Saw film series
Saw logo
Directed by	James Wan Darren Lynn Bousman David Hackl
Produced by	Mark Burg Daniel Heffner Gregg Hoffman Oren Koules James Wan Leigh Whannell
Written by	Darren Lynn Bousman Marcus Dunstan Thomas Fenton Patrick Melton James Wan Leigh Whannell
Starring	Tobin Bell Shawnee Smith Leigh Whannell Cary Elwes Donnie Wahlberg Dina Meyer Lyriq Bent Bahar Soomekh Angus MacFadyen Costas Mandylor Scott Patterson
Music by	Charlie Clouser
Cinematography	David Armstrong
Editing by	Kevin Greutert
Distributed by	Lions Gate
Release date(s)	2004 — present
Running time	411 min. James Wan (born February 27 1977) is an Australian producer, Screenwriter, and Film director. Darren Lynn Bousman (born January 11 1979 in Overland Park, Kansas) is an American Film director. David Hackl is a Film director and Production designer. He was the production designer and second unit director for Saw II, Saw III Gregg Hoffman ( June 11, 1963 &ndash December 4, 2005) born in Phoenix Arizona, was a movie producer responsible for developing the James Wan (born February 27 1977) is an Australian producer, Screenwriter, and Film director. Leigh Whannell (born January 17 1977 is an Australian Screenwriter, producer, and Actor, perhaps most known for his work on the ''Saw'' Darren Lynn Bousman (born January 11 1979 in Overland Park, Kansas) is an American Film director. Patrick Melton is an American Screenplay writer, born on June 18, 1975 in Champaign Illinois, USA. James Wan (born February 27 1977) is an Australian producer, Screenwriter, and Film director. Leigh Whannell (born January 17 1977 is an Australian Screenwriter, producer, and Actor, perhaps most known for his work on the ''Saw'' Tobin Bell (born August 7 1942) is an American film and television Actor. Shawnee Smith (born July 3, 1970) is an American Actress. As well as the many Films and Television shows in which Leigh Whannell (born January 17 1977 is an Australian Screenwriter, producer, and Actor, perhaps most known for his work on the ''Saw'' Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (born October 26, 1962) is an English Actor credited as Cary Elwes, known for his performances in Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg Jr (born August 17, 1969) is an American Singer, Actor and producer. Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles in Starship Troopers Lyriq Bent is a Canadian Actor, best known for his portrayal as SWAT Team Leader Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Bahar Soomekh ( Persian: بهار سومخ Hebrew: בהאר סומך born March 30, 1975) is an Iranian - Angus Macfadyen (born September 21, 1963 is a Scottish Actor. Costas Mandylor (born 3 September 1965 Costas is also an avid Soccer fan and plays occasionally with Hollywood United F Scott Gordon Patterson (born September 11, 1958) is an American Actor. Charles Alexander Clouser (born June 28, 1963, in Hanover New Hampshire) is a musician whose activities include playing Keyboard, David Armstrong may refer to David Armstrong (English footballer (b Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " (total)
Country	United States  United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$25. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States 2 million (combined total of I-IV)
Gross revenue	Domestic (as of June 4, 2008) $285,763,829 Worldwide $548,874,868

The Saw film series is a horror franchise created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common A film series is a collection of related films in Succession. Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers James Wan (born February 27 1977) is an Australian producer, Screenwriter, and Film director. Leigh Whannell (born January 17 1977 is an Australian Screenwriter, producer, and Actor, perhaps most known for his work on the ''Saw'' Four films have been released and two more are scheduled, with a video game planned for a 2009 release. The series is one of the most financially successful rated-R movie series of all time. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U

Premise

The plot of the series revolves around the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell), a dying vigilante who kidnaps his victims and places them in deadly traps to test them and give them an opportunity to repent from their former lifestyle in which they took their lives for granted. Appearances in film Saw The Jigsaw Killer character was introduced in the 2004 film Saw through the character Dr Tobin Bell (born August 7 1942) is an American film and television Actor. The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others The films typically consists of several small traps that are resolved within a short length of time and lay foundation for a larger trap which occupies most of the time of the movie. Each movie tends to conclude with a twist-ending that wraps things up, but also creates more questions to be answered in the following film.

Media

Cover of the Saw trilogy box set.

There have been four Saw movies in total, with a latest released on October 26, 2007. ^[1] Each film has been rated R by the MPAA, though each was originally rated NC-17. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U Each release made to date was released in theaters in consecutive years on the Friday before Halloween and released in an uncut version on DVD the following October. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

Films

• Saw, released on October 29, 2004. Saw is the first installment of the Saw crime Horror film series. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II The year 2004 in film involved some significant events Major releases of sequels took place
• Saw II, the first sequel, released on October 28, 2005. Saw II is a 2005 Horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 Saw. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine The year 2005 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Devil's Rejects, Cheaper
• Saw III, the second sequel, released on October 27, 2006. Saw III is the third installment in the Saw series The film is a joint effort of both Saw's writers/directors James Wan Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. The year 2006 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest
• Saw IV, the third sequel, released on October 26, 2007. Saw IV is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' series. The film was initially released on October 25 2007 and in the United States on October 26 2007 Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death 2007 saw major releases such as The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure Book of Secrets,
• Saw V, the fourth sequel began filming on March 17, 2008,^[2], with a release date of October 24, 2008. Saw V is the upcoming fifth installment in the ''Saw'' film series. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat ^[3]
• Another sequel has been planned to follow Saw V. Saw IV is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' series. The film was initially released on October 25 2007 and in the United States on October 26 2007

Video game

• Brash Entertainment LLC has licensed the film property from Lions Gate Entertainment to develop a video game with James Wan and Leigh Whannell^[4] based on the Saw series. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. ^[5] The game was officially announced on January 30, 2008 and is set for release in October 2009 for all platforms. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Upcoming events in video gaming See also History of video games. ^[6] It has been confirmed that Charlie Clouser, the music composer for the Saw films, is doing the music for the video game. Mark Berg explained that it will be a "walk-through" game, where the player picks up weapons along the way. The plot of the game will be set during the timeframe of the first film. Oren Koules revealed that the characters will be voiced by the corresponding actors from the films. ^[7]

Other media

• Saw, a 2003 short film which served as a promotional tool in pitching the film's potential to Lions Gate, included on the DVD release of Saw. Saw is an Australian nine-and-a-half-minute Short subject Thriller film by directors James Wan and Leigh Whannell. The year 2003 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings The Return Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎.
• Saw: Rebirth, a comic book prequel to the original film released to promote Saw II. Saw Rebirth is a Comic book one-shot published by IDW Publishing. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Its continuity was later contradicted by events in Saw IV.

Future development

Tobin Bell has stated that he was signed on for a total of five sequels,^[8] and Producer Oren Koules confirmed on June 22, 2007 that both Saw V and VI were being written at the time. Tobin Bell (born August 7 1942) is an American film and television Actor. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Authors of the scripts include Marcus Dunstan, Thomas Fenton. Lionsgate has also hinted at a third writer. The name Brennan Nold was mentioned by Lionsgate founder Jon Feltheimer, in a recent interview. ^[9][10] Saw V started filming on March 17, 2008. ^[2]

Prominent characters

Main article: List of Saw characters

Synopsis

Flashbacks from Saw IV reveal the earliest roots of the series, which presented John Kramer as a successful civil engineer and devoted husband to his wife Jill, who opened a rehab clinic for drug addicts. The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others Appearances in film Saw The Jigsaw Killer character was introduced in the 2004 film Saw through the character Dr Tobin Bell (born August 7 1942) is an American film and television Actor. Appearances in films Saw Amanda's first appearance was as a minor character in the 2004 film Saw. Shawnee Smith (born July 3, 1970) is an American Actress. As well as the many Films and Television shows in which Appearances Saw Kerry first appeared in Saw as a detective working with detectives David Tapp and Steven Sing. Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American film and television actress, best known for her roles in Starship Troopers Appearances Full Disclosure Report Eric's first appearance was in the fake documentary titled "Full Disclosure Report" which was featured on the Saw Uncut Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg Jr (born August 17, 1969) is an American Singer, Actor and producer. Appearances Saw II Rigg first appeared as a SWAT sergeant in Saw II, in which he assisted Detectives Allison Kerry and Eric Matthews to Lyriq Bent is a Canadian Actor, best known for his portrayal as SWAT Team Leader Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Appearances Saw As seen in Saw film Adam Faulkner was a headstrong and angry young man working as a freelance photographer Leigh Whannell (born January 17 1977 is an Australian Screenwriter, producer, and Actor, perhaps most known for his work on the ''Saw'' The Reinhart family was a family that appeared in the Saw series in particular Saw III. Angus Macfadyen (born September 21, 1963 is a Scottish Actor. The Reinhart family was a family that appeared in the Saw series in particular Saw III. Bahar Soomekh ( Persian: بهار سومخ Hebrew: בהאר סומך born March 30, 1975) is an Iranian - The Gordon family was a family that appeared in the first installment of the ''Saw'' film series. Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (born October 26, 1962) is an English Actor credited as Cary Elwes, known for his performances in The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others Tragically, Jill lost her baby due to the inadvertent actions of a drug addict named Cecil, who fled the scene. The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others John grieved over the loss of his child and distanced himself from his friends and wife.

Jill and John eventually drifted apart and divorced. After this turn of events, John found himself in a rut that he was too complacent with to give up. This lifestyle continued for some time until John became sick and was diagnosed with an inoperable frontal lobe tumor. The frontal lobe is an area in the Brain of Mammals It is located at the front of each Cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to (in front of the See also Cancer A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells (termed neoplastic Extremely bitter over his squandered life, John began observing the lives of others, and was even more depressed when he sees them squandering the gift of life that he had just been denied. After surviving a suicide attempt when he drove his car off a cliff, John became "reborn", and nurtured the idea that the only way for someone to change is for them to change themselves. He designed a test for Cecil and decided to use the rest of his existence to design more of these traps, changing the world "one person at a time", thus assuming the identity of the "Jigsaw Killer", so named because he removed a puzzle piece shaped chunk of flesh from those who do not escape his traps.

Few of John's victims are able to survive his brutal tests, which are often ironically symbolic representations of the problems in the victim's life and require them to undergo severe physical or psychological torture to escape. Irony is a literary or Rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or Discordance between what one says or does and what one means or "Symbolic" redirects here For other uses see Symbolism (disambiguation and Symbolic (disambiguation. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally The first surviving victim, Amanda Young, views Jigsaw as her hero who ultimately changed her life for the better. Appearances in films Saw Amanda's first appearance was as a minor character in the 2004 film Saw. Amanda, upon Jigsaw's request, agrees to become his protégé. She oversees Detective Eric Matthew's test in Saw II, but is angry when she observes that the test has not changed his selfishness and begins designing inescapable traps, much to Jigsaw's chagrin.

In the first Saw, Jigsaw has chained Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who diagnosed his cancer, in a dilapidated industrial washroom with Adam Faulkner, the private investigator who has been taking pictures of the doctor cheating on his wife. The Gordon family was a family that appeared in the first installment of the ''Saw'' film series. Appearances Saw As seen in Saw film Adam Faulkner was a headstrong and angry young man working as a freelance photographer Lawrence has instructions to kill Adam in eight hours, or else his wife and daughter will be killed. Meanwhile, detectives David Tapp and Steven Sing, who suspect Lawrence of being the killer, follow a trail of clues from his other traps. The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others Eventually, Lawrence saws his own foot off to escape and leaves Adam alone, when it is revealed that the supposed corpse that has been in the room the entire time is actually a disguised Jigsaw, who leaves Adam sealed in the room to die. Flashbacks from later films show that Amanda returns and suffocates Adam as a mercy killing.

Saw II begins with the police tracking a severely weakened Jigsaw in his newest lair. However, another test is in place, as he has kidnapped the son of Detective Eric Matthews and trapped him and a group of seven convicts previously framed by Matthews in a house that is slowly being filled with a toxic nerve gas, Amanda among them. Appearances Full Disclosure Report Eric's first appearance was in the fake documentary titled "Full Disclosure Report" which was featured on the Saw Uncut Sarin, also known by its NATO designation of GB, is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a Nerve agent. He will trade Daniel Matthews' life for Detective Matthews' time conversing with him until the game is concluded. Matthews loses his patience and assaults Jigsaw, and Jigsaw escapes as Eric goes to the house shown on Jigsaw's screens, only to discover that the test in the house occurred much earlier and was videotaped; although his son is safe, Matthews is knocked unconscious by a masked figure who is later revealed to be Amanda. Matthews wakes up imprisoned in the bathroom from the first film, in the foundation of the house. He escaped the bathroom where he confronted and beat Amanda demanding to know where his son was. Amanda defeated him and left him for dead. It is later revealed in a flashback that someone, whose identity remains unknown, placed Eric in a prison cell, keeping him for a future game.

The events of Saw III and IV occur concurrently. Saw III begins when Jigsaw, weakened from his disease, is confined to a makeshift hospital bed, and Amanda picks up his work, designing traps of her own. However, these traps have no escape, as Amanda is convinced that Jigsaw's traps have no effect. During this time Detective Allison Kerry is kidnapped and placed in one of Amanda's traps, despite her efforts she is unable to escape and discovers Amanda to be Jigsaw's apprentice before her trap activates killing her. A kidnapped doctor is forced to keep Jigsaw alive while another test is performed on Jeff, a man obsessed with vengeance on the drunk driver who killed his son. The Reinhart family was a family that appeared in the Saw series in particular Saw III. The Reinhart family was a family that appeared in the Saw series in particular Saw III. Jigsaw, unwilling to allow "a murderer" to continue his legacy, designs a large, complex test for Amanda, which she ultimately fails, resulting in the deaths of both Jigsaw and Amanda. Saw IV, meanwhile, revolves around tests meant for Officer Rigg, which are overseen by Forensic Hoffman, an accomplice. The following is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the ''Saw'' series, either as main characters victims of games, detectives or others Rigg fails his tests resulting in the death of Eric Matthews. Rigg is left in the factory to bleed to death by Hoffman, who later discovers the bodies of Jigsaw and Amanda. However Rigg's fate is left unknown at the climax of the film.

Saw IV ends on a cliffhanger when an autopsy is performed on Jigsaw and a cassette tape coated in wax is found in his stomach. A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a Plot device in which a movie, Novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending often leaving An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is a Medical procedure that consists of a thorough Examination The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound In Human anatomy, the stomach is a J-shaped hollow muscular organ of the Gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of Digestion, following The tape informs Hoffman that he is wrong to think that it is all over just because Jigsaw is dead, and he should not expect to go untested, and that the games have just begun.

Saw

Saw II

Saw III

Saw IV

Reception

Box office performance

Critical reaction

Records

• With each year bringing a new dose of Saw, Saw IV has marked a Hollywood record for the most films to be released consecutively - one each year - in a movie franchise. A saw is a Tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials Saw II is a 2005 Horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 Saw. Saw III is the third installment in the Saw series The film is a joint effort of both Saw's writers/directors James Wan Saw IV is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' series. The film was initially released on October 25 2007 and in the United States on October 26 2007 Saw is the first installment of the Saw crime Horror film series. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II The year 2004 in film involved some significant events Major releases of sequels took place Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II The year 2004 in film involved some significant events Major releases of sequels took place Saw II is a 2005 Horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 Saw. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine The year 2005 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Devil's Rejects, Cheaper Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine The year 2005 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Devil's Rejects, Cheaper Saw III is the third installment in the Saw series The film is a joint effort of both Saw's writers/directors James Wan Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. The year 2006 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. The year 2006 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Saw IV is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' series. The film was initially released on October 25 2007 and in the United States on October 26 2007 Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death 2007 saw major releases such as The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure Book of Secrets, Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death 2007 saw major releases such as The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure Book of Secrets, Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. Saw is the first installment of the Saw crime Horror film series. Saw II is a 2005 Horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 Saw. Saw III is the third installment in the Saw series The film is a joint effort of both Saw's writers/directors James Wan Saw IV is the fourth installment in the ''Saw'' series. The film was initially released on October 25 2007 and in the United States on October 26 2007 ^[30]
• Saw III gave Lions Gate its highest-grossing weekend in history, outdoing the previous record set by Saw II of $31. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. 7 million to a bettering $33. 6 million. ^[31]
• Both Saw II and III broke records when they were released in the holiday period of Halloween. Saw II is a 2005 Horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 Saw. Saw III is the third installment in the Saw series The film is a joint effort of both Saw's writers/directors James Wan Both movies managed to top the "Halloween Weekend Openers" Saw II premiered with $31. 7 mil in 2005, and Saw III, which bowed to a slightly higher $33. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 6 mil in 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Saw IV premiered at $32. 1 million, making it number one at the box office on Halloween weekend 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[32][33]
• All the movies in the Saw series have managed to gross over $50 million, putting them in the top 10 all-time highest total gross for Lions Gate. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. ^[34]
• On IGN's list of the top twenty-five movie franchises of all time, the Saw series ranks as number twenty-five. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video ^[35]

References

External links

• Official Saw site
• Official II site
• Official III site
• Official IV site
• Official SAW website/fan club
• Official SAW Props, Wardrobe and Autograph Auction