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1[[quoteright:321:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/61nl7n2yc7l_8488.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:321:''Hello. I want to play a game.'']]
3
4->[[AC:[[SelfDemonstrating/{{Saw}} PLAY ME]]]]
5
6''Saw'' is an American horror thriller franchise -- composed chiefly of a series of films -- that originally started with the release of the first film of the same title, which was directed and written by Australian filmmakers Creator/JamesWan and Leigh Whannell.
7
8It centers around a PoeticSerialKiller dubbed "The Jigsaw Killer", or just "Jigsaw" (real name John Kramer, played by Creator/TobinBell), who places people in {{Death Trap}}s and gives them a chance to escape before death claims them. Jigsaw designs each trap as a violent form of poetic justice by reflecting what Jigsaw sees as the vital flaw of its victim(s). To escape these traps -- or [[DeadlyGame "games"]], as Jigsaw calls them -- the victims must typically harm either themselves or others in some horrific way to escape their impending (and equally, if not more, horrific) death. The films' storylines center around the victims' efforts to escape their traps, the attempts by law enforcement to catch Jigsaw, Jigsaw's life, and his connection to the films' other characters.
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10After the first movie originally premiered on January of its year at the Sundance Film Festival, Creator/{{Lionsgate}} theatrically released the first seven films in the franchise on the week prior to Halloween from 2004 to 2010; for the last two movies, a reality TV show titled ''[[Series/ScreamQueens2008 Scream Queens]]'' (whose first season had series actress Creator/ShawneeSmith among its hosts) was aired during two seasons as a contest for female actresses to gain a breakout role for each film. The seventh installment, titled ''Film/Saw3D'', was renamed ''Saw: The Final Chapter'' for its home video release, as it was [[SeriesFauxnale meant to be]] the GrandFinale of the series. According to WordOfGod, the series was supposed to end with an eighth film, but due to the poor box office performance of ''Film/SawVI'', ExecutiveMeddling worked the plots of the original ''Saw VII'' and ''Saw VIII'' into ''Saw 3D''.
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12In October 2016, an eighth film under the working title ''Saw: Legacy'' was announced to be in production. The title was later changed to ''[[Film/{{Jigsaw}} Jigsaw]]'', and the film was released in October 2017. A ninth film, ''[[Film/Spiral2021 Spiral]]'', was announced in February 2020 and ultimately released in May 2021, promoting itself as "from the Book of ''Saw''" and taking an anthology-esque approach in telling a story about a [[JackTheRipoff Jigsaw copycat]]. A tenth film, ''Film/SawX'', was announced in April 2021, and was originally slated for release on October 27, 2023 before being moved up to September 29 of that year. Unlike its two DistantSequel predecessors, ''Saw X'' returns directly to the era of the first seven films, [[{{Interquel}} taking place between the first two of those]] and once again featuring Tobin Bell as Kramer in [[VillainProtagonist a much more prominent role than before]]. Around three months after the film's release, an eleventh ''Saw'' film titled ''Saw XI'' was announced for release on September 27, 2024.
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14These films (especially the first) [[FollowTheLeader inspired many imitations]], though some argue that ''Saw'' itself is a form of imitation of ''Film/{{Se7en}}'': both films focus on elaborate, grisly murders carried out by a man trying to send a message to society. Whereas ''[=Se7en=]'' portrays its killer, John Doe, as vain and interested in showing the world a lesson through murder, Jigsaw focuses on a more "individualized" message with his "games". Hell, the concept of a moralistic serial killer playing God to a society he deems morally corrupt didn't even originate with ''[=Se7en=]'' -- and according to WordOfGod, all of these ideas have always been carried out since the original 2003 short film that preceded the first movie.[[note]]Hilariously enough, though, the crew involved in ''Spiral'' did claim that they were aiming for a plot similar to ''[=Se7en=]'' for the movie.[[/note]]
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16A comic book titled ''Saw: Rebirth'' was published alongside the release of ''Film/SawII'' in both physical and digital format. The comic revolved around Jigsaw's backstory and life before he began his crusade as a killer, though the events that happened in it were [[CanonDiscontinuity eventually]] [[CanonMarchesOn retconned]] by ''Film/SawIV'', which had a different version of his past as one of its main plot lines.
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18The series managed to spawn two video game adaptations. In addition, the multiplayer horror game ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' released a DLC based on the series in 2018. It features David Tapp and Amanda Young as playable characters, and includes a map based on the various films' locations.
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20In 2009, a ride based on the films opened in Ride/ThorpePark, aptly named ''[[TitleTheAdaptation Saw: The Ride]]''. It's notable for being the world's first rollercoaster based on a horror movie franchise. Another ride of the "escape room" kind, named ''Saw: The Experience'', opened in London in 2022.
21----
22!!''Saw'' media:
23
24[[foldercontrol]]
25
26[[folder:Feature Films]]
27
28[[index]]
29* ''Film/SawI'' (2004)
30* ''Film/SawII'' (2005)
31* ''Film/SawIII'' (2006)
32* ''Film/SawIV'' (2007)
33* ''Film/SawV'' (2008)
34* ''Film/SawVI'' (2009)
35* ''Film/Saw3D'' (2010)
36* ''Film/{{Jigsaw}}'' (2017)
37* ''[[Film/Spiral2021 Spiral]]'' (2021)
38* ''Film/SawX'' (2023)
39* ''Saw XI'' (2024)
40[[/index]]
41
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Short Films]]
45* ''Saw'' (2003)
46* ''Full Disclosure Report'' (2004; DVD BonusMaterial for ''Film/SawI'')
47* ''The Scott Tibbs Documentary'' (2005; DVD bonus material for ''Film/SawII'')
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Comic Books]]
51* ''Saw: Rebirth'' (2005)
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Podcasts]]
55* ''Seeing Saw: The Official Spiral Podcast'' (2021)
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Video Games]]
59
60[[index]]
61* ''[[VideoGame/{{Saw}} Saw: The Video Game]]'' (2009)
62* ''VideoGame/SawIIFleshAndBlood'' (2010)
63* ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' Chapter 7: SAW (2018)
64[[/index]]
65
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
69* ''Saw: The Jigsaw Trials'' (2023; upcoming)
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Rides]]
73* ''Saw: The Ride'' (2009, Ride/ThorpePark)
74* ''Saw: The Experience'' (2022)
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Other Related Media]]
78
79[[index]]
80* ''[[Series/ScreamQueens2008 Scream Queens]]'' (2008-2010; competitive reality TV series wherein winners earn a role for a ''Saw'' movie)
81[[/index]]
82
83[[/folder]]
84----
85!!The ''Saw'' franchise provides examples of:
86!!WARNING: These pages contain no small number of spoilers, but many of the trope examples in them will assume you have knowledge of the spoilers of the first four films -- and as such, those spoilers will go untagged. Even then it's advised to have finished watching the series first. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Read on or go back]] -- [[CatchPhrase make your choice]].
87
88[[index]]
89* Saw/TropesAToF
90** [[AllThereInTheManual/{{Saw}} All There in the Manual]]
91** [[AscendedExtra/{{Saw}} Ascended Extra]]
92** [[AssholeVictim/{{Saw}} Asshole Victim]]
93** [[CruelAndUnusualDeath/{{Saw}} Cruel and Unusual Death]]
94** [[TheEndingChangesEverything/{{Saw}} The Ending Changes Everything]]
95** [[EvenEvilHasStandards/{{Saw}} Even Evil Has Standards]]
96** [[ExactWords/{{Saw}} Exact Words]]
97** [[Foreshadowing/{{Saw}} Foreshadowing]] (includes FiveSecondForeshadowing examples)
98* Saw/TropesGToR
99** [[Hypocrite/{{Saw}} Hypocrite]]
100** [[TheReveal/{{Saw}} The Reveal]]
101* Saw/TropesSToZ
102** [[SymbolicMutilation/{{Saw}} Symbolic Mutilation]]
103[[/index]]
104
105----
106->[[AC:[[TheEndOrIsIt You think it's over?]] It's not over. [[ItHasOnlyJustBegun The games have just begun.]]]]

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