The genesis for one of horror’s most iconic franchises is getting renewed appreciation almost two decades later

In 2004, a little horror movie by the name of Saw crept into theaters. That alone would have made it a win for director James Wan, as distributor Lionsgate’s original plan was to release this low budget $1 million flick direct-to-video. After an enormously positive screening at Sundance, the studio realized this gory and terrifying adventure might have some legs at the box office.

All box office projections were soon blown out of the water. Fueled by intensely positive word of mouth, it began to rake in money around the world, ending up grossing 100 times its budget and becoming – at the time – the most profitable horror movie after Scream.

The first Saw remains an excellent watch, especially if you put yourself in the shoes of an early 2000s moviegoer who’d never seen anything quite like this on the big screen. Now horror fans are giving the original its due. A poster on r/horror has finally caught up with this and breathlessly describes it as “one of the best horror movies I’ve ever seen in my life”:

Others name Leigh Whannell’s excellent screenplay as the driving factor here, saying its quality elevates it beyond the budgetary constraints:

It really is an all-time great ending:

The original… and best?

We wish we could have had this experience:

Now we’re in the mood for a rewatch…

Saw would go on to become a horror juggernaut, spawning seven sequels, as well as Jigsaw and Spiral. Don’t count it out yet, as Saw X is coming later this year and promises to capture what made the original so special. We can’t wait.

Saw X is set for release on Oct. 27, 2023