Saw Ranked
Years: 2004-Present
Entries: 8
Entries: 8
The horror genre was in desperate need of new life in the early 2000's with many of the big horror titles being generally underwhelming in both scares and quality. Fresh out of film school, director James Wan had peaked interest in his work with a short film he made titled 'Saw' which centred on two people trapped in a room with a dead body. The idea was a hit with producers and he shortly got signed on to Lionsgate to create a feature length version of his gripping short. The rest is history. Saw went on to spawn one of the most successful horror franchises of all time and though the series evolved into something completely different from what Wan had initially set the series up as, and the overall quality of the series tended to decline with each entry, many still look back on the Saw series with fond memories of fun gore filled horror.
#8 Saw: The Final Chapter (2010, Directed by Kevin Greutert)
#8 Saw: The Final Chapter (2010, Directed by Kevin Greutert)
The seventh and final main entry in the series saw all the explosive finale play out as Hoffman and Jill face off over Jigsaw's legacy. Meanwhile a Jigsaw survivor is brought back for another game after he uses his survival story to gain wealth and power over the weak and vulnerable. Saw VII is truly awful, there are almost no redeeming factors for this genuinely abysmal pile of garbage. The acting is terrible, even from long time series regulars like Costas Mandylor and Betsy Russell. On top of that the film was made with 3D effects in mind, to combat the loss of light from 3D effects the colours are so far off what you would expect them to be that the film looses all visual impact. Blood is pink, and this is a film series where you see an awful lot of blood. The only good thing about this entry is that it killed the series for long enough for Lionsgate to take a step back and re-evaluate how the series could be rebooted.
#7 Saw VI (2009, Directed by Kevin Greutert)
#7 Saw VI (2009, Directed by Kevin Greutert)
In comparison to Saw VII, Saw VI is a great film...but it's still pretty bad. With Detective Hoffman unmasked as Jigsaw's heir at the end of Saw V, he now is caught in a frantic race to try and cover up his errors before the trail leads back to him. Meanwhile the final game Jigsaw planned before his death is set into motion involving a health insurance company whose policies left John Kramer high and dry when he sought cover for his cancer treatment.
Saw VI has some interesting trap designs, but overall the formula was so stale at this point that people were really only coming back to see how gory it could be, and Saw VI underperformed there too.
#6 Saw II (2005, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
Saw VI has some interesting trap designs, but overall the formula was so stale at this point that people were really only coming back to see how gory it could be, and Saw VI underperformed there too.
#6 Saw II (2005, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
After the success of the first Saw a sequel was rushed into production and was released a year after the original.
This time we follow Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) whilst he is hot on the tail of Jigsaw. When Matthews & Jigsaw come face to face we learn about who the man behind the murders really is, John Kramer. The two exchange tense conversation whilst the FBI attempt to pinpoint the location of a game currently in progress which just so happens to have Matthews son as a participant.
It certainly shows just how rushed this was as it attempts to be 'bigger and better' than the first Saw film but is very visibly falling apart at the seams as it tries to be gorier than the first film, have some star power behind it in the form of Wahlberg, and also expand the story of Jigsaw. It collapses under the weight of its own ambition and whilst not strictly a bad film when compared to the previous two entries, it certainly is underwhelming when coming off the back of the first film.
#5 Jigsaw (2017, Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig)
This time we follow Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) whilst he is hot on the tail of Jigsaw. When Matthews & Jigsaw come face to face we learn about who the man behind the murders really is, John Kramer. The two exchange tense conversation whilst the FBI attempt to pinpoint the location of a game currently in progress which just so happens to have Matthews son as a participant.
It certainly shows just how rushed this was as it attempts to be 'bigger and better' than the first Saw film but is very visibly falling apart at the seams as it tries to be gorier than the first film, have some star power behind it in the form of Wahlberg, and also expand the story of Jigsaw. It collapses under the weight of its own ambition and whilst not strictly a bad film when compared to the previous two entries, it certainly is underwhelming when coming off the back of the first film.
#5 Jigsaw (2017, Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig)
After a 7 year hiatus the Saw series attempted a sequel reboot. When a series of murders in the style of Jigsaw begin cropping up, police forces are sent into a frenzy trying to chase down a killer who has been dead for years. Is it simply a copycat, or did Jigsaw never really die?
It was great to see the Saw series make a return to the big screen and whilst the film certainly felt lacklustre in comparison to other horror films of the time, it made a good case for why the torture and gore filled series should make a comeback. With a much higher production value than any previous Saw film and a much needed detachment from the bloated story of the original series, Jigsaw was a great way to test the waters for the upcoming Chris Rock led Saw reboot 'Spiral', but ultimately still felt a little contrived because of the reliance on futuristic technology and it refused to move on too much from what had come before.
#4 Saw IV (2007, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
It was great to see the Saw series make a return to the big screen and whilst the film certainly felt lacklustre in comparison to other horror films of the time, it made a good case for why the torture and gore filled series should make a comeback. With a much higher production value than any previous Saw film and a much needed detachment from the bloated story of the original series, Jigsaw was a great way to test the waters for the upcoming Chris Rock led Saw reboot 'Spiral', but ultimately still felt a little contrived because of the reliance on futuristic technology and it refused to move on too much from what had come before.
#4 Saw IV (2007, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
The Jigsaw killer is dead. Saw IV is very keen to point this out to us with an extremely graphic autopsy at the start of the film on one John Kramer. Although he may be gone, his games are far from over. Lieutenant Rigg is the target of Jigsaw's latest game as he is forced to see the world as Jigsaw sees it. Fearing the former SWAT leader is being initiated by Jigsaw, the FBI send in detectives Strahm and Perez to hunt him down and stop him before he takes a life.
Saw IV certainly tried to keep the Saw formula interesting after the death of Jigsaw, but for everything it does right it also does something wrong. Ultimately Saw IV just feels a bit mediocre. Not bad, but not great.
#3 Saw V (2008, Directed by David Hackl)
Saw IV certainly tried to keep the Saw formula interesting after the death of Jigsaw, but for everything it does right it also does something wrong. Ultimately Saw IV just feels a bit mediocre. Not bad, but not great.
#3 Saw V (2008, Directed by David Hackl)
When Detective Strahm begins to suspect Hoffman of being involved in Jigsaw's continued killing games the two enter a game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile five strangers wake up in a new game and must work together or die to find out why they have been selected by Jigsaw to cherish their lives.
Saw V may not be a 'good' film, but it's fun. The Strahm vs. Hoffman story is certainly different for Saw and it's pretty great to see Strahm slowly go crazy in pursuit of Hoffman. On top of this the five person game has some of the more interesting, and gory traps in the series. So whilst it's certainly not a particularly good film, it's one of the more fun entries in the series.
#2 Saw III (2006, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
Saw V may not be a 'good' film, but it's fun. The Strahm vs. Hoffman story is certainly different for Saw and it's pretty great to see Strahm slowly go crazy in pursuit of Hoffman. On top of this the five person game has some of the more interesting, and gory traps in the series. So whilst it's certainly not a particularly good film, it's one of the more fun entries in the series.
#2 Saw III (2006, Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman)
Following the rushed nature of Saw II, Saw III manages to go even bigger, even gorier, but this time actually be pretty good. Dr. Lynn Denlon is taken hostage by Amanda and tasked with keeping John Kramer alive until his currently running game is over. The game involves a man named Jeff, who following the death of his son has allowed revenge to consume him. Both Lynn & Jeff must confront their own personal demons to survive Jigsaw's sadistic tests.
Saw III ups the ante in all the right ways and has some of the most iconic traps of the entire series. The film also nails the John Kramer storyline this time around as we get a good insight into who this person is and who his accomplices are. Overall it's pretty good.
#1 Saw (2004, Directed by James Wan)
Saw III ups the ante in all the right ways and has some of the most iconic traps of the entire series. The film also nails the John Kramer storyline this time around as we get a good insight into who this person is and who his accomplices are. Overall it's pretty good.
#1 Saw (2004, Directed by James Wan)
It's easy to see how the original Saw became so influential and also went on to spawn such a commercially successful franchise (even if the critics weren't all that impressed). When Dr. Lawrence Gordon and photographer Adam Stanheight awake in dilapidated basement bathroom, both chained to an opposite wall with a dead body in between them. The two spend the next several hours finding clues about why they have been trapped in the room, and what they must do in order to escape with their lives.
Made on a shoestring budget, the original Saw film certainly looks a little rough around the edges at times. This only adds to the dingy scenario however and helps to make the gory horror, when it infrequently happens, all the more impactful. It's quite funny to go back to the first film after watching the sequels and realising just how little gore there is, and how most of the film actually more closely resembles an episode of CSI; very much the opposite of what the series went on to become.
So if you're going to jump into the Saw series, probably the best thing you could do is check out the excellent first film and then just not bother with the rest.
Made on a shoestring budget, the original Saw film certainly looks a little rough around the edges at times. This only adds to the dingy scenario however and helps to make the gory horror, when it infrequently happens, all the more impactful. It's quite funny to go back to the first film after watching the sequels and realising just how little gore there is, and how most of the film actually more closely resembles an episode of CSI; very much the opposite of what the series went on to become.
So if you're going to jump into the Saw series, probably the best thing you could do is check out the excellent first film and then just not bother with the rest.