In 7 words or less: Two men trapped in a skanky bathroom.
What's it all About? Two guys wake up in a disused bathroom chained to pipes at opposite ends of the room. There is a dead body lying in a pool of blood in the middle. Riddles, clues, flashbacks and horror ensue.
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| I wouldn't want to be the cleaner |
Best bits? The premise is amazing! The opening 20 minutes are superb. You really feel like you're in that room; trying to figure out the clues along side the characters and thinking about what you might do if you were in a similar situation. The decision to keep it mainly to this one location was definitely a wise one. The flashbacks serve to flesh out the riddles and add gravitas to the insane pressure cooker of being in that situation.
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| Saw is chock full of traditional scares. This little chap keeps turning up and gives me the poops! |
It's always nice to see Danny Glover pop up in a film and he's on fine form here as an estranged ex cop with a grudge. The ending (don't worry, this is a spoiler free zone) is amazing! Wild tension and mega revelations keep you sucked to the screen!
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| Oh hello Mr Glover! We really like you. Carry on. |
Did it make you think thoughts? Yes. This film was the birth (or rebirth) of torture porn. A modern day horror genre that has been literally 'bled' dry over recent years. Saw has spawned countless sequels and imitations, all of which wear the torture porn badge with grizzly pride and heartily use it as their USP (unique selling point.) Corporate! But here's the funny thing, there isn't any actual 'gross out' scenes in the original Saw movie. Not one. It's all completely implied. Yes, it's absolutely terrifying and visceral with screaming and smashing music and a general feeling of extreme discomfort. But visually you see nothing. The 'setup' structure doesn't really play out like the sequels where it's all geared around torture scenarios. Saw (the original) uses these as flashback devises to bolster and serve the story of the two guys trapped in the room; they aren't played out in their entirety.
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| "Nooo! It's a voucher for the worlds last legal super sized Big Mac meal! Pleaseee!!" |
Implied horror is definitely more shocking because it lets your imagination do all the work. Once you've seen it, in my mind, you can then come to terms with it and deal with it. This obviously makes it less scary as the scares end when the credits roll. However, Saw uses implied terror to numbingly shocking levels; you swear you're seeing horrific things but you never do. It sends your mind reeling I tells ya! I don't believe this first instalment shares anything with it's diabolical sequels.
Would you watch it again? Absolutely. I 'saw' Saw when it was released at the cinema and had never seen anything quite like it. It shocked me! This is a great film and should be in everyone's yearly horror rotation.
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| "It's okay... We'll order a normal large one. We can do this! We'll share the chips out equally, I promise." |
Rating (out of 100%): Don't hate the player, hate the game. Stunningly original at the time of release this is now a nailed on horror classic. What came after is regrettable but doesn't stop me giving Saw a blood stained 89%
