A few days ago we brought you the news, courtesy of an official press release from Lionsgate, that an actual scene, not just a trailer, from Saw III would debut next week in front of Crank. We were duped.
Here's the thing, Lionsgate is now retracting that press release and claiming that the footage they'd planned to show is "too intense for exhibition". Forgive me for being cynical, but I don't buy it. I think I've just been used.
They knew what footage they were going to show from the film when they released the first announcement. The scene didn't get more intense in the two days since then. This stinks of media manipulation and dirty marketing tactics. Lionsgate announces they're going to show you something, then tries to make it sound like they can't because the footage is too heavy. Keep in mind who the audience for Saw III is… gore hounds and horror freaks mostly. They're looking for something extreme and intense when they show up to see it. So now, Lionsgate has their potential audience for Saw III excited to see what this supposedly too hot to handle footage… without showing a damn thing. Instead, they've got ready to go pay to see it in the context of the actual film, since "the man" won't let them show it to you in front of Crank.
What a load of crap. My bullshit detector is blaring red alert. I don't think Lionsgate ever had any intention of showing any footage. This was all just a ploy to get their movie free publicity. We've been lied to, we've been used. I feel dirty.
This isn't the first time Lionsgate has used these sorts of tricks to market a Saw film either. They've long been suspected of intentionally releasing Saw movie posters that won't pass muster with the MPAA, just so they can release an announcement touting how extreme their movie is, creating fake counter culture buzz. Stop buying it people and they'll stop doing it. Enough is enough.
