Saw is the series that just won’t stop. Some horror fans love these movies, while others dismiss them as mere torture porn; however, movie-goers consistently show up to give them healthy box office returns. Not only did the most recent film, Saw X, make over $100 million worldwide, but it also received the franchise’s best reviews since the original. Now, Blumhouse Productions is preparing to showcase their take on the property. But how does the entire series rank? You can check out our Saw Movies Ranked list below – then let us know how you would rank the movies by leaving a comment!
Envisioned as the “Final Chapter,” the seventh Saw movie was released in 3D to showcase some of the biggest and most over-the-top traps of the franchise right in the viewer’s face. Saw 3D was directed by Saw VI’s Kevin Greutert, who had to replace Saw V director David Hackl just two weeks before filming began. Such a change often leads to chaos, and that’s exactly what the finished film turned out to be. Although bringing Dr. Lawrence Gordon / Cary Elwes back for the “last one” was a good idea, it could have been executed better. The storyline following a man who lied about being a Jigsaw survivor feels irrelevant. The overly long saga of Jigsaw’s follower Mark Hoffman finally comes to an end, but in an underwhelming manner. He deserved worse.
JIGSAW (2017)
You might expect that the Saw franchise would be refreshed after a seven-year hiatus with new writers crafting the story and new directors (Michael and Peter Spierig) at the helm. However, Jigsaw feels like just another sequel in line with its predecessors and falls into familiar traps that previously dragged down the series: timeline tricks, flashbacks, forgettable characters enduring various traps, and a secret apprentice. Unresolved questions from Saw 3D remain unanswered as Jigsaw introduces a new Jigsaw follower we had never seen or heard of before. The most memorable aspect of this movie is a trap involving lasers.
Now we know that Mark Hoffman is the apprentice continuing Jigsaw’s work while FBI agent Peter Strahm is figuring this out as well. While Hoffman and Strahm engage in a cat-and-mouse game through dimly lit scenes, there’s also a group of five people undergoing a series of tests/traps. However, it’s hard to care about their plight when the real focus of the movie is Strahm’s pursuit of Hoffman and flashbacks to Hoffman being recruited by Jigsaw. Directed by David Hackl (who served as production designer and/or second unit director on previous sequels), Saw V features one of the coolest moments in the franchise – Strahm performing a tracheotomy with a pen to survive a water trap – but otherwise feels like it’s merely going through the motions. It’s a dull entry in the franchise which isn’t surprising given how quickly they were producing these sequels.
SAW IV (2007)
Saw II and Saw III director Darren Lynn Bousman returned for this sequel; however, it was written by a new team who had to figure out how to continue the franchise now that both Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) were dead. One obvious choice was introducing a new apprentice for Jigsaw. Unexpectedly, Donnie Wahlberg remains as Saw II‘s Eric Matthews six months after he appeared to be dead. The film also delves deeper into Jigsaw’s backstory than ever before, providing him with even more reasons for creating death traps. Terminal cancer and a failed suicide attempt were not his only motivations; there was also a tragic romance and a lost child involved. This is when the Saw franchise starts resembling a convoluted gory soap opera—charmingly so for some fans.
SAW III (2006)
The creators of the franchise James Wan and Leigh Whannell still receive executive producer credits on every new Saw movie; however their creative involvement ended with Saw III. They saved some of the grossest content for last; even Whannell was reportedly sickened by some of the traps in this installment which feels much darker than its predecessors. One trap involves rotten pig guts while terminally ill Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda force a surgeon to perform brain surgery on him. Meanwhile a grieving man played by Angus Macfadyen must decide whether or not to save people linked to his son’s death in a drunk driving incident (the driver, the witness who didn’t testify, and the judge who issued a lenient sentence). This bleak film tells an interesting story but is not pleasant to watch.
SAW VI (2009)
Mark Hoffman is not an engaging villain; watching multiple movies featuring him escaping situations you hope will eliminate him from the franchise becomes frustrating. While we’re still stuck with Hoffman and subjected to numerous flashbacks designed to answer questions we didn’t even know we had (three movies later), Saw VI manages to be an improvement over some previous installments. Director Kevin Greutert made this film fun again by placing a health insurance executive from Jigsaw’s past at the center of its games. Unfortunately,Saw VI became the least successful entry up until that point because audiences were losing interest in the franchise.
SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW (2021)
Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV director Darren Lynn Bousman returned for this installment about a Jigsaw copycat—similar to Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Chris Rock stars as a detective trying to uncover who keeps killing cops with elaborate traps; his performance shines when he cracks jokes but falls flat during serious moments. Samuel L. Jackson plays his father who becomes ensnared in one of these traps—it’s entertaining to see an icon like SLJ caught in such a predicament. Other than its traps and references to Jigsaw,Spiral: From the Book of Saw has little connection to other films in the series… which felt refreshing at this point. There’s no need for continuity concerns; viewers can simply enjoy it as straightforward revenge film.
SAW X (2023)
I find several sequels in the Saw series difficult to endure—not due to violence or gore but because they become bogged down with excessive flashbacks and convoluted timelines filled with melodrama. I grew tired of those elements; I even found “spin-off”Spiral, generally unpopular among fans, refreshing because it didn’t try to complicate John “Jigsaw” Kramer’s story further… So it was surprising that Saw X managed to engage me again with another Jigsaw narrative—by returning to earlier times between the first two films before things became messy. This time Jigsaw himself takes center stage as he falls victim to medical fraudsters before seeking revenge through his usual games against them. Not only was this installment enjoyable after quite some time but it also sparked my interest in John Kramer as a character—previously I found him pompous and hypocritical.
SAW II (2005)
The self-respecting sequel directed by Darren Lynn Bousman expands upon concepts introduced in its predecessor; instead of two individuals trapped within one room we now have seven people confined within one house exposed nerve gas forced into participating various games set throughout different rooms retrieving vials antidote needed survival while deeply flawed detective Eric Matthews along with SWAT team storming warehouse capturing Jigsaw himself yet he still manages maintain control situation despite being captured . The traps are gruesome cringe-inducing moments including syringe pit which remains one most memorable scenes series yet retains sense fun sequel lacking bleakness mean spiritedness future installments would exhibit .
The Saw franchise has become so big convoluted you might forget it all started simple little serial killer thriller directed James Wan screenwriter Leigh Whannell came up idea they could bring screen very little money two men trapped room chains their ankles hacksaws hand then built fascinating story around those two men story Jigsaw Killer forces victims play dangerous games decide fate most them don’t survive there also mother daughter being held gunpoint obsessed detective chasing wrong suspect survivor grateful experience jaw-dropping twist even no sequels had ever made we’d still be talking about Saw classic thriller along lines Seven.
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