Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Monday, Jan. 13
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

COLUMN: ‘Saw X’ is everything a legacy sequel should be

entsawxreview100523-jpg

A year ago, if you told me “Saw X” would be one of my favorite films of 2023, I probably would have responded with, “Wait they’re making a tenth one? Gross!” 

The horror franchise best known for its nauseating gore, kinetic editing and intricate plots has been a target for disgusted parents’ vitriol since it embraced its splatter-core reputation in the early aughts. As a kid, I felt its infamy in the isles of Blockbuster. I remember walking through the horror section and shielding my gaze out of fear that I’d see Cary Elwes’ severed foot on the “Saw” DVD cover art. 

“Saw X” should’ve been dead on arrival. Most of the time, when a horror franchise reaches its tenth installment, all bets are off. The plots become crazy and unbelievable, and the creators’ vision is completely lost. I’m looking at you, “Halloween Kills.” 

But “Saw X” succeeds where other legacy sequels fail. It understands and harnesses what works about the early “Saw” films whilst reinvigorating the franchise with new tricks and a confident sense of self. 

Technically, “Saw X” is a prequel because it takes place between “Saw” and “Saw II,” but thematically, the film feels like a legacy sequel. While the franchise has always been centered around John Kramer (Tobin Bell) — the infamous Jigsaw killer — and his league of apprentices, he hasn’t been treated as a full-blown protagonist until now. 

The film follows John as he travels to Mexico for an experimental procedure to hopefully cure his brain cancer. But when the whole operation turns out to be a scam, John and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) lead those responsible through a demented game of redemption or death. As John so eloquently says in his haunting voice, “Live or die the choice is yours.” 

The decision to frame the film around John’s relationship with Amanda is one of the smartest choices the franchise has ever made. When Amanda wants to interfere in the game because she feels sympathy for one of the victims, John is forced to question his complex philosophy on the sanctity of life. Bell shines in the starring role; he portrays John as a stoic anti-hero, not unlike the ones seen in classic westerns. 

Even though it’s been 14 years since Smith last appeared as Amanda in “Saw VI,” she portrays the beloved apprentice as if she never stepped away from the role. She channels the same naivety and grit that made audiences fall in love with her, but she also gets to explore a vulnerable, softer side of the character, too. “Saw X” serves as a reminder she will always be one of horror cinema’s greatest scream queens. 

It wouldn’t be a “Saw” film without gore that makes me squirm in my seat, and “Saw X” delivers with some of the franchise’s most brutal traps yet. While the later sequels favor intricate set pieces and torture devices with many moving parts, the traps in “Saw X” are relatively simple, yet terribly visceral. They have a gnarly, homemade quality that’s reminiscent of the traps in “Saw” and “Saw II.” If you thought Dr. Gordon sawing off his own foot was bad, just wait till you see a woman use a vacuum to suck bone marrow out of her thigh. 

Even though the twist doesn’t pack as much of a punch as some of the more infamous ones in the franchise the glass coffin switch-up from “Saw V” remains supreme it services the story being told. Hearing the iconic “Hello Zepp” theme play as the ending unravels is reason enough to see it in theaters. 

The film doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but one has to respect that the filmmakers didn’t take the easy way out by bloating it with cameos and callbacks. In fact, the only pandering moment occurs in a mid-credit scene that’s like a little treat for fans who are patient enough to wait until the end. 

“Saw X” is a true return to form for the franchise, and as long as I get to see my good friend Billy the Puppet on the big screen, I’ll keep coming back for more. 

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe