In
the video above, scenes
from Lionsgate Pictures'
"Saw IV"
The
"sleeper"
ending of Saw made
it the sleeper hit
of 2004. It created
a franchise industry
for Lions Gate Films
which set about
the task of creating
yearly sequels.
It also set a standard
for offering a satisfyingly
unforseen twist
ending; a defining
theme that played
out winningly in
Saw II.
The brilliant addition
to Saw II was the
introduction of
actor Tobin Bell,
who unveiled the
character of Jigsaw
to such humanizing
and agonizing effect.
The
success of the
Saw series rest
upon the ability
to keep providing
clever twists
to the story,
inventing new
means of 'do
or die' deathtraps
that keep audiences
shocked but
spellbound,
maintaining
the mesmerizing
cat and mouse
game between
Jigsaw and the
police.
Never mentioned,
but unavoidable
to this writer,
is the Gothic
influence of
Edgar Allan
Poe upon the
twisted horror
inherent in
Saw's premise,
combining the
sadistic machinery
of The Pit and
the Pendulum
with the deadly
justice of The
Cast of Amontillado.
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