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Saw (2004)

★★★ — Saw (2004)

Saw arrived in 2004 as one of the more remarkable low-budget success stories in modern horror, made for roughly $1.2 million and returning over $100 million worldwide, a ratio that immediately changed how studios thought about genre filmmaking. James Wan, an Australian-born director then in his mid-twenties, co-wrote the script with his longtime collaborator Leigh Whannell (who also appears in the film), the two of them having developed the core concept as a short before pitching the feature. Twisted Pictures produced, with principal photography completed in just eighteen days on sets built in Los Angeles. The film arrived at a moment when mainstream horror had grown polished but toothless, and its grimy, low-lit aesthetic felt genuinely confrontational by comparison. Wan would go on to direct Insidious, The Conjuring, and eventually Aquaman, but Saw remains the project that established him as a serious force in the genre.

The first Saw is a masterclass in low-budget, high-concept horror. It’s smart, tightly written, and built around one of the most iconic twists in modern horror history. The idea, two strangers trapped in a deadly game of morality and survival is chilling, and it spawned a franchise that would go way too far (but that’s another review). The tension is real, the atmosphere is grimy and oppressive, and Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw is so much more than a horror villain, he’s a twisted philosopher with a brand of logic that sticks with you. But man, the gore is needless. The film leans hard on the shock value, and while it works once or twice, by the third blood-soaked trap, you start to wonder if it’s just style over substance. Still, as a debut, it’s impressive. Just don’t go in expecting deep emotional stakes, go for the twist, stay for the traps… but maybe mute during the autopsy scenes.

Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2004 | Watched: 2025-07-17

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Where to watch (UK)

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Physical: Amazon UK

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