Shawnee Smith — Michael CavaciniMichael 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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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.