Hello Enthusiacs I am your Lord of Shadows and I have one question for you all at this moment.

Would you like to play a game?

Eleven years ago that question began a franchise with more gore than Mexican Standoff’s aftermath.

Saw released in 2004 was directed by James Wan, yes the same man who would go on to direct horror classics like Insidious and The Conjuring. However years later it now must be asked, does Saw hold up?

The answer is not just yes it’s an OH HELL YEAH!! Now only is this movie still brutal in all the right ways but if you don’t know the twist it will still leave you with that perfect feeling of oh my god at the end credits.

Now for the sake of avoiding spoilers I’m not going to cover every little detail however be warned this will have spoilers in it.

The story in fact the story of all the films revolve around one man or should I say one persona. Jigsaw. Much like a DC Hero by becoming a symbol Jigsaw becomes more than just John Kramer. In fact over the six year franchise multiple people have assumed the mantle of Jigsaw.

However back when Saw was a single film it was the idea that made it scary. Jigsaw didn’t target good or evil people. He targets people who simple exist. Not happy with the gift they have been given. Squandering life when he knows how fleeting it can be.

Through each victim we see how he test these people. They can accept death, or they can fight to stay alive. At the end it does make you think about how you live your own life. Am I just existing? What would I do if placed in this situation?

Thats what makes the original so good as the would be death traps aren’t some scifi fantasy trap they would become but things that could be made with little effort in the real world.

The genius here is that by placing neither extremely good or evil people in harms way we can feel for their plight and hope they get out while at the same time being able to understand the inherent rage of Jigsaw himself.

Now that’s not to say Jigsaw isn’t a clear bad guy because he is however we can connect the dots that lead to his fall into villainy. John Kramer was just a man like all of us living his life until he learned his life was going to end. Cancer was the thing that drew him into the dark.

He felt it was unfair he should lose his life so much sooner than people who didn’t even want them. So he raged against the world and created Jigsaw. Again I’m not saying start making traps, but their is wisdom behind the madness.

I’ll leave you know with the words that sent film goers from the cinema all those years ago. Until next time I am your Lord of Shadows saying

“Some people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not you. Not anymore.

GAME OVER.”