The Saw franchise returns this fall with its first new film in seven years! Jigsaw aims to restart the horror phenomenon that took the 2000s by storm. This time out, Lionsgate and the producers have hired a talented pair of directors in The Spierig Brothers. Given the quality of their previous efforts such as Daybreakers and Predestination, there’s every reason to believe that they will offer up a sequel that is worthy of reviving the series. Today the first trailer for the film has arrived and it lies below for your viewing pleasure…
Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one man: John Kramer. But how can this be? The man known as Jigsaw has been dead for over a decade.
Visually, this is a step up for the franchise. Gone is the grimy, desaturated look of many of the previous entries. In its place is a wider, more colorful frame. Callum Keith Rennie as a detective is a nice touch. Rennie is a modern character actor whose presence is always welcome, as far as I am concerned. We also know that Jigsaw himself, Tobin Bell, is back in some sort of capacity, although it’s unclear at this time as to whether or not he will actually appear on screen. I do hope that this film sticks to the simplicity of the first two films and foregoes the bafflingly complex plots of the later entries. In order for this franchise to return, it has to once again become palatable to non-fans.
Speaking of which, it’s confession time. I have only seen the first four Saw films. I consider myself to be a die hard horror fan and I really like the first three entries in the series. I didn’t care much for the fourth one and tapped out after that. It had just become too repetitive and lacked both the energy and ingenuity of the earlier films. I will be going back and revisiting the original four, as well as catching up on the three I haven’t seen, before Jigsaw rolls around this fall. Fingers crossed that the latter makes it all worthwhile.
Jigsaw is the eighth installment in the Saw franchise. It is directed by The Spierig Brothers, from a screenplay by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. The picture is produced by Gregg Hoffman, Mark Burg, Oren Koules, Peter Block, James Wan, and Leigh Whannell. The film stars Tobin Bell, Mandela Van Peebles, Laura Vandervoort, Brittany Allen, Callum Keith Rennie, Cle Bennett, Matt Passmore, Hannah Emily Anderson, Paul Braunstein, Shaquan Lewis, Josiah Black, James Gomez, and Michael Boisvelt.
Jigsaw arrives in theaters on October 27th, 2017.
