With the fall season just a few months away, Halloween will be here before we know it. And every film buff knows that October usually comes with a handful of new horror movies, cashing in on the time of year when people are most willing to be terrified. For five years in the early 2000s, a new Saw film was released every October, bringing the torture porn sub genre to mainstream audiences. And although the franchise was supposedly completed with 2010's Saw 3D, it's being given new life with the upcoming Jigsaw. The first trailer for the sequel was just released, and it features a lot less blood and guts than its predecessors. Check it out.
The Jigsaw killer is back, complete with more outrageous and over the top traps for his playthings to attempt to survive. The above trailer feels very similar to the previous seven films, although it looks like they've definitely dialed back on the gore with Jigsaw. Let's break down what we're being shown in this first look into the long awaited sequel.
After many years of presumed piece since the last film, it looks like Jigsaw's deadly games are back, once again forcing the morally corrupt to go through horrifying situation in order to survive and start a new life. The trailer adjusts the naysayers almost immediately, pointing out that John Kramer (Tobin Bell) died way back in the third film. The character has been out of commission for ten years now, so one would just assume that a new copycat is attempting to create their own games. Except one thing: Kramer's DNA is showing up on the crime scenes, giving the film a more supernatural film overall.
Not much about Jigsaw's overall narrative is explored, although the franchise's plot was never all that complicated. As usual, there is a bunch of unsavory characters who are attempting to survive a complicated and extravagant game that will result in bodily pain and death. Then there's a group of detectives attempting to figure out the killer's motives and solve the crime, and hopefully save the remaining folks from the "game". This movie's big game is one involving a group of folks with chains around their necks, which will force them to continue proceeding through each trap.
But Jigsaw does have something unique to the franchise: it doesn't look nearly as bloody as its predecessors. This was a purposeful choice by the directors, who wanted to keep the iconic traps, but make them a bit more easier to get through. This is a great choice to introduce the franchise to new audiences, because the moments of torture in the previous films were extremely hard to get through. This caused plenty of hardcore horror fans to write the franchise off. After all, nobody wants to sit in a theater and watch someone be slowly scalped or have each of their limbs broken one by one. It's just too much for most people.
Jigsaw will arrive in theaters on October 27, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
