This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn't exist.
With the release of Saw in 2004, I'm not sure any horror fans, let alone genre newcomers James Wan and Leigh Whannel, could have predicted the impact it would have. The simple, one-set film with the plot twist to end them all birthed a horror phenomenon that now spans ten films, video games, comic books, theme park attractions, and more merchandise than you can shake a stick at.
The latest film, Spiral, showed that there is still plenty of material to be made within the franchise, and just four years later, we have the eagerly-anticipated Saw X. With Saw VI and VII director Kevin Greutert returning to the fray to helm the film, fans have been eagerly awaiting the mayhem sure to unfold – and with Tobin Bell returning to his acclaimed role as John Kramer, anticipation has been high. But does it deliver the thrills and chills it promises?
The events of Saw X take place between Saw I and II, with Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka the Jigsaw killer, in the throes of his treatment for brain cancer with the prognosis looking grim. However, he is offered a lifeline by a fellow cancer patient at a group meeting who tells him about The Pederson Foundation offering a ‘cocktail of drugs and surgery' which promises to cure him.
After getting in touch with Cecilia Penderson (Synnøve Macody Lund) and travelling to New Mexico to begin his treatment, it soon becomes apparent that Kramer among dozens of other patients have been scammed and robbed of $250,000. Pederson and her minions soon realise they messed with the wrong patient as Kramer and his faithful companion Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) kidnap and trap them in yet another ingenious game – and it's time to play, or die.
Saw X focuses less on Jigsaw and more on Kramer, with Bell giving his strongest performance as the convoluted killer as he grapples with something far more terrifying than any contraption he could invent – his own mortality. The fear we are most commonly used to seeing in the eyes of his victims is etched across every line in his face and every glassy gaze through his hospital appointments with a sense of dread and despair permeating his performance.
It's a unique and uncomfortable position to put the audience in for the first time in the Saw franchise where we see someone get the upper hand over Jigsaw himself. Not only this, but we see a sombre, subdued villain in the powerhouse, almost gleefully camp killer as he loses hope in the face of an illness which sees him hooked up to machines not unlike the ones he creates himself.
But despite its grizzly subject matter and the cruel turn of events that sees cancer patients defrauded without a second thought, Saw X balances its extreme horror stylings while also embracing the ridiculous, comedic edge that has almost felt ignored in the franchise thus far. One-liners ping from Amanda's mouth while Kramer delivers dry, dark observations about himself and his ‘hobbies' that harken to the weird, wild and wonderful noughties horror scene that the franchise was born from.
This nostalgic element can be felt throughout Saw X as it goes back to its roots with its grungy, grim sets and cinematography, wild transitions, and cantered angles that first made the franchise stand out from the crowd. Easter eggs woven into the plot subtly without being thrown in the audience's face are sure to captivate diehard Saw fans, while not alienating those dipping their toes into the world of Billy The Puppet.
Saw X focuses less on the games themselves and more on the personal turmoil and stewing anger Kramer is experiencing, but that's not to say fans will be left disappointed by the lack of traps. There are still plenty of gory moments to have audiences wincing and their stomachs turning as well as complex and unbelievable feats of engineering from the hands of Jigsaw.
While the violence we've come to love in the franchise is definitely apparent in Saw, and eye-poppingly so in some scenes, it feels parred back from previous instalments in the franchise and the games less impactful as the narrative can feel muddled and lacking direction as it grapples with its messaging and psychological horror elements.
The tension is almost too much to bear as we see the unwitting con artists attempt to escape their fates, all while wondering what the ultimate end game will be. Series newcomer Synnøve Macody Lund is a villain that truly stands toe to toe with Kramer as the devilishly cruel Cecilia Penderson, while familiar face Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young is as delightfully deranged as when she first sat by the serial killer's side.
This new edition in The Book of Saw is sure to delight both existing fans and those newly acquainted with the world of Jigsaw as it offers something new to the franchise in terms of Bell's iconic villain, as well as the garish, blood-soaked scenes synonymous with the horror staple. Saw X is a welcome newcomer to the consistently excellent franchise, and one that sees Bell's best, most thought-provoking performance.
Saw X releases in cinemas on September 29.
