The horror franchise is going back to it’s brilliant roots.
Every horror fan knows that the cast are basically just human cannon fodder, a minor annoyance that gets in the way of the villain. Ultimately, 90% of the cast will die before the final act, but it’s still nice to have some resonance of plot and character development
Think about those horror films that you really love. It’s highly likely that they featured characters that you were genuinely interested in.
For example, the original Halloween is just as much about Laurie Strode as it is Michael Myers. The Exorcist is essentially about Father Karras and how he struggles with his faith and religion. In The Orphanage, The Devil’s Backbone and Let The Right One In, it’s arguable that the so called ‘villains’ have more compassion and humanity than the ‘normal’ world as we perceive it.
That’s why the first two Saw films were beloved by horror fans. They weren’t just concerned with making the audiences squeamish and queasy by laying on the gore, they actually had a very tight plot and characters that you could empathise with.
Compare this with the remaining films in the franchise. Blood, guts, gore, blood, guts, gore, blood, guts, gore.
Nothing new, original or interesting.
Well, with Jigsaw being released in cinemas this Halloween, the traps in the Saw series are about to be reset and we’re loving what the directors, Michael and Peter Spierig, have to say about the film with Empire.
“We weren’t interested in out-grossing the the previous films, and I don’t mean that financially. What I love is the detective aspect” said Peter. Fans of the original Saw film will appreciate this news as it appears that the franchise is going back to its roots.
When the directors pitched their idea to the studio, they emphasised the fact that they wanted “less brutality and more thrills.”
Finally, if you’re thinking of bringing any Saw virgins to the cinema, you’ll be pleased to know that Jigsaw is standalone film that doesn’t require an in-depth knowledge of the series.
“If you haven’t seen any of the Saw films, you’ll be able to get it all pretty easily,” says Michael Spierig.
What are you doing on October 27? Do you want to play a game?
