It’s been two decades since the first time Jigsaw and his disturbing traps were introduced to audiences. 2004’s Saw first started out as a low-budget indie film that expanded into eleven terrifying movies. On its 20th anniversary, director James Wan talks about the Saw franchise’s legacy as well as his favorite trap.
Two decades ago, Jigsaw made his debut to audiences in the first Saw movie. It came with a simple plot of two men chained to a broken-down bathroom fighting to stay alive. However, Jigsaw presented himself as a different kind of villain from what audiences were used to. Instead of directly killing his victims, he’d target people he found immoral and give them a “choice.” Those caught in Jigsaw’s high-anxiety traps must either confront their sins or endure his grisly traps.
James Wan told People on Saw’s 20th anniversary that he “never” thought he would get nine sequels out of the franchise. The horror director expressed how “very lucky” he was that his feature directorial debut film had such an impact:
“We just thought that we were making this low-budget, straight-to-video movie, but for it to break out the way it did at Sundance and then theatrically when it came out, and to go on to have the life that it has, it’s incredible,” said the Salem’s Lot director. “It’s an incredible journey, and I will always be very, very thankful.”
The grisly fun isn’t over as an eleventh Saw movie will come out in September 2025, continuing from Saw X.
What is James Wan’s favorite trap?
James Wan can’t talk about Saw’s 20th anniversary without discussing his favorite trap from the movie. The Conjuring director revealed which torture device was a standout among them all and it was the one first worn by the character Amanda Young: “It’s really the jaw trap.”
The first Saw movie had Amanda Young wake up with a Reverse Bear Trap attached to her jaws. She had seconds to retrieve a key inside the belly of a barely conscious man before the trap ripped her head apart. With Amanda victorious escaping the trap, this prominent high-stakes scene made her Jigsaw’s first known survivor.
You can celebrate Saw’s 20th anniversary by watching the horror franchise in chronological order with its first eight movies on Peacock and Max. The series’ latest film, Saw X, is available to watch on Starz.
