Highlights
- Saw X (2023) is considered one of the best entries in the franchise, with a return to the earlier timeline and a clever storyline that brings things full circle.
- Saw 2 (2005) is praised as one of the best horror sequels of all time, taking the original's brilliance to new levels of depravity and delivering terrifying horror.
- Saw (2004) is the standout film in the franchise, a sleeper hit that surprised audiences with its clever plot, scary sequences, and claustrophobic atmosphere, paving the way for modern slashers.
The Saw franchise has been a mainstay of the horror universe for nearly twenty years now, scaring audiences with Jigsaw's deadly traps and gruesome kills. In total, there have been 10 entries in the series, and it doesn't look like Jigsaw will be stopping his murderous ways anytime soon, with the recent release of Saw X getting good reviews from fans and critics alike.
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The franchise has brought in over a whopping $1 billion in revenue through box office and retail sales, and it's one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time. But not all the movies in the series have been well received, with some entries faring better than others.
Warning: This list contains spoilers!
10 Saw 4 (2007)
The first three films in the Saw franchise were of a pretty high standard, and there is an argument that they could've stopped the franchise in its tracks as a trilogy or at least rested it for a few years. But that wasn't to be the case and Saw 4 was released the following year.
The film picks up directly where the last entry left off, with the death of John Kramer. It's revealed that Kramer left behind a series of clues through many recordings, that would direct investigators to his final game. The detectives attempt to unravel the mystery, drawing them into the brutal world of Jigsaw. This movie marked the first time James Wan or Leigh Whannell weren't involved in writing a Saw film, and the drop in quality is evident throughout, making it the weakest entry in the series.
9 Saw 6 (2009)
The sixth entry in the popular horror franchise saw Jigsaw's successor, Detective Hoffman, take center stage in the plot. It follows an insurance executive who is forced to complete a series of deadly games to rescue his employees.
Saw 6 was the lowest-grossing movie in the series, but it still made a lot of money due to its low budget. It's definitely not the worst of the Saw films, but it's certainly no classic, that's for sure.
8 Spiral (2021)
Audiences certainly weren't asking for a spin-off to the Saw films, but they got one in the form of Spiral, directed by Saw alum Darren Lynn Bousman. The plot focuses on Detective Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Banks, who is hunting down a copycat Jigsaw killer.
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Samuel L. Jackson turns up in a supporting role, but not even the Hollywood legend can save this movie from itself. The plot is ridiculous, like a lot of the Saw sequels, but the big problem with this entry is that it's just not scary. However, it does possess some good horror comedy moments, intentional and unintentional.
7 Saw: The Final Chapter (2010)
Billed as the final entry in the series, the seventh movie chose to cash in on the 3D gimmick, but it made absolutely no difference to the quality of the final product.
The plot sees a man who falsely claims to be a survivor of the Jigsaw killer try to become a local celebrity. It received largely negative reviews but did reasonably well at the box office. It was decided before the release of the movie that they would end the series after this entry, and Jigsaw's traps stayed in storage for seven years before the inevitable reboot.
6 Saw 5 (2008)
After the initial setback of Saw 4, due to the departure of many of the key players in the series, Saw 5 was a return to form for the franchise.
The plot follows FBI Agent Strahm as he investigates the Jigsaw murders and realizes the murders are part of a much bigger plot. To be fair to the Saw films, they did universe-building before a lot of other franchises, albeit not very well, but they tried. This entry wasn't well received by critics or fans, but it's certainly not the worst of the lot.
5 Jigsaw (2017)
Hollywood is full of relaunches of old franchises, but the key is to drop the number from the title if the audiences are to return in their numbers. That is exactly what the Saw franchise did in 2017 when rebooting their successful horror series.
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They went one step further and changed the name to Jigsaw, and the results were an improvement on most of the sequels that came before it. The plot is relatively similar, with a group of people forced to take part in a series of deadly games. However, this time, they are locked inside a barn. The original Jigsaw killer has been dead for the best part of a decade, but someone is lurking behind the scenes, stalking a new generation of soon-to-be traumatized people.
4 Saw 3 (2006)
The Saw franchise was still in its infancy back in 2006 when a third movie was released to complete a trilogy of deadly games. This movie marks a shift in tone for the franchise, as it became even more gruesome than its predecessors, and this would continue throughout the rest of the franchise.
John Kramer puts a man called Jeff through the wringer, testing his ability to forgive, after his son was killed by a drunk driver. John's apprentice, Amanda, kidnaps a doctor to help John, who is terminally ill with cancer, so he can stay alive long enough to complete his torture game. It's a good movie, but the games probably should've stopped here.
3 Saw X (2023)
The tenth installment in the Saw franchise is up there with the best the series has ever produced. This is largely due to the return to the earlier timeline in the series. This movie is a direct sequel to the first Saw film and acts as a prequel to Saw 2. It's a clever way to bring things back full circle.
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Tobin Bell makes a welcome return to the Saw universe as the mastermind of the Jigsaw murders, John Kramer. His sidekick, Amanda, also makes a welcome return to the storyline, which sees John travel to Mexico for an experimental procedure in the hopes of finding a cure for his terminal cancer. The operation turns out to be a scam, and Kramer decides to bring back his now-famous death traps to punish the people who lied to him.
2 Saw 2 (2005)
Saw 2 is one of the best horror sequels of all time, expanding on the brilliance of the original and taking it to new levels of depravity. It truly is a terrifying horror movie.
The movie starts with a Police informant called Michael waking up wearing a spike-filled mask. The mask squashes his head as he refuses to get the key from his eye. This sets up the gruesomeness of the second entry in the series, and it doesn't let up from here.
1 Saw (2004)
Saw was the sleeper hit of 2004, taking everybody by surprise with its clever plot and scary horror sequences. It was James Wan's directorial debut and put him on Hollywood's radar.
The movie essentially features two men in a room, trying to figure out how they got there and deciding on who is going to bite first and kill the other to survive. No other movie in the franchise has been able to recapture the claustrophobia felt in the original movie. By far the best movie in the franchise and one of the movies that paved the way for some of the best modern slashers out there.