Movies
Lionsgate
ByLooper Staff/
When the first "Saw" film hit theaters in 2004, it shocked and scandalized audiences with its gory traps and killer twist ending. It quickly earned $103 million against its $1.2 million budget, thus kickstarting an entire subgenre of torture-based horror and giving birthto a franchise that's claimed the lives of countless onscreen victims.
Basically, the "Saw" franchise is like a horror movie villain — indestructible and unkillable. And as any good movie ending has taught us, as soon you think the villain is dead, it comes back for more. The same exact lesson applies to John Kramer and all his terrible traps. Nearly two decades after the first film, we're now set for a 10th installment in the "Saw" franchise: "Saw X."
So what exactly do we know about the 10th "Saw" film, and will we see the return of John Kramer? Well, if you want to play a game, get ready — here's everything you need to know about "Saw X."
When will Saw X be released?
Alexandro Bolaños Escamilla/Lionsgate
Horror movies aren't just reserved for spooky season, with freaky films popping up year-round. But there is something about a horror flick being released around Halloween that gives it a particularly special feel. Luckily for gore hounds, "Saw X" will start the scary celebration with a blood-soaked bang, as it's hitting theaters on September 29, 2023.
Interestingly, "Saw X" finds itself sandwiched between quite a few noteworthy horror titles. It'll be following in the wake of "The Nun 2," but it's coming out before other creepy flicks such as "The Exorcist: Believer" and "Five Nights at Freddy's." Basically, Halloween Season 2023 is going to be an absolute treat for anyone wanting to celebrate at the theater, and "Saw X" is sure to deliver the goods when it kicks off the frightful festivities.
What is the plot of Saw X?
Lionsgate
So what exactly is going to happen in "Saw X?" What nightmarish scenarios can we expect? Well, we know the film is actually going to be something of a prequel — taking place after the original "Saw" movie but before the events of "Saw II." That means we'll be following John Kramer during his final days, battling cancer and searching for some sort of miracle cure.
John's desperation will take him to Mexico, where he's hoping to sign up for an experimental medical procedure. Unfortunately, John finds out that there's no actual cure. The people making lofty promises are all con artists, and there's no hope for John's health below the border. Of course, now that the Jigsaw Killer has traveled all this way, he isn't going to waste the opportunity to murder some people, now is he?
Furious at the scammers for taking advantage of hopeless people, John decides it's time to play a game. Soon enough, the folks who lured John to Mexico with promises of salvation will find themselves trapped in a hell of Jigsaw's making. All sorts of disgusting, disturbing traps await, and we can't wait to see what John has in store come September 29.
Who is starring in Saw X?
Alexandro Bolaños Escamilla/Lionsgate
Going into "Saw X," fans of the series want to know one thing — will Tobin Bell reprise his role as John Kramer, aka Jigsaw? Don't worry, John Kramer faithful, Bell is indeed coming back. Remarking on his return, franchise producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules said in a statement, "What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin. His performance as John Kramer is part of the magic that made this franchise a phenomenon, and his character is an active part of this film." DirectorKevin Greutert doubled down on this in a conversation with Empire, emphasizing "Saw X" would focus on Jigsaw "more than in any other 'Saw.'"
We'll also see quite a few new faces populating the screen, with the talented cast including the likes of Steven Brand ("Teen Wolf"), Michael Beach ("Dahmer"), Renata Vaca ("Rosario Tijeras"), Paulette Hernandez ("Crown of Tears"), Joshua Okamoto ("Narcos: Mexico"), Octavio Hinojosa ("How to Survive Being Single"), and Synnøve Macody Lund ("Ragnarok"). But will we see any former "Saw" stars returning alongside Tobin Bell?
Shawnee Smith is definitely returning as John Kramer apprentice Amanda Young, and for a while, therewasa rumor that Cary Elwes could return as serial killer Dr. Lawrence Gordon. Unfortunately for fans, Elwes told Screen Rant in April 2023, "I have no comment one way or the other about that franchise; I really can't speak to it. I'm happy for the filmmakers that they continue to make money, and that it seems to be a financial bonus for them, I really can't speak to it because I'm not really involved anymore."
Who is writing and directing Saw X?
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Director Kevin Greutert is no stranger to the "Saw" franchise, as he helmed 2009's "Saw VI" and 2010's "Saw 3D." While those were his first two feature film directorial pursuits, he followed them up with three more horror thrillers — "Jessabelle," "Visions," and "Jackals." The first two were produced by horror legend Jason Blum, and the films starred names like Sarah Snook, Isla Fisher, Anson Mount, and Jim Parsons.
Greutert isn't only known for his directing, as he is also an accomplished editor in the industry, and his editing filmography includes the first five "Saw" films, along with "Jigsaw" in 2017. He also edited "The Strangers" in 2008 and "The Collection" in 2012. Of course, he isn't the only "Saw" alum working behind the scenes. Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg have penned the screenplay, and their credits include both "Spiral" and "Jigsaw," proving they're incredibly familiar with the nefarious games and sadistic challenges of the "Saw" franchise.
Is there a trailer for Saw X?
The official trailer for "Saw X" starts off with John Kramer's journey to Mexico, where a group of con artists perform a mock surgery on the serial killer. However, when the desperate cancer patient returns to the U.S., he makes an awful discovery. "According to these scans," an actual doctor tells him, "the tumor was never removed."
Needless to say, this does not sit well with John, who immediately begins coming up with all sorts of terrifying ideas and horrible traps. With The Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" accompanying the messed-up proceedings, we watch John kidnap the swindlers that gave him false hope and subject them to all sorts of grisly games.
"You all pretended to cure me," John growls, "but what I have planned for each of you is very real." His new traps involve all sorts of scalpels and wires, and we watch as fingers snap, blood gushes, and one victim is forced to perform a brain operation ... on himself. Billy the Puppet is also back in action, and in one of the trailer's final shots, we see Amanda Young rip off a pig mask, signaling her big return to the franchise. In other words, things are about to get seriously gory.
Will Saw X have any ties to Spiral?
Lionsgate Films
It might be hard to remember the last time there was a new "Saw" movie because the last time the franchise came to the big screen, it delivered a spin-off story. 2021's "Spiral: From the Book of Saw," told the story of Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) searching for a serial killer clearly inspired by Jigsaw. Despite all the deviously deadly traps on display in "Spiral," its director Darren Lyn Bousman insisted it wasn't a "Saw" movie. "This is not the ninth film in the 'Saw' franchise. There easily could be a 'Saw 9' that follows 'Jigsaw,'" he told The AU Review.
"Saw X" seems to prove Bousman's remark completely wrong. It implies that "Spiral" was a "Saw" movie and completely avoids picking up where "Jigsaw" left off at the same time. "Saw X" is jumping back in time all the way to the early 2000s, so it's safe to say we won't be seeing Detective Banks in this outing.
"Spiral" completely bombed at the box office, which definitely dumped cold water on the potential for "Spiral 2." Now that "Saw X" is taking the series back to its roots, "The Book of Saw" might officially be closed.
Why are we traveling back in time?
Lionsgate Films
It might come as a surprise that "Saw X" is traveling back in time to the early aughts, but it really shouldn't. The horror genre is well-known for taking the occasional odd left turn after a series has been kicking around for a long time. After we sent Jason to space, everything was on the table.
Fans of this particular franchise should already be used to chronological shenanigans. For one thing, "Saw III" and "Saw IV" happen simultaneously — no, really. Piecing together the entire "Saw" franchise timeline involves more than just watching the movies in order. Many characters, including the all-important John Kramer, have their backstories explained in flashback sequences only after they've hung around for several movies.
There's only one reason that "Saw X" is going so far back in the timeline, and fans will probably agree it's a good one. John Kramer, the original Jigsaw, died all the way back in "Saw III." Since then the franchise has included him in flashbacks and prequel stories while mostly following copycat killers. "Saw X" is bringing the franchise back to where it started by setting its story in the past and letting John Kramer return to the spotlight for real.
What has Kevin Greutert said about Saw X?
Lionsgate Films
Tobin Bell's John Kramer isn't the only person making a grand return to the franchise in "Saw X." Director Kevin Greutert is also coming back to the series. He previously directed 2009's "Saw VI" and 2010's "Saw 3D." Greutert's two movies ended the franchise's streak of yearly releases that started in 2004. There was a seven-year hiatus between "Saw 3D" and "Jigsaw," the last movie that focused on the legacy of John Kramer.
To hear Greutert tell it, "Saw X" is going to be his greatest contribution to the series yet. Back in February 2023, when shooting wrapped on the movie, Greutert gave fans an update on the site formerly known as Twitter, saying, "It was one of the most rewarding and epic experiences of my life." Greutert went on to say that he wanted to use "Saw X" as the title for the new movie. For diehard fans, Greutert promised, "This chapter really gets back to the roots of what makes 'Saw' so special to me and everyone else who loves John Kramer's saga." Fans will have to decide for themselves if "Saw X" lives up to Greutert's enthusiasm.
What has Tobin Bell said about Saw X?
Markus Wissmann/Shutterstock
It may be good to know that "Saw X" is in experienced hands, but regardless of who's working on the movie behind the camera, fans are showing up for the man who's on screen. Tobin Bell helped bring Jigsaw to life in the original "Saw," and he's been the core of the franchise ever since. Bell has been in every "Saw" movie except for 2021's "Spiral," and he's clearly excited to get a chance to return to the character.
In an interview with Build, Bell talked about what has kept him so engaged with the character for the past two decades. "As a character [John Kramer is] a bit of a philosopher, a bit of a theologian," he explained. "He's kind of like Lear in his dimension." Bell added that he'd always be willing to play a character that interested him as much as Jigsaw. He also talked about the potential for "Saw X" to introduce the character to audiences who were too young to see the original "Saw" and its immediate sequels in theaters. If there really is a huge influx of new fans, "Saw X" will be just the beginning of a new slate of "Saw" movies.
Is John Kramer the hero of the movie?
Lionsgate Films
There are many words that could accurately describe John Kramer, but "hero" definitely isn't one of them. As Jigsaw, John has killed more people than anyone can count, and he's developed some of the most gruesome ways to murder people that the world has ever seen. Despite that, "Saw X" does seem to be putting John into the position of a typical horror movie hero.
In the movie, John goes to Mexico City to seek specialized treatment for his terminal cancer. The people who treat John are really scammers who just want to steal his money by convincing him they're medical professionals. When John realizes that he's been ripped off, he sets about punishing the scammers with his usual assortment of horrifying traps.
Whether or not that premise goes far enough to justify John's brutal murders is up to the fans, but "Saw X" goes out of its way to make John the frontman of the movie. "John Kramer is absolutely ... the protagonist in this movie," producer Oren Koules told a fan panel at Midsummer Scream 2023(via The Direct). "There it is, but he's absolutely the hero of this movie." Maybe anti-hero would be a more accurate term, but Koules's point is important. Fans who have been dying to see more John Kramer finally have a movie where he's the real lead character.
What is Saw X rated?
Lionsgate Films
Jigsaw might be the character that ties the entire "Saw" franchise together, but the real glue binding all the films are the death traps. From the reverse bear trap of the original "Saw" to the crude tongue removal trap at the beginning of "Spiral," the inventive torture machines used by Jigsaw and his followers have kept fans intrigued and disgusted for decades. Those same grotesque machines also nearly kept audiences from ever seeing a "Saw" movie in the first place.
It will probably surprise no one that most of the "Saw" movies were originally rated NC-17, which would have severely limited their audiences and theatrical bookings. But there's enough blood and gore packed into a single trap scene to supply an entire movie's worth of violence in any other franchise. Luckily for "Saw" fans, some careful, repeated edits eventually got all of those movies into theaters with an R rating. Will the same be true of "Saw X?"
The 10th installment in the franchise has yet to receive an official rating. Because "Saw X" is promising a return to the roots of the series, it's guaranteed to be as bloody as everything that's come before. "Saw X" may or may not need some trimming to avoid an NC-17 rating, but you can definitely count on it being rated R when it shows up in theaters.
What does Saw X mean for the future of the franchise?
Lionsgate Films
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the first "Saw" movie. Directed by James Wan, "Saw" caught the attention of so many horror fans because of its no-holds-barred approach to onscreen violence and its remarkable twist ending. The franchise has never exactly been a critical darling, but it kept filling theaters, so the series continued.
But "Saw" has seen better days. We've come a long way since the yearly releases of the late 2000s. Nowadays, "Saw" movies are few and far between, and they aren't guaranteed to be successes. "Spiral" had such an abysmal box office performance that some were wondering if it meant the franchise was finally dead.
"Saw X" proves that there's still some room for the series to keep going. Clearly the people responsible for making "Saw" movies still believe in them. Tobin Bell is still excited by the characters, and producers and directors are willing to put time and money into making a new movie. On the other hand, "Saw X" could end up being a swan song for the series. One way or another, the future of the entire franchise rests on how well "Saw X" is received when it finally debuts.
Why is it called Saw X?
Lionsgate Films
What's in a name? "Saw X" might seem like an obvious title choice, but there's actually a little bit of depth to the name. It seemingly confirms that "Spiral" was the ninth "Saw" movie, regardless of what its director had to say. But this latest installment isn't taking a cue from "Fast X" with its title either. Instead, "Saw X" is borrowing a title formula from the franchise's early days to make it loud and clear that John Kramer has returned and "Saw" is back in fighting form.
When "Saw" was just getting started, every movie in the series got a Roman numeral after the title. That finally changed with 2010's "Saw 3D," which made an ill-fated attempt to bring "Saw" into a new dimension. Since then, "Jigsaw" and "Spiral" are the only "Saw" movies we've gotten. "Saw X" is calling back to the original films with its title, and by placing its story right back in the good old days of the franchise.
Where was Saw X filmed?
Lionsgate Films
All the "Saw" movies end up in a grimy warehouse at one point or another because that's where Jigsaw sets up his traps. The movies haven't ever spent much time exploring the city beyond those warehouses. Even "Spiral," which spent more time out in the daylight than any other "Saw" movie, never really clarified the setting. For all the incredible attention to detail that "Saw" pays to the intricate backstory of its main character and the torturous traps he invents, the movies never even tell us where they take place.
Don't expect that to be the case with "Saw X." The trend of setting location-agnostic stories is going out the window with the franchise's latest installment. In the movie John heads to Mexico City in search of cancer treatment, and the city is going to play a huge role in the story. "Saw X" was shot on location in Mexico City, so we're going to get to see all the sights right alongside John before the trap-making gets underway.
Why is Saw X set in Mexico City?
Lionsgate Films
After nine movies and nearly 20 years of exploring dirty warehouses, grimy machine shops, and blood-soaked killing floors, "Saw X" is changing things in a big way. Taking John Kramer to Mexico pulls the franchise out of the U.S. and into a specific location for the very first time. The change gives the movie a chance to tell a new kind of story, and it thrilled the people who were working on "Saw X."
Anthony Stabley, the production designer for "Saw X," told fans at Midsummer Scream 2023, "For us from the get-go, we were already winning because Mexico is so exotic, and John Kramer's like a fish out of water." Finally pushing John into a space where he's not in control lets fans see the character in a whole new light.
Director Kevin Greutert knows exactly where the "Saw" franchise has been before, and he wanted to use Mexico City as fuel for telling a story that "Saw" fans haven't already seen previously. "There's such a mythology, the city is so amazing, and we can't speak enough about it," Greutert told that same panel, adding, "And we kind of really leaned into that."
What new traps will be in Saw X?
Lionsgate Films
Longtime "Saw" fans are thrilled that Tobin Bell is coming back to the franchise as John Kramer, but as central as John may be to the plot of "Saw X," he's really just playing a supporting role. The traps are the real main attraction of the movie, and they're what have kept people coming back to various "Saw" sequels for so long.
As with every new "Saw" movie, you can expect "Saw X" to be filled with brand new, hyper-violent contraptions. The poster for the movie already gives a hint of what to expect. It shows someone locked into a set of creepy goggles that have tubes connected to the eyes. Whatever the device is meant to do, watching it in action will probably make you cringe.
The official "Saw X" trailer also gives a few brief glances at John's inventions in the movie. It shows a group of people chained up inside a classic "Saw" warehouse. One woman appears to have a saw blade set up in front of her neck. A panicked man is strapped into some kind of modified electric chair. In a different shot, we can see a Jigsaw puppet wheeling out surgical supplies to John's victims. From the little we've seen, "Saw X" looks to be as gruesome as its predecessors.
Will Saw X rewrite the franchise's timeline?
Lionsgate Films
Every time a series introduces a new prequel, the chances for retconning skyrocket. Altering a story's past is one of the best ways to dramatically change its future. On the surface, "Saw X" seems like a perfect opportunity for the "Saw" canon to reinvent itself. Maybe John Kramer had a secret child. Or perhaps his time in Mexico City gave him the perfect strategy for faking his death at the end of "Saw III," and he's been alive all this time.
"Saw X" could hit the restart button for the franchise in any number of ways, but it probably won't. If the franchise really wanted to take things in a different direction, it probably wouldn't be diving back in John Kramer's past at all. John has been dead for a majority of the franchise's existence at this point, so retconning his death would completely ruin the story of most of the movies. Aside from John's death, there's really no big event in the series that is even remotely asking for a retcon. It seems pretty safe to assume that "Saw X" is going back in time just to give us another Jigsaw story, and it probably won't do anything that impacts what the rest of the series has already established.
The latest installment's director, Kevin Greutert, thinks that the franchise could continue — he's just not entirely sure how. "There's no obvious direction to go after this film," he told SFX (via GamesRadar). "But I think there probably will be more 'Saw' movies, particularly if this one is successful."
Why doesn't Saw X pick up where Spiral left off?
Lionsgate Films
The ending of "Spiral" left fans with a serious cliffhanger, but unfortunately for anyone who really connected with Detective Banks's story, "Saw X" won't be offering any resolution. Because the movie is heading back in time to follow John Kramer in his early days, there's a near-zero chance that it will be catching up with Chris Rock's character from "Spiral." If that's the case, what was the point of "Spiral" leaving things so open-ended?
It seems likely that "Spiral" was meant to kick off a new era for the "Saw" franchise. Having "From the Book of Saw" in its title clearly set "Spiral" apart from the rest of the series and implied that there were more stories like it to tell. The plan might have been to expand on Detective Banks's story and to look at more serial killers inspired by Jigsaw's legacy. That plan didn't work out because the numbers didn't support it. "Spiral" underperformed by about $5 million during its opening weekend, and with that kind of turnout, it just didn't look like fans cared for more "Saw"-adjacent spin-offs.
Do you need to watch the other movies before seeing Saw X?
Lionsgate Films
Considering that the original "Saw" came out in 2004, there's now an entire generation of moviegoers who missed out on the franchise's heyday. "Saw" made enough of a cultural impact that even people who were young enough to miss actually seeing the movie probably knew a little about its premise. There's an extensive backlog of "Saw" movies for new fans to brush up on, but it's probably not necessary to see them all before showing up at the theater for "Saw X."
Anyone who's looking for the bare minimum catch-up story before "Saw X" should at least watch the original movie. It takes place right before the events of "Saw X," but to really get the full context, it's also worth watching "Saw II" and "Saw III," which carry the story through to the death of John Kramer. After that, watching "Saw IV" all the way through to "Jigsaw" will give fans the fullest possible picture of John's story and the lives of the killers he inspired. Beyond that, true completists can check out "Spiral," if they haven't already.
How long will Saw X be?
Lionsgate Films
The "Saw" movies have always, much to their credit, kept their run times short. Every movie quickly introduces the characters before getting the show on the road and giving the traps their time to shine. Some movies, like "Spiral," have cut down on their run time even further by cutting off any resolution and letting the story close on a cliffhanger.
"Saw X" is going to take things in a slightly different direction. "This might sound scary," director Kevin Greutert said at Midsummer Scream 2023, "but I think it's the longest 'Saw' movie." Realizing that longer doesn't always mean better, Greutert also added, "When we're editing a 'Saw' movie, we do not waste time."
The official "Saw X" run time comes in at one hour and 58 minutes, so Greutert's guess turned out to be right. "Saw X" is the longest movie in the franchise, so it has more time than ever before to expand on John Kramer's backstory and show off his death machines. Hopefully the movie spends its time wisely.