“If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw.”

For seven years, this statement proved to be entirely true. Starting with the release of the original Saw in 2004, Lionsgate had a new entry in the franchise in theaters just in time for Halloween each and every year up till the release of Saw 3D (aka Part 7), the series’ first intended finale, in 2010. Now, some may say that this was overkill (a term that may be a compliment as far as this franchise is concerned), and maybe it was. The original film, a surprise smash hit, was not a story written with the intention of sequels. 

Personally, I consider myself a fan of the series and was at five of those seven opening weekends. So, for me and many others, the Saw series did mark the Halloween season, or at least the conclusion of it. Sure, there’s nothing particularly “Halloweenish” (is that a word?) about these films, but they did make for a fun tradition. As we learned yesterday, people sure do love their traditions, especially when they are illegal and evil. 

Angel Young returns to the Halloween Horrors series with today’s entry, having last joined us in 2020 with her thoughts on the “American Horror Story” Season One two -part episode “Halloween”.  Angel brings her love the Saw films, or at least the first film, to the series today. There’s a sense of excitement being shared not only with the reader, but as the following entry shows, with the next generation of horror fans as well.

You can read more from Angel at her blog, wanderingnerdgirl.com, or the Wandering Nerdgirl Facebook page.

I still distinctly remember seeing the trailer for 2004’s Saw for the very first time. I was 13-going-on-14 and falling madly in love with the horror genre outside of the creature feature and Universal Monster movies I grew up watching. Slasher films had particularly stolen my heart at the time. Then, Saw appeared in my world, and quickly caught my attention.

“He doesn’t want us to saw through our chains”, Dr. Gordon says in his iconic line. “He wants us to saw through our feet.”

Before I had even watched the movie, I was fascinated. That grungy, gross aesthetic of the room Adam and Gordon are locked in is still one of my favorites for horror films. Something about it feels oddly comforting to me in a way that I suppose it only can for a horror fan. I even recall the website and all the fun interactions you could have, back when websites for films still did things like that.

I also remember the day I finally got to watch Saw. Because I was so young, I couldn’t see it in theaters alone, and my mother was not even remotely interested in watching it herself. So, I had to wait on the DVD release to rent it. Not only did my mom take me to rent the movie, but I also got my favorite take out on the way home – setting up for one of my favorite sorts of nights now as an adult.

Saw captivated me.

Sure, I had originally wanted to watch the film because I was a young horror fan eager for some gore, and Saw promised and delivered on that. I fell in love with this film. The mystery aspect gave it more depth than what typically gets credited to Saw. It was more than “torture porn”, more than just a slasher film with mindless blood and boobs. And that twist that became as synonymous with Saw as its traps? It’s made Saw my answer every time I get asked the question, “If you could watch any movie again for the first time, what would it be?”

Saw has gained its rightful place as a legendary franchise and placed Jigsaw firmly onto the great horror icons of history for what it brought to the table. Plus, who doesn’t love chatting with fellow horror fans about their favorite Saw traps?

Saw is written off a lot as nothing more than torture for the sake of torture, but I have to disagree. The story has always captivated me, and while Jigsaw is obviously not a hero to be idolized, he’s also one of the more human and relatable icons in the horror genre. We may not agree with his methods, but at least, to some extent, we can understand more about him than we can, say, Art the Clown, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, etc.

Since then, I have passed down my love for this series to my two horror loving nieces, one of whom is particularly into the Saw franchise because of her love for a good mystery. Watching her try to solve whatever twist is coming has become one of my favorite things for us to do together. She loved having a movie night for Saw X after it was released to physical media, getting snacks and blankets and revisiting Jigsaw himself once more.

Not only did Saw help shape me as a horror fan from a young age, but now it’s part of what I am passing on to the next generation of horror fans within my family.

So, I must ask you… would you like to play a game?