Saw is an American horror media franchise created by Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and Twisted Pictures. The films take place in a fictional universe that revolves around a serial killer, dubbed The Jigsaw Killer, who captures victims who he believes do not appreciate their life and puts them into traps to test their survival instinct. While starting as a film series, Saw has evolved to encompass numerous media forms including video games and comics as well as mazes and a roller coaster. According to The New York Times in October 2009, including international sales and revenue from DVDs, television and merchandise, the Saw series has taken in more than $1 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing horror franchises in history. [1] This comprises over 28 million DVDs sold and $665 million worth of ticket sales for the first five films alone, along with various other merchandise. [2] On July 23, 2010, the franchise was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "Most Successful Horror Movie Series". [3]
The series debuted on October 29, 2004, with Saw . The film was met with much financial success, [4] which allowed the sequel, Saw II , to be created and released a year later. Subsequent sequels were released a year after the previous film, all on the Friday before Halloween. Ten films have been made in the franchise. The success of the films has influenced such products as Saw: The Video Game , which was published by Konami in 2009 and released before the sixth film. [5] Other products include a comic book, Saw: Rebirth, which was released before the second film. [6] The most recent products released were a second video game, which released in October 2010 and a tenth film, which released in September 2023.
Original release dates: October 29, 2004 – Theatrical release [7] February 15, 2005 – Home media [8] |
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Original release dates: October 28, 2005 – Theatrical release [9] February 14, 2006 – Home media [10] |
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Original release dates: October 27, 2006 – Theatrical release [13] January 23, 2007 – Home media [14] |
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Original release dates: October 26, 2007 – Theatrical release [16] January 22, 2008 – Home media [17] |
Original release dates: October 24, 2008 – Theatrical release [18] January 20, 2009 – Home media [19] |
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Original release dates: October 23, 2009 – Theatrical release [21] January 26, 2010 – Home media [22] |
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Original release dates: October 29, 2010 – Theatrical release [26] January 25, 2011 – Home media |
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Original release dates: October 27, 2017 – Theatrical release [28] January 23, 2018 – Home media |
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Original release dates: May 14, 2021 – Theatrical release [29] July 20, 2021 – Home media |
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Original release dates: September 29, 2023 – Theatrical release [30] November 21, 2023 – Home media |
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Original release dates: October 18, 2005 – DVD (Saw Uncut Edition) |
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Title | Details |
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Original release date(s): October 6, 2009 – video game [5] | Release years by system: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 : North America: October 6, 2009 Europe: November 20, 2009 Australia: December 3, 2009 Microsoft Windows : Worldwide: October 22, 2009 |
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Original release date(s): October 19, 2010 – video game [32] | Release years by system: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3: North America: October 19, 2010 Europe: October 22, 2010 Australia: November 11, 2010 |
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Saw: Rebirth Original release dates: October 25, 2005 – comic book [6] |
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Merchandise Original release dates: Various releases – action figure, figurine, novelty item, Halloween costumes [33] [34] [35] |
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''Saw Chapter One'' Original release dates: October 26, 2021 – (Traps) October 28, 2021 – (Schematics and Keys) [36] |
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Danielle Andrea Harris is an American actress. She is known as a "scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the Halloween franchise: Halloween 4 (1988) and Halloween 5 (1989) as Jamie Lloyd, and Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009) as Annie Brackett. Other such roles include Tosh in Urban Legend (1998), Belle in Stake Land (2010), and Marybeth Dunston in the Hatchet series (2010–17). In 2012, she was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame.
Dimension Films is an inactive American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American "mini-majors", Dimension Films produced and released independent films and genre titles; specifically horror and science fiction films.
Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. It is the first installment in the Saw film series, and stars Whannell alongside Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, and Ken Leung.
Saw II is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell. In the film, a group of ex-convicts are trapped by the Jigsaw Killer inside a house and must pass a series of deadly tests to retrieve the antidote for a nerve agent that will kill them in two hours.
James Wan is an Australian filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises and the creator of The Conjuring Universe. The lattermost is the highest-grossing horror franchise at over $2 billion. Wan is also the founder of film and television production company Atomic Monster.
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 vigilante action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher. Rather than a sequel to 2004's The Punisher, the film is a reboot that follows the war waged by vigilante Frank Castle / Punisher on crime and corruption, in particular on the disfigured mob boss known as Billy "Jigsaw" Russotti. The film is directed by Lexi Alexander, from a screenplay written by Nick Santora, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. It is the third feature film adaptation of The Punisher, the second reboot thereof and the first of two films to be produced under the Marvel Knights production banner, which focuses on films for mature audiences.
Tobin Bell is an American actor. He has appeared in a number of television shows and films but is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the Saw franchise.
Saw III is a 2006 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story by Whannell and James Wan. It is the third installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2005's Saw II, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, and Dina Meyer.
Saw is a horror media franchise created by Australian film makers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, which began with the eponymous 2004 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded from films into other media, including a television series, video games, comic books, music, theme park attractions, and merchandising including toys, masks, and clothing. Saw is the fifth highest-grossing horror film franchise.
Saw IV is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. It is the fourth installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2006's Saw III. The film stars Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, and Lyriq Bent.
Saw V is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the fifth installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2007's Saw IV. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Julie Benz, Carlo Rota, and Meagan Good.
Saw, also known as Saw: The Video Game, is a survival horror video game that was developed by Zombie Studios and published by Konami for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game was released on October 6, 2009, in North America and later that year in other regions. The Microsoft Windows version was released on October 22, 2009. Part of the Saw film franchise, the game is set between the first and second films.
Summit Entertainment, LLC is a film production label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Studios and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
Kevin Greutert is an American film editor and director, best known for his work on the Saw film series, as well as character-based supernatural horrors. He is married to actress Elizabeth Rowin.
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith. It is a sequel to 2008's Saw V and the sixth installment in the Saw film series.
The Collector is a 2009 American horror film written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and directed by Dunstan. It stars Josh Stewart, Michael Reilly Burke, Andrea Roth, Juan Fernandez, Karley Scott Collins, Madeline Zima, and Robert Wisdom. The film follows a man who, in order to pay a debt, decides to rob a house, only to find out somebody with far more sinister intentions has already broken in.
Saw 3D is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is a sequel to 2009's Saw VI and the seventh installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Cary Elwes.
Jigsaw is a 2017 American horror film directed by the Spierig Brothers and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It is the eighth installment in the Saw film series and stars Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Clé Bennett, and Hannah Emily Anderson. The plot follows a group of people who find themselves forced to participate in a series of deadly "games" inside a barn. Meanwhile, the police investigate a new series of murders that fit the modus operandi of the eponymous Jigsaw Killer, who has been dead for almost a decade.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a 2021 American horror-thriller film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It is a standalone sequel to Jigsaw and the ninth installment of the Saw film series. The film stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and follows police efforts to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. The original creators of the series, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, as well as Rock and series veteran Kevin Greutert, serve as executive producers.
Saw X is a 2023 American horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert and written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. The film is the tenth installment in the Saw film series, serving as a direct interquel between Saw (2004) and Saw II (2005). It stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith who reprise their roles from the previous films, alongside Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach. The film sees John Kramer (Bell) travelling to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure his terminal cancer. John later discovers that the operation is a scam, prompting him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps as retribution.