‘Saw’ Movies Ranked, From The Original To ‘Saw X’
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Director James Wan and filmmaker/actor Leigh Whannell created lightning in a bottle with 2004’s Saw, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival and inspired an entire era for the genre. It spawned several sequels, claiming an annual spot on release calendars for a time, coining the phrase, “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw.” And every year horror fans flocked to the theater to see pig-masked assailants kidnap wrongdoers and put them in traps that require them to accomplish horrific tasks to stay alive.
In the year 2023, Saw X marks a notable milestone in the franchise’s history, bringing its tenth installment to the silver screen. Much like any other long-running movie series, it went through multiple creative lenses with varying levels of success, but there’s no denying its impact. Here’s a look at all 10 movies ranked, from worst to best.
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10. ‘Saw 3D: The Final Chapter’ (2010)
The seventh movie, also noted as the “final chapter” to the franchise, brings Mark Hoffman’s (Costas Mandylor) arc to an end. It strives to be a culmination of the franchise, bringing back some familiar faces to varying capacities (most notably Cary Elwes returning as Lawrence Gordon for the first time since it all began), but it falls short. The FBI’s hunt for Hoffman ends on an unsatisfying note, not necessarily paying its respects to Tobin Bell’s legacy as John Kramer (also known as Jigsaw), as well as rushing Jill Tuck’s (Betsy Russell) arc.
Saw 3D: The Final Chapter is far into this universe, but it looks far cheaper than its predecessors. The most vicious trap comes in the form of Nina’s (Naomi Snieckus) noise-triggering Silence Circle trap, but the distractingly pink-tinted blood and its catering to a 3D gimmick sets it back. The storytelling and the visuals at work cheapen all that came before it.
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9. ‘Spiral: From the Book of Saw’ (2021)
Chris Rock’s own pitch brought Spiral: From the Book of Saw to life, which acts as both a ninth entry and a spinoff. He’s also horribly miscast int he lead role, haphazardly mixing comedy into a police procedural with a few Saw-esque traps. However, most of the traps are unwinnable here, taking them from transformative fights for survival to revenge – we’ve already seen this plot done better within the lifetime of this franchise. If it wanted to tell a new story set in the same universe, then why repeat this angle?
The infamous Finger Trap is delightfully gnarly and there’s a compelling plot buried in there involving corruption in law enforcement, but Spiral: From the Book of Saw doesn’t take advantage of its greatest strengths.
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8. ‘Jigsaw’ (2017)
Jigsaw further complicates the timeline, poking more than a few more plot holes into its continuity. However, the barn setting is a welcome change of scenery from the typical grungy warehouses. The Spierig Brothers bring a more polished look to the carnage, where test subjects are thrown into various traps that require teamwork to make it out alive.
After a seven year hiatus, Jigsaw returns with a blend of the old and the new. Some of it mildly scratches the Saw itch with gruesome traps, but some creative decisions, such as the glowing-eyed Billy the Puppet, just don’t work.
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7. ‘Saw V’ (2008)
David Hackl’s Saw V puts heavy emphasis on Hoffman’s cat-and-mouse game with Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson), digging deeper into the antagonist’s motives that further set the stage for the type of Jigsaw he will become. The scattershot sub-plots are incohesive and the non-twist ending is disappointing (especially given the film’s tagline, “You won’t believe how it ends”), but this installment isn’t quite as bad as some make it out to be. It’s about on-par with Saw IV.
This sequel’s greatest assets are the traps themselves. From the Pendulum Trap to the trial of five strangers, there are plenty of graphic moments for Saw fans to dig their teeth into.
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6. ‘Saw IV’ (2007)
Saw IV isn’t the initial introduction to Hoffman, but it’s the first time that we see the breadth of his involvement in working with Jigsaw. He’s a far less enthralling antagonist, lacking Bell’s presence and representing some of the Saw’s least engaging sub-plots and rivalries. Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) makes a minor return in a role that should have felt more impactful.
The Scalping Seat and the autopsy scene are memorable moments, but Saw IV primarily exists as a piece of exposition to move the story forward without Kramer’s mortal presence. Director Darren Lynn Bousman makes his third trek into the Saw franchise, but he doesn’t capture the magic he achieved in his two prior creations.
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5. ‘Saw III’ (2006)
Saw III signaled a time before overly-convoluted sub-plots created so many threads across the timeline. Kramer and Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) are the only two revealed antagonists, introducing the first acknowledged “unwinnable” traps. Angus Macfadyen’s Jeff is a frustrating perspective character, but there are several notably brutal traps that he navigates on his path to Jigsaw’s final test of supposed redemption. Despite all of the traps, the grotesquely-detailed brain surgery stands as one of the most iconic scenes.
The logic between all of the moving parts doesn’t entirely fit into place, but Saw III succeeds as a vicious sequel that continues to breathe life into the grungy visual style that comes with the earlier films.
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4. ‘Saw X’ (2023)
After 10 installments, Saw X still manages to bring a fresh spin to this horror legacy. It’s set between the events of Saw and Saw II, making it a Saw 1.5 of sorts that demonstrates what happens when people try to scam Jigsaw. He enrolls in an experimental cancer treatment that could cure him of his disease, but it’s a lie. Jigsaw enlists the help of Young to put them into a game of their own for them to be reborn.
There’s no question that Saw X is the most grotesque installment yet, especially when we’re addressing the Wire Trap. This film is also the most personal one, showcasing another side of Kramer. The twist is fairly obvious and the third-act isn’t nearly as hard hitting as some other series entries. Nevertheless, Saw X is a solid chapter that proves the story still has some fight left in it.
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3. ‘Saw VI’ (2009)
Saw VI turns the traps on a relatable enemy – the American insurance industry. Kramer is long dead, although he still makes a return in flashbacks, where an insurance executive (Peter Outerbridge) denies him potentially life-saving medical treatment based on a risk-based formula. Consequently, he’s put through a series of traps that require him to make the decisions of who lives and dies among his staff, and witness the blood-soaked ramifications of his actions.
Kevin Greutert’s smooth pacing, along with writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan’s intriguing social commentary, pushes Saw VI into becoming one of the top installments of the entire franchise. The Shotgun Carousel is an exceptional trap filled with more than bloodshed, but it features a greater morality game at play. It’s rare for the sixth entry in a long-running franchise to be one of the best, but here we are.
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2. ‘Saw II’ (2005)
Bousman took the thriller elements from the original and cranked the violence up several notches for Saw II. The detective story at play is far more absorbing than the ones to follow in the later sequels, as Matthews desperately tries to retrieve his son (Erik Knudsen) from a location filled with a nerve agent and tests in the form of both traps and violent personalities. The booby-trapped house is an outstanding location filled with surprises, even though we never get to see all of the traps intended for each of the test subjects.
Saw II unleashes several twists in its final moments that don’t quite reach the heights of the original, but they’re remarkably unpredictable in their own right. This sequel is also Bell’s first opportunity to play with the role of Kramer, making the once mysterious antagonist frightful and unnerving. Wahlberg’s performance as Matthews is incredibly magnetic, playing off Bell very well. Saw II makes an impressive sequel.
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1. ‘Saw’ (2004)
James Wan’s Saw is where it all began. This gritty and scrappy thriller has clear inspirations rooted in David Fincher’s Seven, creating a deadly game with a doctor (Cary Elwes) and a photographer (Whannell) chained to rusty pipes in a filthy bathroom with a dead man’s body on the floor in between them. The Reverse Beartrap is the brand’s signature trap, simultaneously making history for the horror genre.
Saw has a mind-boggling final twist, genuinely frightening scares, and plenty of grisly violence. It quickly generated buzz out of Sundance, but even more impressively, it fueled both a franchise and an entire sub-genre. It’s an outright electrifying film that seeks to shock and thrill – it more than satisfies on both of those fronts.
