In 2003, Leigh Whannel wrote a screenplay entitled Saw. To sell the concept of his movies, James Wan directed and shot a scene from Leigh’s script, in which Leigh himself stared. From there, a legend was born. The feature length film Saw was released in 2004.
Saw was literally derived from nightmares James Wan and Leigh Whannel had as children. This adds to the eerie feel of the movie. It is the perfect movie for fan of any horror sub-genre. The perfect mix of gore, psychological terror, and mystery is a theme that continues through the whole series. These movies are not for the faint of heart. With taglines such as, “How much blood will you shed to stay alive?” and “Suffering? You haven’t seen anything yet,” one can expect some blood in every scene. The gore lures you to the movie, but you stay for the psychological terror. These movies are frightening without the constant use of “scare scenes” where a sudden noise comes from the silence. Saw has the ability to disturb you as no other movie can. It raises the question of “What would I do in this situation?” The entire movie is like a jigsaw puzzle. In every scene, you’re given a new piece to put in, but the pieces won’t connect until the very end. This becomes a challenge. Can you figure it out before the movie ends?

Another thing the Saw franchise has become famous for is the surprising endings. The ending of the first movie left me shocked and begging for more. Almost every movie in the franchise left me waiting anxiously for the next one. At the end, when it all clicks in your mind and you figure it out, you think “How could I not have seen that?”

Although I believe nothing can beat the original, I recently went to see Saw 5. I’m sorry to admit I’m rather disappointed. I think the best of Saw was over after the third installment. During these three movies, James Wan and Leigh Whannel were both writing or directing as well as producing. In the fourth and the fifth, they were executive producers. Although Saw 4 was good, it is not as good as the others. It’s constant change of time, as well as it’s numerous subplots was confusing and difficult to understand, especially if you are not a Saw fan. I considered it to be the weakest in the series, until I saw Saw 5. After Saw 4 many fans abandoned hope for the future of the series. The bar was set low for the newest installment. Many fans expected it to be bad, but I don’t think anyone expected it to be this bad. If you go to the theater expecting a complex storyline, you will be disappointed. One doesn’t have to be devoted movie-goer to figure it out. In Saw 5 there was no “How could I have missed that?” moment that I have come to expect from the franchise. It left me disappointed and wishing for a better Saw 6.