Scary facts about the Saw films. Interesting facts about the film Saw: Game of Survival How the film Saw was filmed in Russian

Philosophy of the Saw films:

Appreciate what you have and take care of your life
Trust me, the rules are simple, but breaking them can lead to death.
Be careful, the key to salvation is in your hands
Don't help them, they have to help themselves
Don't kill them, but rehabilitate them... put them to the test... if they pass the test, they will become different people
Everything is interconnected, all individual parts lead to the main thing
Everything must be thought out before the smallest details... if you know the way a person thinks, there will be no surprises
Until a person looks into the eyes of death, it is impossible to guess what he will do for the sake of life
It all comes down to one rule: to learn to value your life, you need to personally experience death.

Interesting Facts about the films of the “Saw” series

Saw ( short film), 2003

Saw is a 2003 Australian short thriller film, running 9.5 minutes. It was directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, who also starred in it. main role.
The film was originally intended to pitch the Saw movie script to other studios and actors. However, Wan and Whannell directed the film themselves in 2004.
The short film was later included in the feature film as a scene with Shawnee Smith, where Amanda Young, instead of David, was put on a jawbreaker trap.

Saw: Game of Survival, 2004

The film was originally rated NC-17, and James Wan had to remove several scenes in order to receive an R rating.
The scene in which Stephen Syng chases John was the last to be filmed
The scene in which Gordon turns off the lights and then whispers to Adam, hoping to fake his death, was slightly different in the script. Originally, the characters were supposed to saw off the ends of a long pipe using their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but was later cut because James Wan decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters could saw off a piece of pipe, they could also saw off chains
The film was shot in just 18 days
The scene where Tapp chases Zep in the car was actually filmed in a garage. Several people rocked cars to create the illusion of movement.
The film was originally planned to be released only on DVD.
The film contains many references to the films of Dario Argento. For example, the sinister killer doll is a reference to the 1975 film Blood Red
When casting agent Amy Lippens asked James Vann who he would like to see in the role of Amanda, Van answered without hesitation: Shawnee Smith, with whom he had a crush in his youth. A couple of days later, much to James' surprise, Amy announced that Shawnee had agreed to star in the film.
Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, had to lie motionless on the floor for six days. They did not replace it with a mannequin, since the creators of the tape could not afford it for financial reasons due to the very high cost of a high-quality mannequin
Lawrence and Adam could guess from several facts that the “corpse” in the center of the room was actually a living person. Firstly, when Lawrence took the gun from the hands of the “corpse” to insert a cartridge into it and kill Adam, there were no spent cartridges in the drum, which means the man lying on the floor did not fire the revolver. Secondly, the lying man did not have a cassette in his audio player, which means he could not know that he was poisoned
According to the DVD commentary, James Wan and Leigh Whannell's childhood nightmares inspired most of the film's creepy and scary scenes.
The bathroom scenes were filmed in chronological order to help actors better feel their characters
Since Tobin Bell's makeup took several hours, and the crew did not want to take long breaks in filming, the scene in which John gets up from the floor was filmed in one take
Leigh Whanell revealed that Adam and Lawrence were originally supposed to be locked in the elevator
Leigh Whanell had to replace missing actors in some scenes. For example, in one of the scenes he played Amanda

Saw 2, 2005

When the movie posters came out, they said the movie was rated R, even though it hadn't even been rated by the MPAA yet.
The film's script is a revised script by Darren Lynn Bousman, which he offered several times to different studios, but was rejected everywhere due to excessive violence
In the scene where John sews Michael a key, John is played by Darren Lynn Bousman
The film was shot in just 25 days
About 120 thousand syringes were used for the syringe pit
While filming a scene in which Obie (Tim Bard) tries to climb out of the oven through a small window, Tim Bard accidentally punched Glenn Plummer (Jonas) in the face. Because of this, we even had to take a half-hour break from filming.
Shawnee Smith (Amanda) was pregnant during filming, but kept it a secret from everyone, including the director. Her daughter later spilled the beans to Darren Lynn Bausman during lunch
Most of the actors didn't get the last 25 pages of the script. This was done to keep the ending of the film a secret.
Four people spent four days preparing the syringes for the syringe trap - they replaced real needles so that Shawnee wouldn't get hurt while filming the scene
The entire film was shot in one building
Some of the traps actually worked exactly the way they do in the movie. For example, the Death Mask actually closed, the revolver fired when the key was turned, and Emmanuelle Vaugier could not remove her hands from the box with blades without outside help
The syringe pit was originally a bathtub full of syringes, but film crew I thought it wasn't shocking enough for the viewer
Originally, Addison was supposed to fall into a different trap. According to the DVD commentary, this trap was similar to the chair knife trap from the fourth movie, only Addison had to press her face onto a hot iron (something like a waffle iron) instead of knives.
The trap box with blades was supposed to be for Gus
When John shows Eric the way, he says that Matthews needs last house left. This is a reference to the 1972 film

Saw 3, 2006

For the bathroom scenes, the set was borrowed from the creators of Scary Movie 4.
Leigh Whanell wrote the film's script in one week, based on ideas from James Wan
Darren Lynn Bousman admitted that the film was greatly influenced by fan thoughts expressed on the House of Jigsaw website
The film was remade seven times to earn an R rating.
Corbett is named after Leigh Whanella's friend Corbett Tuck
In the original version of the classroom, Troy was supposed to hang from large hooks, but the production team scrapped the idea. In another version, the chains would have been threaded through his nails, teeth and eyelids
Originally, the trap Kerry was placed in was supposed to rip out her limbs, but this trap was later redesigned
The original plan was to make a police officer the victim for the freezer. When it was decided that Danika would be placed in the freezer, she was initially supposed to be dressed in a T-shirt and panties
Several versions of the scene in which Jeff kills John were filmed. The only difference between the scenes is the weapon with which he carries out his revenge
There are two director's cuts of the film: Saw III Unrated Edition and Saw III Director's Cut.

Saw 4, 2007

Leigh Whannell said that the film will answer many questions that arose in the third part, and will also reveal the connection between the Death Designer and Obi from the second part.
According to Bausman, the plot was new approach, making the manuscript difficult to read. The film will have four parallel stories, and none of them will touch on the theme of torture.
This film was sent to theaters under the title "Angel Fish".
The decision to film a fourth film was made before the third film even hit theaters.
The dog Ivan plays with belongs to Darren Lynn Bousman.
Donnie Wahlberg initially turned down the role of Eric due to a busy schedule, so the writers debated which character they would put on the block of ice (options included Rigg's father and Hoffman). Donnie was able to find time for the film after filming began.
Alison Luther, who played Jane, is Darren Lynn Bousman's niece.
The film was shot in 32 days.
The women raped by Ivan and captured in the photographs are played by Bousman's girlfriend, his assistant and lawyer.
Mark Burg admitted that this is his favorite part of the series.
The plot is chronologically parallel to the actions of the third part (at the end Strahm kills Jeff).
There is an alternative ending to the film. It was not completely filmed. In it, Rigg reached his final test, but, having learned his lessons, did not enter the room. Eric was still dying, which Rigg saw through the glass. It is not entirely clear why Eric died, but it can be assumed that Art pressed the button before the time was up, which killed both himself (with the device on his neck) and Eric. Rigg falls to his knees in shock at what he sees. Hoffman unties himself from his chair and leaves the room. He leans over to Rigg and whispers something in his ear, which puts him into a state of prostration, shock and horror, after which Hoffman disappears into a maze of corridors. After this, Rigg, having come to his senses a little, had to walk along the corridor and turn around the corner, where he was to be shot by Peter Strahm.

Saw 5, 2008

According to the film's director, David Hackl, to stage new original Jigsaw traps as visual material DVDs were used with recordings of real industrial accidents, disasters, and other incidents.
The press trap that killed Peter Strahm was invented and drawn by the seven-year-old son of David Hackl, the director of the film.
When Agent Strahm goes down to the basement of the house in which the events of the first part took place, there is a trail of blood on the floor that Dr. Gordon left.
The scene in which Hoffman leaves Gideon with Corbett and talks to Fisk was originally in the ending of the fourth film, but was later cut. Only two second-long episodes were filmed - entering the room with last game Jeff Strahm and Jeff standing by Jigsaw's bed
Danny Glover was offered the role of Tapp in the flashback, but had to turn it down due to filming Blindness.
The photograph on Erickson's desk shows Mark Rolston with his real wife.
The latest trap used animal blood instead of artificial blood. David Hackl later admitted that they would never have done this if they had known what a terrible smell she emanated from.
In this part, the phrase "Game Over" is spoken once, and it is spoken by Agent Strahm.
IN director's cut There was no scene where Strahm opens the door and enters the room with Jeff, Lynn, Jigsaw and Amanda. It was also noticeable that the Constructor’s voice was stretched out throughout the entire film, both in the original track and in the Russian dubbing it is more rude and threatening.
About 13 minutes into the scene, when Jill comes to the lawyer, and he plays the recording where John left her a message, you can notice the following. The recording is in 3D format, which can be seen by wearing stereo glasses (k+s).

Saw 6, 2009

After the credits in the Unrated Cut, there is a "postscript" in which Amanda warns Jeff's locked-up daughter through a keyhole not to trust whoever will save her, and then a shot of Mark carrying Jeff's daughter out of the building (scene from "Saw 5" from a different angle).
The film was banned for distribution in Spain and Belarus.
The plot is known to have already been written on June 22, 2007, as reported by Oran Coles.
It was originally said that David Hackl would direct both the fifth and sixth films, but it was later announced that David would only direct the fifth film. Kevin Grotert is the editor of all parts of the series. He was with her from the very beginning. Tobin Bell said that Kevin is what creates the great atmosphere of the episode. Saw VI marked Kevin's debut as a director.
On July 14, 2009, it became known that Saw 6 was not last film from this series. Before the sixth part was released, the writers were already in full swing coming up with a sequel.
Due to a flaw in the Russian dubbing, many people believe Pamela Jenkins is William's girlfriend, when in fact she is his sister.
It is also known that casting main character, Simone aired on MTV's Scream Queens.
The opening scene, where two characters must pay for salvation by flesh, is a reference to Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, in which a debtor who failed to pay his debt on time had to pay with a pound of his own flesh.
The only film in the series to receive an "X" rating in Spain, which sharply reduced the number of cinemas able to show it. It is worth noting that previously only pornographic films received such a rating in Spain
Costas Mandylor didn't know until the premiere whether Hoffman survived or not, since they filmed several different endings
There are several figurines on the table in William's office. One of them is the CN Tower from Toronto, where all the films except the first one were filmed
In one of the first versions of the script, Hoffman had to fight the mafia
So far this is the first film in the series where electronic timers are used on traps
The last film in the series to have David Armstrong as cinematographer (he was with the series from the beginning)
So far, this is the first film in the series in which John himself appears on the TV screen to convey the rules
So far this is the first film in the series to use a trap that appeared earlier in the series (the jaw breaker)
On commentary for the film, Kevin Grotert noted that in the scene where Amanda is shaking from withdrawal symptoms, Shawnee Smith was actually shaking from the cold, as the temperature was low in Toronto, and the scene was filmed outside
The first film in the series to have no rules for the final trap at the end
The post-credits scene in the director's cut was supposed to be different - Corbett was supposed to sing a song, and Amanda was supposed to sing along with her to calm the girl down
During William and John's conversation at the banquet, Amanda and Jill are standing in the background in the crowd of people. There was supposed to be a scene between Jill and Amanda, but it was cut. In the comments it was said that a lot of scenes with Amanda were cut
The original plan was to make Jill the same leader of the games as John. This idea was later abandoned
The film was supposed to have a flashback to Jill and John's wedding
The news anchor who reports that the games are still going on despite Jigsaw's death is a real Canadian TV presenter
It was originally planned to reveal that Perez's death was faked in the fifth film. It was also originally planned that it was Strahm's idea
The writers wanted to change the third film by revealing that it was John who hit Dylan (and then the Russian translation of the third part would be correct). This idea was later abandoned
Brent was originally supposed to be around 7-8 years old
The producers wanted the film to end with Tara taking the lever, meaning they didn't want to see either William's death or Hoffman's test. Kevin and the writers defended the ending
The original plan was for a short dialogue between Jill and Hoffman as she attaches the device to him. It was cut because Hoffman wouldn't be able to speak with the ripper in his mouth.

Saw 3D, 2010

Instead of the usual 9 weeks, the pre-production stage lasted 21 weeks.
Brit is not in the film, but she survived the events of Saw 5. But Mallick was at the meeting and you can hardly notice that his arm, which was previously sawn in two, seemed to have grown together. Also at the meeting you can see a curly-haired teenager, he could presumably be Daniel Matthews.
Screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan came up with the "Garage" trap when writing the script for the fourth film, but the producers considered it too cruel. The writers tried to insert a trap in the fifth and sixth films, but they were able to use it only in the seventh part at the personal request of Kevin Grotert, the director of the film. This episode stars Chester Bennington, lead singer of the bands Linkin Park and Dead By Sunrise.
Only in this part of the franchise did they show death from the Jawbreaker. In other parts, the victims managed to remove it.
The film begins and ends in the same place.
In this part, the phrase "Game Over" is said 4 times (flashback "Hello, Zepp", Jill's farewell, Jill's death, ending). In other films Saw 2 and Saw 3 this phrase is said 2 times.
The trap in which Joyce died was designed in the shape of a pig.
This is the third part of the series, which ends with someone being locked in a toilet, chained to a pipe (in the first part, John locked Adam there, in the second, Amanda did the same with Eric Matthews).
The timer in all the film's traps has blue LEDs. In previous parts of the series, such a timer was used only once; all other timers had red LEDs.
The film is banned from showing in Ukraine and Belarus

Saw: Game of Survival, 2004

The scene in which Stephen Syng chases John was the last to be filmed

The scene in which Gordon turns off the lights and then whispers to Adam, hoping to fake his death, was slightly different in the script. Originally, the characters were supposed to saw off the ends of a long pipe using their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but was later cut because James Wan decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters could saw off a piece of pipe, they could also saw off chains

The film was shot in just 18 days

The scene where Tapp chases Zep in the car was actually filmed in a garage. Several people rocked cars to create the illusion of movement.

The film was originally planned to be released only on DVD.

The film contains many references to the films of Dario Argento. For example, the sinister killer doll is a reference to the 1975 film Blood Red

When casting agent Amy Lippens asked James Vann who he would like to see in the role of Amanda, Van answered without hesitation: Shawnee Smith, with whom he had a crush in his youth. A couple of days later, much to James' surprise, Amy announced that Shawnee had agreed to star in the film.

Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, had to lie motionless on the floor for six days. They did not replace it with a mannequin, since the creators of the tape could not afford it for financial reasons due to the very high cost of a high-quality mannequin

Lawrence and Adam could guess from several facts that the “corpse” in the center of the room was actually a living person. Firstly, when Lawrence took the gun from the hands of the “corpse” to insert a cartridge into it and kill Adam, there were no spent cartridges in the drum, which means the man lying on the floor did not fire the revolver. Secondly, the lying man did not have a cassette in his audio player, which means he could not know that he was poisoned

According to the DVD commentary, James Wan and Leigh Whannell's childhood nightmares inspired most of the film's creepy and scary scenes.

The bathroom scenes were filmed in chronological order to help the actors get a better feel for their characters.

Since Tobin Bell's makeup took several hours, and the crew did not want to take long breaks in filming, the scene in which John gets up from the floor was filmed in one take

Leigh Whanell revealed that Adam and Lawrence were originally supposed to be locked in the elevator

Leigh Whanell had to replace missing actors in some scenes. For example, in one of the scenes he played Amanda

Saw 2, 2005

When the movie posters came out, they said the movie was rated R, even though it hadn't even been rated by the MPAA yet.

The film's script is a revised script by Darren Lynn Bousman, which he offered several times to different studios, but was rejected everywhere due to excessive violence

In the scene where John sews Michael a key, John is played by Darren Lynn Bousman

The film was shot in just 25 days

About 120 thousand syringes were used for the syringe pit

While filming a scene in which Obie (Tim Bard) tries to climb out of the oven through a small window, Tim Bard accidentally punched Glenn Plummer (Jonas) in the face. Because of this, we even had to take a half-hour break from filming.

Shawnee Smith (Amanda) was pregnant during filming, but kept it a secret from everyone, including the director. Her daughter later spilled the beans to Darren Lynn Bausman during lunch

Most of the actors didn't get the last 25 pages of the script. This was done to keep the ending of the film a secret.

Four people spent four days preparing the syringes for the syringe trap - they replaced real needles so that Shawnee wouldn't get hurt while filming the scene

The entire film was shot in one building

Some of the traps actually worked exactly the way they do in the movie. For example, the Death Mask actually closed, the revolver fired when the key was turned, and Emmanuelle Vaugier could not remove her hands from the box with blades without outside help

The syringe pit was originally designed as a bathtub full of syringes, but the production team felt it wasn't shocking enough

Originally, Addison was supposed to fall into a different trap. According to the DVD commentary, this trap was similar to the chair knife trap from the fourth movie, only Addison had to press her face onto a hot iron (something like a waffle iron) instead of knives.

The trap box with blades was supposed to be for Gus

When John shows Eric the way, he says that Matthews wants the last house on the left. This is a reference to the 1972 film

Saw 3, 2006

For the bathroom scenes, the set was borrowed from the creators of Scary Movie 4.

Leigh Whanell wrote the film's script in one week, based on ideas from James Wan

Darren Lynn Bousman admitted that the film was greatly influenced by fan thoughts expressed on the House of Jigsaw website

The film was remade seven times to earn an R rating.

Corbett is named after Leigh Whanella's friend Corbett Tuck

In the original version of the classroom, Troy was supposed to hang from large hooks, but the production team scrapped the idea. In another version, the chains would have been threaded through his nails, teeth and eyelids

Originally, the trap Kerry was placed in was supposed to rip out her limbs, but this trap was later redesigned

The original plan was to make a police officer the victim for the freezer. When it was decided that Danika would be placed in the freezer, she was initially supposed to be dressed in a T-shirt and panties

Several versions of the scene in which Jeff kills John were filmed. The only difference between the scenes is the weapon with which he carries out his revenge

There are two director's cuts of the film: Saw III Unrated Edition and Saw III Director's Cut.

Saw 4, 2007

Leigh Whannell said that the film will answer many questions that arose in the third part, and will also reveal the connection between the Death Designer and Obi from the second part.

According to Bausman, a new approach was taken to the plot, making the manuscript difficult to understand. The film will have four parallel stories, and none of them will touch on the theme of torture.

This film was sent to theaters under the title "Angel Fish".

The decision to film a fourth film was made before the third film even hit theaters.

The dog Ivan plays with belongs to Darren Lynn Bousman.

Donnie Wahlberg initially turned down the role of Eric due to a busy schedule, so the writers debated which character they would put on the block of ice (options included Rigg's father and Hoffman). Donnie was able to find time for the film after filming began.

Alison Luther, who played Jane, is Darren Lynn Bousman's niece.

The film was shot in 32 days.

The women raped by Ivan and captured in the photographs are played by Bousman's girlfriend, his assistant and lawyer.

Mark Burg admitted that this is his favorite part of the series.

The plot is chronologically parallel to the actions of the third part (at the end Strahm kills Jeff).

There is an alternative ending to the film. It was not completely filmed. In it, Rigg reached his final test, but, having learned his lessons, did not enter the room. Eric was still dying, which Rigg saw through the glass. It is not entirely clear why Eric died, but it can be assumed that Art pressed the button before the time was up, which killed both himself (with the device on his neck) and Eric. Rigg falls to his knees in shock at what he sees. Hoffman unties himself from his chair and leaves the room. He leans over to Rigg and whispers something in his ear, which puts him into a state of prostration, shock and horror, after which Hoffman disappears into a maze of corridors. After this, Rigg, having come to his senses a little, had to walk along the corridor and turn around the corner, where he was to be shot by Peter Strahm.

Saw 5, 2008

According to the film's director, David Hackl, to set up the new original Jigsaw traps, DVDs with recordings of real industrial accidents, disasters, and other incidents were used as visual material.

The press trap that killed Peter Strahm was invented and drawn by the seven-year-old son of David Hackl, the director of the film.

When Agent Strahm goes down to the basement of the house in which the events of the first part took place, there is a trail of blood on the floor that Dr. Gordon left.

The scene in which Hoffman leaves Gideon with Corbett and talks to Fisk was originally in the ending of the fourth film, but was later cut. Only two second-long scenes were filmed - Strahm entering the room with Jeff's latest game and Jeff standing at Constructor's bed

Danny Glover was offered the role of Tapp in the flashback, but had to turn it down due to filming Blindness.

The photograph on Erickson's desk shows Mark Rolston with his real wife.

The latest trap used animal blood instead of artificial blood. David Hackl later admitted that they would never have done this if they had known what a terrible smell she emanated from.

In this part, the phrase "Game Over" is spoken once, and it is spoken by Agent Strahm.

The director's cut did not include the scene of Strahm opening the door and entering the room with Jeff, Lynn, Jigsaw and Amanda. It was also noticeable that the Constructor’s voice was stretched out throughout the entire film, both in the original track and in the Russian dubbing it is more rude and threatening.

About 13 minutes into the scene, when Jill comes to the lawyer, and he plays the recording where John left her a message, you can notice the following. The recording is in 3D format, which can be seen by wearing stereo glasses (k+s).

Saw 6, 2009

After the credits in the Unrated Cut, there is a "postscript" in which Amanda warns Jeff's locked-up daughter through a keyhole not to trust whoever will save her, and then a shot of Mark carrying Jeff's daughter out of the building (scene from "Saw 5" from a different angle).

The film was banned for distribution in Spain and Belarus.

It was originally said that David Hackl would direct both the fifth and sixth films, but it was later announced that David would only direct the fifth film. Kevin Grotert is the editor of all parts of the series. He was with her from the very beginning. Tobin Bell said that Kevin is what creates the great atmosphere of the episode. Saw VI marked Kevin's debut as a director.

On July 14, 2009, it became known that Saw 6 is not the last film in this series. Before the sixth part was released, the writers were already in full swing coming up with a sequel.

Due to a flaw in the Russian dubbing, many people believe Pamela Jenkins is William's girlfriend, when in fact she is his sister.

It is also known that the casting of the main character, Simone, was broadcast on MTV in the TV show “Scream Queens”.

The opening scene, where two characters must pay for salvation by flesh, is a reference to Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, in which a debtor who failed to pay his debt on time had to pay with a pound of his own flesh.

The only film in the series to receive an "X" rating in Spain, which sharply reduced the number of cinemas able to show it. It is worth noting that previously only pornographic films received such a rating in Spain

Costas Mandylor didn't know until the premiere whether Hoffman survived or not, since they filmed several different endings

There are several figurines on the table in William's office. One of them is the CN Tower from Toronto, where all the films except the first one were filmed

In one of the first versions of the script, Hoffman had to fight the mafia

So far this is the first film in the series where electronic timers are used on traps

The last film in the series to have David Armstrong as cinematographer (he was with the series from the beginning)

So far, this is the first film in the series in which John himself appears on the TV screen to convey the rules

So far this is the first film in the series to use a trap that appeared earlier in the series (the jaw breaker)

On commentary for the film, Kevin Grotert noted that in the scene where Amanda is shaking from withdrawal symptoms, Shawnee Smith was actually shaking from the cold, as the temperature was low in Toronto, and the scene was filmed outside

The first film in the series to have no rules for the final trap at the end

The post-credits scene in the director's cut was supposed to be different - Corbett was supposed to sing a song, and Amanda was supposed to sing along with her to calm the girl down

During William and John's conversation at the banquet, Amanda and Jill are standing in the background in the crowd of people. There was supposed to be a scene between Jill and Amanda, but it was cut. In the comments it was said that a lot of scenes with Amanda were cut

The original plan was to make Jill the same leader of the games as John. This idea was later abandoned

The film was supposed to have a flashback to Jill and John's wedding

The news anchor who reports that the games are still going on despite Jigsaw's death is a real Canadian TV presenter

It was originally planned to reveal that Perez's death was faked in the fifth film. It was also originally planned that it was Strahm's idea

The writers wanted to change the third film by revealing that it was John who hit Dylan (and then the Russian translation of the third part would be correct). This idea was later abandoned

Brent was originally supposed to be around 7-8 years old

The film Saw: Game of Survival (original title Saw) was directed by James Wan in 2004. Written by Leigh Whannell, James Wan. The movie is on 103 min. / 01:43. Movie slogan: “How much blood will you spill for her?”

The test scene presented to Hollywood producers was filmed using a bear trap. The only difference from the film was that Leigh Whannell was introduced in Shawnee Smith's place. The most interesting thing is that this device could actually break the victim's jaw if set up correctly.
Casting agent Amy Lippens asked James Vann who he would like to see in the role of Amanda. Van, without hesitation, answered - Shawnee Smith, with whom he was in love in his youth. A couple of days later, much to James' surprise, Amy announced that Shawnee had agreed to star in the film.
Director James Wan took a serious risk by refusing the usual fee and preferring to work for a percentage of the profits. The film managed to collect $102 million at the international box office, thus earning 85 times its budget (1.2).
The scene in which Gordon turns off the lights and then whispers to Adam, hoping to fake his death, was slightly different in the script. Originally, the characters were supposed to saw off the ends of a long pipe using their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but was later cut because James Wan decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters could saw off a piece of pipe, they could saw off the chains.
No rehearsals were scheduled. The actors had to play with clean slate.
Amanda's dead cellmate was played by one of the film's producers, Oren Cowles.
After reading the script, James Vann and Leigh Whannell's agent advised them to film one of the scenes as a short film and send it out to Hollywood studios along with the script.
Several particularly brutal scenes were cut from the film, including: Amanda rummaging through the intestines of her dead cellmate; the scene where the fat guy gets through the barbed wire was much longer.
Cary Elwes accepted the role after watching a tape that James Wan and Leigh Whannell made as an example for producers.
Actor Tobin Bell each of the six shooting days they injected him with a sedative so that he would lie completely still.
The decision to put the sequel into production was made immediately after the debut weekend.
The film was filmed for direct-to-video release. However, after flattering responses to test screenings, it was decided to release the film on wide screens.
According to the DVD commentary, James Wan and Leigh Whannell's nightmares inspired most of the film's creepy and scary scenes.
All filming took place in one pavilion.
Only five days were spent preparing for filming. The filming process itself lasted 18 days, of which six were spent on the bathroom scenes.
The film closed at the Toronto Film Festival competitive program.
The film contains many references to the paintings of Dario Argento.
The car chase scene was filmed in a warehouse garage with the lights off, artificial smoke added, and several people rocking the cars to create a motion effect.
In August 2005, Cary Elwes (Dr. Gordon) filed a lawsuit against the film's producers, demanding $500,000. He claimed that he was promised 1% of the film's total box office receipts as a fee, but received less: for example, Danny Glover (Detective Tapp) was supposed to receive 2% of the receipts.
The bathroom scenes were filmed in chronological order to help the actors get a better feel for their characters.
Leigh Whannell said that the scene in which his character dips his hand into the toilet was inspired by a similar scene in the film Trainspotting.
During filming, Tobin Bell had to lie motionless on the floor for six days.
The sinister killer doll is a reference to the film Blood Red (1975).
The bulk of the filming took place in an abandoned warehouse. The necessary rooms were renovated for filming certain scenes. Separate decorations were made only for the toilet.
The authors of the idea, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, had to re-shoot some scenes at a time when the actors involved were no longer available. The filming was carried out so that no faces appeared in the frame. All of these scenes were filmed with Whannell's participation. Thus, the actor played Detective Sing, who enters a building with a shotgun, as well as the character of Shawnee Smith, who cuts her victim with a knife. To make the shadow on the wall look like a woman's, Whannell had to wear a wig.

How was Saw filmed?

Saw was originally filmed as a short thriller (about 10 minutes long). It took place in Australia and was directed by James Wan. The script was created by Leigh Whannell, who also played the main role in the film. James and Lee filmed the video to offer the material to other studios, but almost a year later they shot a full-length horror film themselves, short version included in the final material as one of the scenes.

How was the movie "Saw" filmed? Here are some interesting facts from the set:

The entire film was shot in just 18 days!
The film was so bloody that the director had to remove several scenes in order to receive an "R" category for distribution.
Initially, the film was planned to be released only on DVD.
The actor playing Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) had to lie motionless on the floor for six days of filming as a corpse in makeup. Because the cost of a high-quality and believable mannequin with which to replace him in the scenes being filmed was prohibitive. So this technical solution was born. By the way, the actor’s makeup took several hours every day.
According to the annotation for the film, the plot is based on nightmares from the childhood of the director and scriptwriter.
The screenwriter himself, Leigh Whannell, had to replace actors in some scenes. And in one of them he even played Amanda!

How was Saw 2 filmed in 2005? Equally fleeting. We completed it in just 25 days.

For the syringe pit scene, 120 thousand syringes were used. And as many as four assistants spent 4 days preparing these devices (replacing real needles with fake ones so that the actress would not get hurt during filming.
The ending of the film remained a secret from many filming participants until the very end (the actors did not receive the last pages of the script).
The entire classic plot was filmed without leaving the same room.

The maniac is dead, but his work lives on: filming of the horror film “Saw: Legacy” has started in Toronto, Canada. The first photographs depicting the opened grave of the titular killer have already leaked onto the Internet, hinting that it is still too early to bury Pila. The premiere is promised in a year. “Who needs that! - the haters will say. “After all, the studio, I remember, itself admitted that stretching the plot over 8 episodes was too much.” Still, there are reasons—both obvious and not so obvious—why releasing a new film makes sense for both Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate and audiences. In this material we took them apart piece by piece.

Why does Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate need Saw 8?

1. Of course, the production company and distributor want to make extra money. Despite the fact that Saw's box office fell from episode to episode, the franchise never had problems making a return on its investment. Some might think that 873 million collected by seven films is not that big of a deal. large sum. But if you consider that these films cost the producer a rather modest amount - 64 million, then purely mathematically the game is still worth the candle.

2. The new “Saw” may succeed in what the new “Blair Witch Project” failed to achieve. The remake (a mixture of a sequel and a remake) of the 1999 cult horror film, which opened in theaters three weeks ago, did not live up to audience expectations and only confirmed once again that everyone is already bored with the “found footage” genre. There is no doubt that the film managed to earn 35 million (7 times more than it was spent on) on the “magic of the title” alone. But the box office for “The Witch” is collapsing from week to week so rapidly that about “ triumphant return“There is no need to say, and since the restart turned out to be far from the original, the continuation of the franchise seems unlikely. Taking into account the fact that the film adaptation of “The Hunger Games”, which fed the studio well throughout the last five years, was recently put to an end, Lionsgate’s desire to remove “Saw” from the shelf is completely understandable: the “holy place” needs to be filled with something, and the plot trick is under the title “maniac makes and tests new deadly traps on people” has convincingly proven its survivability.

3. The studio has a beautiful release date, and it would be criminal not to miss it with anything. As you know, the right date is half the success of a film, and Halloween is best time for horror releases. The authors of “Saw,” at least, thought so, which is why for many years in a row its sequels opened at the box office at the same time - in last week October. Then, for a while, the Halloween niche was occupied by “Paranormal Activity”, but a year ago the series about ghosts ended, and new contenders for the tasty slot never appeared. Of course, there won’t be any competition at all: in October 2017, a couple of quite remarkable horror films will be released (a reboot of “Friday the 13th” and “Insidious: Chapter 4”, ironically, written and directed by the screenwriter of the original “Saw” Leigh Whannell), which will attract part of the Halloween audience. But nevertheless, starting 4 days before the holiday, “Saw 8”, without a doubt, grabbed the most “trump” weekend for itself.

Leigh Whannell in the movie "Saw: Game of Survival"

4. Like any popular product, Saw has always brought in money not only through films, but also through “related products,” in other words, merchandise. So the revival of the franchise is a reason to once again start producing official paraphernalia (enthusiasts never stopped churning out unofficial merchandise) - T-shirts, caps, cups, posters, action figures... Add here new novelizations, comics and video games, and it becomes clear that handsome Billy ( an ominous doll that occasionally flashes in the frame, which has become a kind of emblem of the franchise) should not be kept in the closet: this guy is just waiting to start forging coins again.

Why should fans wait for Saw: Legacy?

1. The eighth part is made by a promising team. The script was written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger (authors of "Scream in the Dorm" and "Piranha 3D"), and the twins Michael and Peter Spirig, responsible for the zombie comedy "Back from the Dead" and the action-horror "Warriors of Light" sat in the director's chairs. and the cute sci-fi Time Patrol. The brothers’ films stand out for their stylish presentation and attention to detail, and although they have not yet worked in the “torture porn” subgenre, there is reason to believe that the eighth part of “Saw” in their performance will be at least as good as the seventh.

2. Presumably New film will not be a direct sequel, but something like a reboot or spin-off, and this solves a lot of problems that have accumulated. Which ones? Let us remember that “Saw” became the only horror series that managed to stretch one continuous story into as many as 7 films, which, of course, looked impressive, but turned out to be a real punishment for the writers. They were obliged not only to constantly look back at past events, but also to continue to keep on the screen the main maniac, who died of cancer in the middle of the series. Thus, Jigsaw periodically appeared on screen in flashbacks and video messages allegedly recorded by him on his deathbed, but the further time passed, the less reliable these “statements from the grave” looked. Add to this the inevitable aging of the actors from the first episodes, who over time began to lose shape and had difficulty fitting into the same costumes when they needed to appear in the next flashback (according to the plot, the story of Saw takes a maximum of two years, but it took all 8). And in general, the world has managed to move forward greatly: while the story of John Kramer and his students was marking time in a limited space of time, in reality iPhones and tablets managed to appear, Facebook enslaved billions of people, the streets were covered with surveillance cameras, Prince and Michael Jackson died... A reboot will finally allow history -this will break away from the umbilical cord that ties it to the mid-2000s, and will free the characters from getting rid of such vintage accessories as push-button telephones and cassette video cameras. The plot will be freshened up - that's for sure.

3. The horror genre lacks masterfully twisted plots that would capture the audience's attention for many years. None of the cult horror franchises, be it “Friday the 13th” or “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, has built all the episodes into a long, sequential story with a powerful detective component (“Scream” tried, but did not last long, “Insidious” " is still young, and "Final Destination", if you dig deeper, was just a series of remakes). The authors of “Saw” succeeded in this, although initially no one planned such a number of sequels and the plot was written without a clear understanding of what it should ultimately lead to. The writers who worked on the story after the departure of Leigh Whannell (the author of the script for the first episodes) had to work hard, retroactively writing in flashbacks connections between characters scattered across different episodes, patching up plot holes and coming up with new important meanings for scenes that initially had nothing special to them. invested. As a result, the plot jumps back and forth in time like a drunken squirrel: so that the story does not lose its internal logic, in each new series past events are constantly being cleaned up, clarified and expanded. Of course, there is no arguing about tastes, and this can be considered as a plus. After all, unpredictability has become one of the “tricks” of the franchise, creating an atmosphere of total insecurity, in which the death of the main villain is not at all a reason to relax, any of his victims could turn out to be his secret assistant, and the viewer never knows how things will turn out in 5 minutes.

There are many more lovers of plot twists, the intricacies of which are difficult to understand without a guidebook, than it might seem. In the second half of the 2000s, there was a special forum on the Internet called “House of Jigsaw,” where devoted fans left hundreds of thousands of messages with their opinions “which part of the franchise is better/worse” and bold theories about the characters and storylines. (They would have obviously left many more posts if, after the end of the series, the forum had not been demolished under mysterious circumstances.) The authors of the film series themselves came there from time to time to resolve audience disputes: actors, screenwriters and directors threw various hints and pieces of information into the threads , which according to various reasons didn't make it to the screen. What other “horror” film can boast such a fascinating and intriguing plot to make people discuss it so actively all year before the release of the next part? At one time, perhaps, only the TV series “Lost” caused a similar surge. And if the reboot of “Saw” shows that the Spierig brothers have successfully recreated the successful elements of the franchise (such as a dark tone, the ability to prolong the intrigue and keep the viewer in suspense, and only secondarily - deadly traps and fountains of blood), then who among the old fans will refuse to solve sinister puzzles again?

4. It is important that the authors were not pressed for time when writing the script. As you know, one of the reasons why sequels turn out worse than the originals is the lack of time to come up with a good sequel. Stolberg and Goldfinger were given a full 8 months - a privilege that none of the previous screenwriters had, since Saw was released annually, which meant that the scriptwriters were allocated only a few weeks for each script. It’s a miracle that they even managed to scratch out anything watchable during this time. And, of course, the new authors, who cheerfully relaunched Piranha in 2010, have no moral right to screw up the task.

5. Although it is believed that the writers have already answered all possible questions, this is not entirely true. Of course, the appearance in the seventh part (“Saw 3D”) of a forgotten character, let’s call him Dr. G. to avoid spoilers, explains many things, but at the same time makes viewers ask new questions: who are his assistants, with whom we were never introduced? How deep is his involvement in the events of the last films, really? And why did he even survive if this is contrary to the established rules of the “game”?

Note that the studio was originally going to release the eighth part back in 2011, immediately after the seventh series, but then decided not to go too crazy and canceled the last film. The most important ideas from it were eventually inserted into the seventh part, but, apparently, not all, because some ambiguities and dangling ends still remained (either due to an oversight, or “in reserve”). Judging by the forum of Saw fans that has sunk into oblivion, the blank spots in the biography of Dr. G. caused indignant questions among a huge number of viewers, so Stolberg and Goldfinger have a great opportunity to rehabilitate their predecessors, finally satisfying everyone's curiosity. Yes, we ourselves are wondering where he has been all this time, this Doctor G.

A word to the haters: why is the eighth Saw not needed?

1. Haters also have their own reasons for criticizing a new film in absentia. Firstly, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who launched the phenomenon called Saw, left the franchise a long time ago - director Wan only directed the first part, and screenwriter Whannell left after the third. Many believe that the plot of the series became so confusing due to the fact that the owners did not look after it, allowing strangers to cram their stupid ideas into it. The fact that they are designated as executive producers of the eighth series means nothing: in parts 4-7, James and Lee had the same honor of being “wedding generals”, but the quality of the series still decreased. So, most likely, their involvement in the reboot this time will be zero. Of course, there will be those who will say that Oren Coles, who has returned to producing, is quite capable of maintaining the brand and being responsible for the quality. Coles produced all parts of the franchise except the first - quite a worthy baggage. But for fans of Wan and Whannell, it will still be “the wrong coat.”

James Wan and Leigh Whannell on the set of Saw: Survival

2. The eighth film may not be “new enough,” and the previous films may not be “old enough.” Let's explain. The plot will most likely borrow plot elements from previous films, and if there are too many such elements, the criticism that “they can’t come up with anything new” is inevitable. And how, for example, can one reinvent John Kramer’s deadly traps if they are an important part of the series’ mythology? Again, the new killers who came to replace Jigsaw must have some new philosophy. And coming up with a new (and, moreover, convincing) motivation for serial murders is not so easy. Of course, so serious problems They are not used before every reboot, but only when relatively fresh material needs to be reworked. No one will complain about hackneyed techniques if the audience has already forgotten the original franchise or, due to their young age, has never encountered it at all. But in this case, the difference between the films is only 7 years.

3. Many people don't like the fact that Saw has a speculative structure. Not a single film gives answers to all questions at once, and with the eighth part, apparently, it will be the same: every year you will have to go to the cinema for more, and the questions will only increase, overall quality will gradually decline, and the plot will become more and more confusing... This is how “Saw” works, and nothing can be done about it, and for those who find such conditions unbearable, it is better to avoid the restart from the very beginning.

4. The most serious problem that viewers will have to deal with is the absence of John Kramer, that is, Jigsaw. Successful horror franchises endure in large part because of a memorable villain, and Kramer was a very original, even unique, villain. Not a psychopath like Michael Myers or Leatherface, and not a returning avenger like Freddy or Jason. Not a strong man, but not the owner of some kind of superpower. Not a mindless butcher with a thirst for murder, but, on the contrary, a philosopher and moralizer who dreams of “making the world a better place.” Kramer turned out to be an ordinary desperate man - a toy maker dying of cancer, who wants to show some stupid people mired in sin that they have a chance to fight for their lives, win, cleanse themselves through suffering and live in peace (a chance that no one gave him himself ). Technically, Kramer didn’t lay a finger on anyone; the traps he built did everything for him. But even when he was so weak that he could no longer breathe without an oxygen mask, he remained deadly.

And there was still something supernatural about him. Jigsaw knew things about people that no one else could know. His deadly mechanisms never failed. He foresaw any development of events, left a bunch of messages and tasks for other characters and continued to weave the web of death, even when he himself was buried in a grave. In general, a unique type, also with a very textured appearance. Yes, of course, we already know that John Kramer did not act alone, and this can explain how Jigsaw is so knowledgeable in matters of medicine and surveillance of people, but still his magnetism was so strong and convincing that any of his actions or words looked fulfilled deep meaning- part of the plan, a piece of a big puzzle that it’s just not time for us to demonstrate in its entirety.

But then Kramer left for good, and everything began to change, like the iPhone after the death of Steve Jobs. Back in the seventh part, we saw how his first student perverted the teacher’s principles. The successor was not afraid to personally get his hands dirty: he chained victims in traps without explaining to them how to escape from there (that is, he simply tortured the poor fellows to death), without a twinge of conscience he killed complete strangers... And the bloody experiments, previously carried out in dark basements, turned into public executions to intimidate the crowd. All these perversions of the canon would not have happened if Kramer had lived. So, what is next? The poster for the seventh installment, which depicted Jigsaw as a giant, could be a hint that the killer started some kind of cult. The title of the new film, Saw: Legacy, may also be a hint at this, and if so, then society may now have to deal with not just one, but many of Kramer's followers. But will they be able to match the founder, if not in ingenuity, then at least in charisma? There are serious reasons to fear that it will not.

These are, in a nutshell, the arguments for and against continuing the franchise. Who will you join? To those who believe that the series has outlived its usefulness and should be left alone? Or to those who are rubbing their hands in anticipation and crossing out the days before the premiere, wondering under what sauce the next Tobin Bell cameo will be put into the new film? Write to us.

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Scary facts about the Saw films. Interesting facts from the film Saw: Game of Survival How the film Saw was filmed in Russian

Leigh Whannell in the movie "Saw: Game of Survival"

James Wan and Leigh Whannell on the set of Saw: Survival