make it black with a red interior. Amanda wore a similar robe in Saw III in an attempt to symbolically emulate her mentor. On the other hand, Mark Hoffman always wore the dark blue rain parka he'd worn since the murder of Seth Baxter when he donned the pig mask, further illustrating the gap between him and John. Both Pighead and Pighead II wear similar robes to John, with the only difference being that
16688-496: The role of Jigsaw, but declined as he felt that that role did not have enough exciting scenes. Butters, a friend of one of the producers whom he used to play hockey with, ended up cast as Paul Leahy, the Jigsaw victim who perishes in a razor wire maze trap. With a shooting budget of $ 700,000, Saw began principal photography on September 22, 2003 at Lacy Street Production Facility in Los Angeles for 18 days. The bathroom
16837-418: The role of Orderly Zep Hindle due to finding the film's writing "masterful" and its twist ending "jaw-dropping", deeming it the "best ending of a piece of film writing [he] had ever seen". On taking the role of Jigsaw, Tobin Bell said, "I did Saw because I thought it was a fascinating location for a film to be made. These guys locked in a room, to me, was fresh. I did not anticipate the ending when I read
16986-447: The room, with toxic gas slowly filling the space around them. In the room is a single small air hole, just barely big enough for a human head to fit through. Pederson and her husband begin to fight, until she kills her husband and catches her breath through the air hole. However, she is left with no means of escape, and John, Amanda, and Carlos are free to leave. John gives Carlos the money before he leaves. Later on, John and Hoffman capture
17135-462: The same way". He particularly liked, "Cigarette"; "Hello, Adam"; and "F**k This S*!t", commenting that they "blend chilling sounds with harsh percussion and deep-wound keyboard stabs". The theatrical version of the film was released on VHS and DVD on February 15, 2005 in the United States and Canada. After its first week, it made $ 9.4 million in DVD rentals and $ 1.7 million in VHS rentals, making it
17284-411: The scene of Rigg's final test. Strahm arrives but finds himself lost, accidentally trailing Jeff Denlon. Meanwhile, Rigg approaches his final test. In the next room are Art, Matthews, and Hoffman; it was revealed earlier that if the door was opened before Rigg's timer expired, Matthews' head would be crushed between two ice blocks and Hoffman would be electrocuted by a complex device. Rigg charges through
17433-422: The scenes in the bathroom, and these were filmed chronologically to avoid continuity jumps and help the actors stay in character. To film the scenes of the two protagonists, Wan made sure most of Dr. Gordon's shots were very steady and controlled while Adam's shots were shaky and handheld to match the characters' personalities. Instead of using a camera dolly or a tripod , cinematographer David A. Armstrong shot
17582-405: The script, so I was quite caught by surprise and it was clear to me that if the filmmakers shot the scene well, the audience would be caught by surprise as well. The film was worth doing for that moment alone". Bell also stated that he wanted to take the opportunity to work with Glover, whom he had never worked with. Wan primarily cast Bell because of his voice. Mike Butters was originally offered
17731-525: The script. Wan said, "Leigh and I just loved the project so much and we wanted a career in filmmaking so we stuck to our guns and said, 'Look, guys, if you want this project, we're coming on board — Leigh has to act in it and I have to direct it." In early 2003, while in Los Angeles and before they met with producer Gregg Hoffman , Hoffman's friend pulled him into his office and showed him the short. Hoffman said, "About two or three minutes into it, my jaw hit
17880-406: The serial killer lurking inside yourself". Gleiberman criticized Elwes' performance by saying, "[Elwes] ought to be featured in a seminar on the perils of overacting . He compared the plot to Seven saying, "In a blatant imitation of Seven , Saw features a lunatic sadist whose ghoulish crimes are meant, in each case, to mirror the sins of his victims. The twist here is that the psycho doesn't do
18029-422: The short. I guess the term 'torture-porn' doesn't affect me one way or the other. I don't love the term, nor do I really hate it. For me, it's kind of hard to have any bad feelings about the term, because I guess torture-porn has given me a lot of good things, like being able to work in the film industry and work as a screenwriter. I guess I'm just thankful to be part of a film that made it, and anything after that
18178-456: The story though, James and I never really felt Seven was that close to our film. I guess if you stand back, you have two detectives chasing a psychopath, who uses vile methods to teach people lessons, and those points echo Seven . What we always liked about Saw , though, was that the story is told from the point of view of two of the psychopath's victims, instead of the police chasing after him, as you so often see." Bloody Disgusting , ranked
18327-412: The story. Koules was Elwes' manager at the time. To prepare for his role as an oncologist, he met with a doctor at UCLA 's Department of Neurosurgery . In August 2005, Elwes filed a lawsuit against his management firm and producers of Saw , Evolution Entertainment , alleging "breach of contract and unjust enrichment ". Elwes said that he was promised that he would receive a minimum of one percent of
18476-416: The tapes, the duo uncovers a clue leading Adam to find a bag containing two hacksaws inside the toilet. Both men try to saw through their chains, but Adam's saw breaks. Gordon realizes that the saws are intended for their feet, and identifies their captor as the Jigsaw Killer , a serial killer who tests his victims' will to survive through murderous contraptions known as "games", whom Gordon knows about as he
18625-402: The top rental of the week. For the second week it remained as the number one DVD rental with $ 6.8 million , for a $ 16.27 million two-week total. It dropped to third place in VHS rentals with $ 1.09 million , for a $ 2.83 million two-week total. The film went on to sell more than $ 70 million worth of video and DVDs. A two-disc "Uncut Edition" was released on October 18, 2005 to tie in with
18774-417: The urgent revitalisation of life occasioning new experiences to be learnt and assimilated: such as the perverse, singular and aberrant situation of waking to find a man-trap secured around your neck. There is then the instruction to live or die, to make your choice, to survive the encounter with affect, or the affection-image... There is no thrill, sadistic or otherwise, in setting these games; they are throws of
18923-563: The very short shooting schedule. He said the style instead ended up being "more gritty and rough around the edges due to the lack of time and money that we had to shoot the movie with" and it ultimately became the aesthetic of the film. $ 400 were spent on reshoots Wan and Whannell did on their own. For the reshoots, Whannell served as a stand-in to Smith and Ken Leung in the scenes of Amanda searching for her key and of Steven Sing entering into Jigsaw's lair. In post-production, Wan found he did not have enough shots or takes to work with as he
19072-475: The victims during their tests. He provided the (disguised) voice for Billy when it delivered its messages. It is shown in Saw IV that the original puppet was created by John as an intended toy for his unborn son Gideon, who died while Cecil Adams was robbing the clinic; Cecil accidentally pushed the door into Jill, which resulted in Gideon's death. John is shown constructing a more sinister Billy puppet in Saw III for
19221-402: The videotape from Amanda's game. There, they detained Jigsaw and saved a man from a trap, but Jigsaw managed to escape after he critically injured Tapp; Sing was killed by a shotgun trap. In the present, Alison and Diana are held captive in their apartment, as their captor watches Adam and Gordon through a hidden camera. The house is simultaneously watched by Tapp who, after being discharged from
19370-459: The world of their respective players: the challenges are nearly always relevant to the subject's lifestyle in a symbolic or literal way, bringing them to painful self awareness, prompting a reappraisal of their squandered potential. Through his traps, John intends to force his victims to prove that they are "worthy" and "deserving" to continue living; ideally, the victims will also learn to abandon what he perceives to be their vices. He often expressed
19519-447: Was basically shooting rehearsals. Having a lot of missing gaps in the final product, he and editor Kevin Greutert created shots to mend together during editing, such as making a shot look like a surveillance camera feed and using still photographs. "We did a lot of things to fill in gaps throughout the film. Whatever we cut to newspaper clippings and stuff like that, or we cut to surveillance cameras, or we cut to still photography within
19668-421: Was diagnosed with cancer. Producers offered him directorial duties for Saw V and Saw VI . As Whannell was uninterested in writing any more Saw films, Twisted Pictures sought new writers and ideas for the fourth Saw film, making it the first film to not be written by him. An executive discovered Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton and read their script The Midnight Man . The executive thought that
19817-606: Was initially rated NC-17 (No One 17 and Under Admitted) by the Motion Picture Association of America for strong graphic violence, though after being re-edited, it was released with an R rating . Lionsgate held a blood drive for the Red Cross called "Give Til It Hurts" and collected 4,249 pints of blood. On October 31, 2014, for the film's tenth anniversary, Saw was re-released to select theaters for one week. The release earned $ 650,051 in its opening weekend, and
19966-401: Was intended for Jill to carry out alone. As per John's instructions, she places Hoffman in the "reverse bear trap"; fulfilling the promise made via the audio tape discovered in John's stomach during his autopsy in Saw IV that Hoffman would be tested. Saw 3D features flashbacks of John meeting Bobby Dagen , a man who acquired quick fame and fortune after falsifying a story about surviving
20115-531: Was intended to contain a scene in which Jigsaw showed remorse for his actions after seeing the results of his legacy: For the first time, we actually see him break down and cry. Imagine your entire life's work. You're on your deathbed. You know there's nothing else you can do and here's how you'll be remembered: as a killer, as a murderer. Not as someone who helped people. Not as someone who changed lives. Someone who took away lives. The one thing he didn't want to be and, as he's on his deathbed, he's realizing this. As
20264-477: Was just another victim of Jigsaw, following rules to obtain the antidote for a slow-acting poison in his body. The "corpse" lying in the room suddenly rises to its feet; it turns out to be John Kramer, who is the real Jigsaw Killer. John tells Adam that the key to his chain was in the bathtub; it went down the drain when Adam had first awoken and drained the water. Adam attempts to shoot John with Zep's gun, but John electrically shocks him through his chain. John exits
20413-413: Was locked in a safe for the entirety of their conversation. Upon their arrival, John is rescued by Amanda Young , a survivor of an earlier Jigsaw test who has come to see John as a father figure and mentor. In Saw III , John's cancer has progressed and he is on his death bed. His apprentice, Amanda, begins to create impossible tests. This angers John, who doesn't see his games as outright murder because
20562-461: Was once a suspect. Five months prior, Gordon, after discussing the terminal brain cancer of patient John Kramer with his medical interns, was interrogated by detectives David Tapp and Steven Sing, who found his penlight at the scene of one of Jigsaw's games. Gordon's alibi cleared him, but he agreed to view the testimony of heroin addict Amanda Young , the only known survivor of one of Jigsaw's traps. Tapp and Sing later found Jigsaw's warehouse using
20711-418: Was originally set to be featured in the film but was not used for undisclosed reasons. The soundtrack was released on October 5, 2004 by Koch Records . Johnny Loftus of AllMusic gave it three out of five stars. He said that Clouser "really nails it with his creaky, clammy score" and that he "understands that Saw 's horror only works with a heady amount of camp, and he draws from industrial music in
20860-408: Was released by Lionsgate Films in the United States on October 26, 2007. It received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $ 139 million worldwide. A sequel, Saw V , was released in 2008. An autopsy of the Jigsaw Killer reveals a wax-coated microcassette in his stomach, and Detective Mark Hoffman is called in to listen to it. The tape promises him that "the games have just begun." In
21009-499: Was released on January 22, 2008 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment . It grossed $ 32.7 million in home sales. The film grossed $ 63,300,095 in the United States and Canada with an additional $ 76,052,538 in other markets, bringing the worldwide total to $ 139,352,633. Saw IV received mostly negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 18% of 84 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The website's consensus reads: " Saw IV
21158-406: Was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on October 26, 2007. Lionsgate held its fourth annual "Give Til It Hurts" blood drive for the Red Cross . "Saw IV (Music From And Inspired By Saw IV)" was released on October 23, 2007, by Artists' Addiction Records. The film's theme song " I.V. " was written by Yoshiki and performed by the rock group X Japan . The DVD and Blu-ray
21307-498: Was the first thing he wanted out of the film and "to have a little fun with the tropes of the Saw series and maybe not present John Kramer as completely infallible, and, in fact, he stumbles rather badly a few times in this film, but hopefully the sacred aspects of the character remain satisfying for the audience". Lane Rozin Phifer writes that Saw X was less focused on traps "and mostly centers around John’s complex character, highlighting
21456-433: Was the only set that had to be built. There were no chairs on the set. Other sets like the police station were shot in locations where other productions had built similar sets. The bathtub scene was filmed the first day of filming, and it was then that Whannell realized that they didn't have money left in the budget to hire a stuntman to shoot the scene, forcing him to perform the scene himself. It took six days to shoot all
21605-519: Was the part that Whannell portrayed in the short. Wan offhandly suggested Smith when his casting director asked who he wanted to play Amanda, as he had had a crush on Smith since his teenage years, and was surprised when his casting director secured her on the role. Danny Glover was cast as Detective David Tapp , who is in pursuit of the Jigsaw Killer. Glover stated in an interview, "Something about that detective character at that particular point attracted me to it". Michael Emerson felt drawn to accept
21754-414: Was ultimately contradicted by the backstory presented in Saw IV . Tobin Bell reprises his role as the voice of Jigsaw in the Saw video game . He is shown on television screens dressed in his signature robes setting up traps for people and preaching his lesson of life appreciation to them. He frequently advises and taunts Detective Tapp as he traverses through an abandoned insane asylum, usually by way of
21903-423: Was used in the official plot synopses for Saw III and Saw IV . John is usually seen wearing a black theatrical robe with a large hood and red lining when running traps or abducting victims. On the commentary track for the first Saw film, it was revealed that the producers originally wanted Jigsaw to have a red robe with a black interior. Thinking that the red robe was too vibrant for the film, they soon reversed
22052-426: Was working at a job he was unhappy with and began having migraines. Convinced it was a brain tumor , he went to a neurologist to have an MRI ; and, while sitting nervously in the waiting room, he thought: What if you were given the news that you had a tumor and you were going to die soon? How would you react to that? He imagined the character Jigsaw having been given one or two years to live and combined that with
22201-538: Was written by Whannell, who co-created the story with Wan in their respective screenwriting debuts. The film was originally written in 2001, but after failed attempts to get the script produced in Wan and Whannell's home country of Australia, they were urged to travel to Los Angeles. In order to help attract producers, they shot a low-budget short film of the same name from a scene out of the script. This proved successful in 2003 as producers were immediately attached and also formed
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