History Franchise / Saw

** [[WhiteShirtOfDeath/{{Saw}} White Shirt of Death]]

In 2009, a ride based on the films opened in Ride/ThorpePark, aptly named ''[[TitleTheAdaptation Saw: The Ride]]''. It's notable for being the world's first rollercoaster based on a horror movie franchise. Another ride named ''Saw: The Experience'' opened in London in 2022.

In 2009, a ride based on the films opened in Ride/ThorpePark, aptly named [[TitleTheAdaptation Saw: The Ride]]. It's notable for being the world's first rollercoaster based on a horror movie franchise.

It centers around a PoeticSerialKiller dubbed "The Jigsaw Killer" (or just "Jigsaw"), who places people in {{Death Trap}}s and gives them a chance to escape before death claims them. Jigsaw designs each trap as a violent form of poetic justice by reflecting what Jigsaw sees as the vital flaw of its victim(s). To escape these traps -- or [[DeadlyGame "games"]], as Jigsaw calls them -- the victims must typically harm either themselves or others in some horrific way to escape their impending (and horrific) death. The films' storylines center around the victims' efforts to escape their traps, the attempts by law enforcement to catch Jigsaw, Jigsaw's life, and his connection to the films' other characters.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release, as it was meant to be the GrandFinale of the series. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''.

In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed tenth film (generically referred to as ''Saw X'') has been announced, set to be released on October 27, 2023.

[[AC:General examples]]

[[AC:Tropes with their own pages]]

[[index]]
* [[AllThereInTheManual/{{Saw}} All There in the Manual]]
* [[AscendedExtra/{{Saw}} Ascended Extra]]
* [[AssholeVictim/{{Saw}} Asshole Victim]]
* [[TheEndingChangesEverything/{{Saw}} The Ending Changes Everything]]
* [[EvenEvilHasStandards/{{Saw}} Even Evil Has Standards]]
* [[ExactWords/{{Saw}} Exact Words]]
* [[Foreshadowing/{{Saw}} Foreshadowing]] (includes FiveSecondForeshadowing examples)
* [[Hypocrite/{{Saw}} Hypocrite]]
* [[TheReveal/{{Saw}} The Reveal]]
* [[SymbolicMutilation/{{Saw}} Symbolic Mutilation]]
* [[WhiteShirtOfDeath/{{Saw}} White Shirt of Death]]
[[/index]]

* [[Saw/TropesAToF Tropes A to F]]

* Saw/TropesAToF

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release, as it was meant to be the GrandFinale. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed tenth film (generically referred to as ''Saw X'') has been announced, set to be released on October 27, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed tenth film (generically referred to as ''Saw X'') has been announced, set to be released on October 27, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed tenth film (generically referred to as ''Saw X'') has been announced, set to be released on October 27th, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed tenth film (generically referred to as ''Saw X'') has been announced, set to release October 27th, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed mainline Saw movie has been announced, with Kevin Greutert (''Saw VI'' and ''Saw: The Final Chapter'') returning as director. The movie is set to release October 27th, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it. As of August 2022, an unnamed mainline Saw movie has been announced, with Kevin Greutert (Saw VI and Saw: The Final Chapter) returning as director. The movie is set to release October 27th, 2023.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021 after a podcast titled ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (in which various critics discussed the previous films with special appearances from several of the series' producers) was run to promote it.

-->[[AC:[[TheEndOrIsIt You think it's over?]] It's not over. [[ItHasOnlyJustBegun The games have just begun.]]]]

''Saw'' is an American horror franchise -- composed chiefly of a series of films -- that originally started with the release of the first film of the same title, which was directed and written by Australian filmmakers Creator/JamesWan and Leigh Whannell. It centers around a PoeticSerialKiller dubbed "The Jigsaw Killer" (or just "Jigsaw"), who places people in {{Death Trap}}s and gives them a chance to escape before death claims them. Jigsaw designs each trap as a violent form of poetic justice by reflecting what Jigsaw sees as the vital flaw of its victim(s). To escape these traps -- or [[DeadlyGame "games"]], as Jigsaw calls them -- the victims must typically harm either themselves or others in some horrific way to escape their impending (and horrific) death. The films' storylines center around the victims' efforts to escape their traps, the attempts by law enforcement to catch Jigsaw, Jigsaw's life, and his connection to the films' other characters.

After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021.

[[folder:Movies]]

These films (especially the first) [[FollowTheLeader inspired many imitations]], though some argue that ''Saw'' itself is a form of imitation of ''Film/{{Se7en}}'': both films focus on elaborate, grisly murders carried out by a man trying to send a message to society. Whereas ''[=Se7en=]'' portrays John Doe as vain and interested in showing the world a lesson through murder, Jigsaw focuses on a more "individualized" message with his "games". Hell, the concept of a moralistic serial killer playing God to a society he deems morally corrupt didn't even originate with ''[=Se7en=]'' -- and according to WordOfGod, all of these ideas have always been carried out since the original 2003 short film that preceded the first movie.[[note]]Hilariously enough, though, the crew involved in ''Spiral'' did claim that they were aiming for a theme similar to ''[=Se7en=]'' for the movie.[[/note]]

In 2009, a ride based on the films opened in Ride/ThorpePark, aptly named [[TitleTheAdaptation SAW: The Ride]]. It's notable for being the world's first rollercoaster based on a horror movie franchise.

After the first movie originally premiered in January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween for six years in a row, from 2004 to 2010. The seventh installment, titled ''Saw 3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Saw VI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''. In October 2016, a new film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[AntagonistTitle Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released on October 27, 2017. A ninth film, ''Spiral'', was announced in February 2020, ultimately being released in May 2021.