Saw X is fast-approaching, set to take us back in time to the earlier days of John Kramer’s misdiagnosis and Amanda Young’s stint as Jigsaw’s apprentice. Neither James Wan nor Leigh Whannell could have predicted that a low-budget, single-setting vision would become a multi-million dollar franchise almost 20 years later.
Throughout Saw‘s long history, there have been over 60 traps/games devised by Jigsaw himself, his apprentices, and copycats killers. Only a scarce few are — by Saw‘s standards — ‘tame’ and that leaves us with plenty of inhumane torture devices that are, by definition of the world ‘brutal,’ savagely violent.
15. Glass Grinder — Spiral
You might think the Glass Grinder Trap from Spiral is relatively harmless compared to Jigsaw’s other methods, but imagine being strung up, unable to move, and getting mercilessly pelted with shards of glass. I don’t know about you, but I cry just getting a paper cut. It’s one of the traps that takes the longest to kill you, so that excruciating pain lasts for several minutes.
14. The Acid Room — Saw VI
Although it isn’t sawing off an arm or getting decapitated, the Acid Room from Saw VI is one of the most disgusting ways to die. William reaches the end of his journey, having single-handedly murdered several of his colleagues in the process, just for a widow and her son to pull his plug. And what a way to go, having your insides liquified by hydrofluoric acid and melting into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West.
13. Death Mask — Saw II
Ah, the Venus Fly Trap, also known as the Death Mask. This is our introduction to Saw II as police informant Michael plucks up the courage to gouge out his own eyeball and retrieve a key that will unlock the medieval torture mask around his neck. He starts slicing and dicing, but his time runs out. And although the death is instant, it’s no more pleasant than any other.
12. The Pendulum — Saw V
Hoffman finds out that Seth Baxter was responsible for his sister’s death, so he straps him to an inescapable trap and watches on with demented delight as Seth gets bisected by s winging pendulum. It’s the anticipation that really sells this one, aside from the fact that watching Seth’s guts fly around the room is nauseating.
11. Needle Pit — Saw II
Amanda has only ever found herself on the receiving end of two Jigsaw traps, but both of them happen to be the most iconic. She might have escaped the Reverse Bear Trap by the skin of her teeth, but Amanda couldn’t have predicted Xavier tossing her head-first into a pit of used needles. She’s a trooper, but she survives at the cost of all sorts of tetanus.
10. Finger Trap — Spiral
Remember when you got your fingers caught in that Chinese finger trap as a kid and thought that if you pulled two hard, you’d lose your digits for good? Well, imagine that same sensation made a reality. Let’s not beat around the bush, Detective Fitch absolutely deserved this, but it’s hard not to feel a little sympathy for the poor guy. Those close-up shots of his fingers being ripped off are horrifying.
9. Pound of Flesh — Saw VI
This should probably snag the number one spot, considering we couldn’t even find a YouTube video that wasn’t age-restricted. Sorry for the graphic imagery above, but at least the numerous SFX artists scattered around the room remind you that it’s all fake, even if it looks nothing but real. This one is explanatory; slice away at your stomach or lose an arm — neither, please!
8. Reverse Bear Trap — Saw/Saw VI/Saw 3D
Here she is. We told you Amanda would be back, didn’t we? Although, it isn’t her experience in the Reverse Bear Trap that we’re particularly focused on. It isn’t Hoffman’s either. After years of waiting, we finally saw the iconic RBT kill a human, not just a mannequin head — take that, mannequin! I don’t think anyone had Jill Tuck being killed by her own ex-husband’s invention on their bingo card, but hey-ho.
7. 10 Pints of Sacrifice — Saw V
The selfish mindsets of the Saw V victims become their undoing as Mallick and Brit, the surviving duo, learn that 10 pints of blood are required to secure their freedom — that’s five pints each — and that will almost surely kill them. If they’d have worked with the other participants from the get-go, they’d only be giving two pints each. Isn’t that the kicker of it all? That final shot of Mallick’s mutilated arm, too? Gnarly.
6. The Scalping Seat — Saw IV
There’s not much introduction needed for the Scalping Seat. It’s the equivalent to your mother brushing the knots out of your hair as a child — or at least it feels like that. Although you wouldn’t necessarily die from this, you’d still be in absolute agony for however long it takes for your scalp to be completely removed, and that’s not fun for anybody. And that’s only if you didn’t pass out from the shock first.
5. Angel Trap — Saw III
Another infamous Jigsaw concoction, this time from the mind of Amanda. It’s appropriately named for the mechanics involved to execute it, but the Angel Trap was rigged by Amanda and designed to murder Detective Kerry outright. Even though she nearly loses a hand and completes the task, Kerry still perishes. And that zoomed-out shot of Kerry’s split ribs is haunting.
4. The Silence Circle — Saw 3D
Poor Nina, she deserved so much better. Although she aided Bobby in fabricating his lies, very few crimes deserve punishment as brutal as this. As if the fish hook tearing up her oesophagus weren’t bad enough, she endures unthinkable pain and dies anyway. It’s a lose-lose situation and although not necessarily gory, the psychological impact on the audience is huge.
3. Classroom Trap — Saw III
Like the Death Mask introduced us to Saw II, it was Troy’s experience in the Classroom Trap that opened Saw III. Again, Amanda rigged this trap to be inescapable, so it didn’t matter too much what Troy did. Can you even imagine tearing hooks out your own flesh? Especially the achilles heels, that’s a particularly hard watch. It’s another trap that’s more psychologically disturbing than graphic, but none of us envy Troy.
2. Horsepower Group Trap — Saw 3D
R.I.P Chester Bennington. The lead vocalist of Linkin Park steals the scene in Saw 3D, forced to tear off his entire back skin to save himself and a group of white supremacists, all of whom were kidnapped by Hoffman. Evan’s predicament is particularly harrowing, but when you consider all the lives on the line, this is the only group kill in the entire Saw franchise, so it’s back-to-back blood and guts.
1. The Rack — Saw III
I don’t recommend watching this scene without music, but if you’re curious at all, go ahead. The tension is heightened by the soundtrack, but Mpho Koaho, who plays Timothy Young roots The Rack in realism. Besides the obvious implications of such a dire situation, it’s Koaho’s emotional performance that hammers home The Rack’s lethality. And we couldn’t expect less from Kramer’s favorite trap.
Published: Sep 13, 2023 12:39 pm