Saw X: A Bloody Triumph For A Legendary Franchise

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Michael Cavacini

Movie franchises that extend beyond a couple of sequels often struggle to maintain their quality. A prime example is the Saw franchise, which, over the years, saw its storyline become convoluted and its characters entangled in a complex web of horror. However, with 2021’s Spiral marking a notable departure from the Tobin Bell era, Saw X brings this iconic character back in a way that could easily have resulted in a cheap cash grab. Surprisingly, Saw X emerges as the most personal and bloodiest installment in the franchise to date, making it a standout sequel that proves there’s still plenty of life left in the Saw saga.

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Revisiting Saw 3D

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Michael Cavacini

Released on October 29, 2010, just in time for Halloween, Saw 3D was to be the final film in the franchise, and it was going out in a blaze of glory with a technology that was all the rage at the time: 3D! Kevin Greutert, who was behind the camera in Saw VI, returns to direct Saw 3D. I saw this movie in theaters, when it was released, to experience this final installment in Real D 3D. Is Saw 3D a love letter to fans that ties everything up nicely with a big, beautiful bow? Read on to find out.

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Revisiting Saw IV

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Michael Cavacini

Saw III is the greatest sequel in the Saw franchise and one of the most inspired and well executed horror films I’ve ever seen. Just one year later, in 2007, Saw IV was unleashed upon the world, and it had big shoes to fill. Once again, Darren Lynn Bousman was the director. However, there was a new writing team on board, and they were faced with the massive challenge of continuing and expanding on the intricately woven stories of the original Saw trilogy, which felt like a collective unit. Did the team succeed in making a worthy successor in Saw IV? Read on for my spoiler-filled thoughts.

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Revisiting Saw III

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Michael Cavacini

If you haven’t already read them, make sure to check out my retrospective pieces on Saw and Saw II. Today, I’m going to revisit Saw III. The story of Saw II was repurposed from a script by director Darren Lynn Bousman entitled The Desperate. It wound up being a fantastic sequel that features the most unnerving trap in the entire franchise — at least for me — in the form of a pit of needles. For Saw III, Bousman is back in the director’s chair. However, this time, Leigh Whannell, one of the original creators of Saw, has returned to write the screenplay. What follows is a spoiler-filled review of the movie. Make sure to read this after watching the film.