I Love The Saw Movies, But Here's Why I Think The Series Peaked At Saw II

I love horror movies, but especially the Saw series (I actually think it's one of the greatest horror franchises of all time). That said, even though there are more Saw movies than famed franchises like Friday the 13 and Nightmare on Elm Street, I still think the franchise peaked overall at Saw II.

Yes, there have been some highs and some lows in the series, which is natural for a series with 10 (and unfortunately, not 11) Saw movies. (I'm looking at you, Jigsaw). But overall, I think the franchise has been mostly successful in making us feel icky inside, while not always getting other things right.

As such, I want to lay out some reasons why 2005's Saw II is the best movie in the franchise. So just ignore that big needle pit over there and answer me this…are you ready to play a game?

This Movie Arguably Has The Best Twist In The Entire Series

Will any twist ending to a Saw movie ever top the original's? Probably not, because many fans agree that the first movie is still the best. In fact, when we ranked the Saw movies, we put the first film at number 1, and I think a lot of that is because of how freaking amazing that ending is. I mean, Jigsaw was in the room the entire time? Gnarly.

However, much like how I think M Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable has a better twist than The Sixth Sense, I also think that Saw II takes viewers for a wilder spin than its predecessor. Firstly, Saw II is more complex than the first movie, which was actually more of a mystery thriller than a horror flick at times.

In the sequel, a corrupt cop named Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) has his son kidnapped by Jigsaw, and Matthews is on the hunt for him. Meanwhile, Jigsaw has captured seven criminals, and is keeping them in a house and recording their progress. So, in order for Matthews to get his son back, he has to follow along with the “games” (i.e torturous activities to acquire antidotes). Oh, and if the victims don’t get out in two hours, then nerve gas is released and everybody in the house dies. Good luck!

The twist, however, is that the recording is not live, and Matthews’ son is secured in a safe with an oxygen mask, leaving his corrupt father trapped in the wrong house to die. Not only that, but one of the victims was actually working with Jigsaw, so it’s like a double twist. It’s the best!

The Torture Devices In Saw II Are Some Of The Most Gruesome In The Series

The Saw series is known for its traps. Everybody knows that. However, an unfortunate thing about the franchise is that it always felt like each new movie was trying to one-up the last one, and it got to a point where it started to feel ridiculous (Like the public execution trap in Saw: The Final Chapter). But, Saw II really feels (to me, anyway), like the last time the series was firing on all cylinders when it came to every trap.

The film starts the right way, as a man is trapped in a spiked death mask that’s basically going to puncture his entire head if he doesn’t get it off. The catch – and what makes this series so special – is that he has the ability to take it off. He just needs to get the key…which is lodged behind his eye.

That’s right, as with most of the kills in this film, it’s plot related, as Jigsaw has a new appreciation for life after his cancer diagnosis, and he wants to (forcibly) get his victims to appreciate life, too.

This leads to some absolutely heinous torture scenes, like the glass box, the furnace trap (Which melds my fear of tight spaces AND burning alive), and the worst of them all, the pit of needles *shivers*. Other Saw movies have had gruesome devices, but Saw II definitely takes the cake.

This Was Before They Killed Off Jigsaw And The Series Went Crazy

Now, here’s the thing about me and sequels. I like when they go forward, not backward. And, with the first three Saw movies, we got that. John Kramer aka Jigsaw, is dying in the first three films, and eventually perishes in the third movie. For that reason, I know some people only like the first three Saw films, since they make for a worthy trilogy before the series kept jumping back and forth.

However, Saw III is where the problems start for me, because even though I like the film and consider it the last great Saw movie, I also don’t like how the series kind of had to work itself around the ending of III by adding new killers, while still going into Jigsaw’s past to flesh out the story.

Which is why I much prefer Saw II, as its narrative is more straightforward. We learn more about Jigsaw, and why he does what he does, but also get a sense that this is a man with morals (Like, Matthews’ son really is innocent, so he doesn’t “deserve” to die, but is more there just to lure his father into the games). The events also feel more organic and focused, which I can’t say for many of the later films.

So, in every way, I think Saw II succeeds where the later sequels falter, which is why I think it’s the peak of the series.

It Is An Excellent Follow-Up To The Original Movie

The compelling thing about Jigsaw is that he’s not like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees or Micahel Myers. In other words, he’s not just a killer. I mean, he WILL kill people, but he always wants to give them a chance first. They just have to want it badly enough.

It’s like, remember that scene in Fight Club where Tyler put a gun to that man’s head, and asked him what he wanted to be? Well, Tyler gets the man to confess that he wants to be a veterinarian, and Tyler promises that he will let the man go, but that he will find him and kill him if he isn’t enrolled in veterinarian school in six weeks. Well, Jigsaw is like that to the extreme, and in the first movie, he actually let a woman named Amanda Young live when she got out of one of his traps.

The thing is, she’s also in the second movie, and for a lot of the film, you think she’s screwed (She’s even the one who gets thrown into the above-mentioned needle pit). However, Amanda is actually in on the games, and she's training to be the next Jigsaw once he succumbs to cancer.

And, I love this continuity! Saw II is an excellent follow-up to the original, and in my mind, the best sequel to any other film in the franchise.

The Pacing Is The Best Of Any Saw Film

Lastly, as much as I'd hate to admit this, some of the Saw movies are boring. And, I think a lot of this is due to world-building, which in theory, sounds like a good thing, but from Saw IV onward (well, excluding Saw X, which is my fourth favorite Saw movie), I think there's been a bit too much world-building in most of the Saw movies.

I really miss the straightforward storytelling of the first film, and I think Saw II is the last movie in the franchise to have such great pacing. It never slows down, and I miss that about the Saw series.

Plus, Saw II is always compelling since you worry about the protagonist's son, as you want to know if an innocent character will survive. It's for this reason that Saw II has the best pacing in the series.

But, what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.