Interesting Saw Facts: The Survival Game. Scary facts about the films "Saw" How the film was made Saw in Russian

The maniac is dead, but his work is alive: the shooting of the horror "Saw: Legacy" started in Toronto, Canada. The first photographs of the opened grave of the main killer have already penetrated the Web, hinting that it is still too early for Peel to be buried. The premiere is promised in a year. “Who needs it! - say the haters. “After all, the studio, I remember, itself admitted that stretching the plot into 8 episodes is too much.” And yet there are reasons - both obvious and not so - why the release of a new tape makes sense for both Twisted Pictures / Lionsgate and viewers. In this article, we have taken them apart by the bones.

Why is Saw 8 needed by Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate?

1. Of course, the manufacturing company and the distributor want to earn extra money. Despite the fact that Peel's box office fell from episode to episode, the franchise has never had a problem making a return on its investment. Someone may think that the 873 million collected by seven paintings is not such a large amount. But if we consider that the producer of these films cost a rather modest amount - 64 million, then, purely mathematically, the game is still worth the candle.

2. The new "Saw" can get what the new "Blair Witch" did not. Remakevel (a mixture of a sequel with a remake) of the cult horror film of 1999, which started at the box office three weeks ago, did not live up to the audience's expectations and only confirmed once again that the genre of "found tapes" is already boring to everyone. There is no doubt that the film managed to earn 35 million on the “magic of the title” alone (7 times more than it was spent on). But the collection of "Witch" collapses from week to week so rapidly that there is no need to talk about a "triumphant return", and since the restart was 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-year plan, 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 the title "maniac makes and tests new deadly traps on people" has convincingly proved its tenacity.

3. The studio has a beautiful release date, and it would be criminal not to score it with anything. As you know, the right date is half the success of the film, and Halloween is the best time for the release of horror. The authors of "Saw", in any case, thought so, so for many years in a row its sequels started at the box office at the same time - in the last week of October. Then, for a while, the Halloween niche was occupied by "Paranormal phenomena", but a year ago the series about ghosts ended, and new contenders for the tasty slot did not appear. Of course, it will not do without competition at all: in October 2017 a couple of quite remarkable horror films will be released (restart of "Friday the 13th" and "Astral: Chapter 4", ironically, composed and directed by the original "Saw" screenwriter Lee Wannell), which will draw away part of the Halloween audience. Still, Saw 8, which started 4 days before the holiday, undoubtedly grabbed the most “trump” weekend.

Lee Whannell in Saw: The Survival Game

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 start the release of official paraphernalia again (unofficial enthusiasts never stopped churning out) - T-shirts, caps, cups, posters, action figures ... Add new novelizations, comics and video games here, and it will become 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 a coin 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 "Piranhas 3D"), and twins Michael and Peter Spirigi, who are responsible for the zombie comedy "Raised from the Dead", the action-horror "Warriors of Light" and the cute "Time Patrol" sci-fi. The brothers' films are distinguished by their stylish presentation and attention to detail, and although they have not worked in the subgenre of "torture porn" yet, there is reason to believe that the eighth part of "Saw" in their performance will be released at least as well as the seventh.

2. Presumably the new film will not be a direct sequel, but something like a restart or spin-off, and this solves a lot of accumulated problems. Which ones? Recall that "Saw" was the only horror series that managed to stretch one continuous story for as many as 7 films, which, of course, looked impressive, but turned out to be a real punishment for the scriptwriters. 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, Peela periodically popped up on the 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 their shape and could hardly fit into the same costumes when it was required to appear in the next flashback (according to the plot, Saw's story takes a maximum of two years, but to tell it, it took all 8). And in general, the world managed to go ahead great: while the story of John Kramer and his students was trampling on a limited temporary patch, in reality iPhones and tablets appeared, Facebook enslaved billions of people, the streets were overgrown with surveillance cameras, Prince and Michael Jackson died ... The reboot will allow history at last to break away from the umbilical cord that ties it to the mid-2000s, and save the characters from such vintage accessories as push-button telephones and cassette camcorders. The plot will freshen up - that's for sure.

3. The horror genre lacks masterly twisted plots that would rivet the audience's attention for many years. None of the cult horror franchises, be it Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street, built all episodes into a long coherent story with a powerful detective component (The Scream tried, but did not last long, Astral "Is still young, and" Destination ", if you dig, was just a series of remakes). The authors of "Saw" succeeded, although initially no one planned so many sequels and the plot was written without a clear understanding of what this should eventually lead to. The writers who worked on the story after Lee Wannell left (the author of the first episodes of the script) had to sweat a lot, retroactively inscribing connections between characters scattered throughout the series in flashbacks, patching plot holes and coming up with important new meanings for scenes that were initially nothing special. 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 the past events are constantly being cleaned up, refined and expanded. Of course, there is no dispute about tastes, and this can be considered a plus. After all, unpredictability has become one of the franchise's "chips", creating an atmosphere of total insecurity, in which the death of the main villain is not a reason to relax, any of his victims may turn out to be his secret assistant, and the viewer never knows how things will turn out in 5 minutes.

There are many more fans 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 Web called the House of Jigsaw, where loyal fans left hundreds of thousands of messages with their opinions "which part of the franchise is better / worse" and bold theories about characters and storylines. (They would have left, obviously, much 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 to resolve the audience disputes from time to time: actors, screenwriters and directors threw various hints and pieces of information into the threads , which for various reasons did not appear on the screen. What other "horror movie" has such a fascinating and intriguing storyline that will make people talk about it so actively all year before the release of the next part? A similar surge in due time was caused, perhaps, only by the series "Lost". And if the restart of Saw shows that the Spirig brothers have successfully recreated the success-forming elements of the franchise (such as a gloomy tone, the ability to prolong intrigue and keep the viewer in suspense, and only secondarily - deadly traps and fountains of blood), then who are the old fans refuses 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 are 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 none of the past writers had, since Saws was released annually, which meant that scriptwriters were allotted only a few weeks for each script. It's a miracle that they even managed to scribble at least something watchable during this time. And, of course, the new authors, who cheerfully restarted Piranha in 2010, have no moral right to screw up the task.

5. Although it is believed that the writers have already answered all-all possible questions, this is not entirely true. Of course, the appearance in the seventh part ("Saw 3D") of a forgotten character by all, let's call him Doctor G. in order to avoid spoilers, explains many things, but at the same time forces the audience to ask new questions: who are his assistants, whom we have not been introduced to? How deep is his involvement in the events of recent films in reality? And why did he even survive, if it contradicts the established rules of the "game"?

Note that initially the studio was going to release the eighth part back in 2011, right after the seventh episode, but then decided not to "mess with" 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 through an oversight, or "in reserve"). Judging by the forum of fans of "Saw" sunk into oblivion, blank spots in the biography of Dr. G. caused indignant questions from huge amount viewers, so Stolberg and Goldfinger have a great opportunity to rehabilitate their predecessors, finally satisfying everyone's curiosity. Yes, we ourselves are interested in where he staggered all this time, this doctor G.

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

1. Haters also have their own reasons to criticize the new film in absentia. Firstly, James Wan and Lee Whannell, who started the Saw phenomenon, have long left the franchise - director Wang directed only the first part, and writer 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 stuff their stupid ideas there. The fact that they are designated by the executive producers of the eighth episode does not mean anything: in parts 4-7, James and Lee had a similar honor to be "wedding generals", but the quality of the series still declined. So, most likely, their involvement in the reboot will be zero this time too. Of course, there will be those who will say that Oren Coles, who returned to producing, is quite capable of keeping the brand and answering for the quality. Coles produced all but the first part of the franchise - quite a decent baggage. But for fans of Wang and Whannell, it will still be "the wrong coat."

James Wang and Lee Whannell on the Set of Saw: The Survival Game

2. The eighth film may not be "new enough", and the previous films - "not old enough." Let us explain. The plot will surely borrow plot elements previous tapes, and if there are too many such elements, criticism “they can't come up with anything new” is inevitable. And how, for example, can you re-invent John Kramer's deadly traps if they are an important part of the mythology of the series? Again, the new assassins who have replaced Jigsaw must have some new philosophy. And coming up with a new (and convincing) motivation for serial killing is not so easy. Of course, such serious problems are not faced by every reboot, but only when relatively fresh material needs to be remade. No one will complain about the hackneyedness of the techniques if the viewers managed to well forget the original franchise or, due to their young age, have never encountered it at all. But in this case, the difference between the films is only 7 years.

3. Many people do not like that Pila has a speculative structure. Not a single film gives answers to all the questions at once, and the eighth part, most likely, will be the same: every year you will have to go to the cinema for more, while the questions will only increase, the overall quality will gradually decrease, and the plot to become more and more confused ... This is how the Saw works, and there is nothing to be done about it, and those who find such conditions unbearable, it is better to bypass the restart from the very beginning.

4. The most serious problem that the audience will have to deal with is the absence of John Kramer, that is, Jigsaw. Successful horror franchises survive in large part because of their memorable villain, and Kramer was a highly original villain, even unique. Not a psychopath like Michael Myers or Leatherface, and not a comeback avenger like Freddie or Jason. Not a strong man, but also 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 person - a toy master dying of cancer, who wants to show some stupid people who are mired in sin that they have a chance to fight for their lives, win, purify themselves through suffering and live peacefully on (a chance that no one gave him ). Technically, Kramer didn't touch anyone, everyone made the traps he built for him. But, even having become so weak that he could no longer breathe without an oxygen mask, he remained deadly.

And there was still something supernatural about him. Saw knew things about people that no one else could. Its deadly mechanisms never malfunctioned. 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 the grave. In general, a unique type, also with a very textured appearance. Yes, of course, we already know that John Kramer was not acting alone, and this can explain why Peela is so well versed in matters of medicine and spying on people, but still his magnetism was so strong and convincing that any of his actions or words looked like full of deep meaning - part of a plan, a piece of a big puzzle that we just haven't yet had time to demonstrate in its entirety.

But then Kramer left completely, 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 principles of a teacher. The successor was not afraid to personally dirty his hands: he put the victims in traps, without explaining to them how to escape from there (that is, he simply tortured the poor to death), without a twinge of conscience, he killed completely strangers ... public executions to intimidate the crowd. All these perversions of the canon would not have happened if Kramer was alive. So, what is next? The poster of the seventh part, in which Jigsaw was depicted as a giant, could be a hint that the killer initiated a kind of cult. The name of the new tape "Saw: Legacy", it is possible, is also an allusion to this, and if so, now society may have to deal with not even one, but with many of Kramer's followers. But will they be able to catch up with the initiator, if not in ingenuity, then at least in charisma? There are serious reasons to fear not.

These are, in short, the pros and cons of continuing the franchise. Who will you join? To those who think that the series has outlived its usefulness and should be left alone? Or to those who rub their hands in anticipation and cross out the days before the premiere, wondering under what sauce the next cameo of Tobin Bell will be shoved into the new film? Write to us.

Saw: A Survival Game, 2004

The scene in which Stephen Sing chases John was filmed last

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. Initially, the characters had to saw off the ends of a long pipe with their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but later it was cut, as James Wang decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters can saw off a piece of pipe, they can also saw the chains

The film was shot in just 18 days

The scene in which Tapp is chasing Zep in his 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 movie Blood Red

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

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

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

According to a DVD commentary, James Wang and Lee Wannell's childhood nightmares formed the basis for 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 it took Tobin Bell several hours to make up and the crew did not want to take long pauses in filming, the scene in which John gets up from the floor was filmed in one take.

Lee Wanell said that initially Adam and Lawrence were supposed to be locked in the elevator.

Lee Wonell 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 had received an R rating, although it hadn't even been rated by the MPAA yet.

The script for the film is a revised script by Darren Lynn Bausman, which he offered several times to various studios, but he was refused everywhere due to excessive cruelty

In the scene where John sews the key to Michael, John is played by Darren Lynn Bausman.

The film was shot in just 25 days

About 120 thousand syringes were used for the pit with syringes

While filming a scene in which Obi (Tim Bard) tries to climb out of the oven through a small window, Tim Bard accidentally punches Glenn Plummer (Jonas) in the face. Because of this, I 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 out to Darren Lynn Bausman at lunchtime.

Most of the actors did not receive the last 25 pages of the script. This was done to keep the ending of the movie a secret.

Four people spent four days preparing syringes for the syringe trap - they replaced real needles so that Shawnee did not get hurt during the filming of the scene

The entire film was filmed in the same building.

Some of the traps actually worked exactly the way they do in the movie. For example, the Death Mask did close, the revolver fired when the key was turned, and Emmanuelle Vogier could not pull her hands out of the blade box without assistance.

The syringe pit was originally a bathroom full of syringes, but the crew felt that this was not shocking enough to the viewer.

Addison was originally meant to fall into a different trap. According to the comments on the DVD, this trap was a semblance of a chair with knives from the fourth movie, only Addison had to press her face on a red-hot iron (something like a waffle iron) instead of knives.

Trap a box of blades intended for Gus

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

Saw 3, 2006

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

Lee Wanell wrote the film script in one week, based on ideas from James Wan

Darren Lynn Bausman admits that the film was heavily influenced by the thoughts of fans expressed on the website of the House of Jigsaw

The film was redone seven times to get an R rating.

Corbett is named after Lee's girlfriend Wanella Corbett So

In the original version of the classroom, Troy was supposed to hang from large hooks, but the production team gave up on the idea. In another version, chains were to be threaded through his nails, teeth and eyelids.

Initially, the trap that Kerry was placed in was supposed to rip out her limbs, but later this trap was redone

It was originally planned to make a police officer a victim for the freezer. When it was decided that Danica would be placed in the freezer, she was originally 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 versions of the film: Saw III Unrated Edition and Saw III Director's Cut.

Saw 4, 2007

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

A new approach was taken to the plot, according to Bausman, making the manuscript difficult to comprehend. There will be four stories running in parallel in the film, and none of them touch on the subject of torment.

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

The decision to shoot the fourth movie was made even before the third movie hit theaters.

The dog Ivan is playing with belongs to Darren Lynn Bausman.

Initially, Donnie Wahlberg turned down the role of Eric due to a tight schedule, so the writers wondered which character they would put on a block of ice (options provided for Rigg's father and Hoffman). Donnie was able to carve out time for the film after filming began.

Alison Luther, who plays Jane, is Darren Lynn Bausman's niece.

The film was shot in 32 days.

The women in the photographs raped by Ivan are played by Bowsman's girlfriend, 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 last test, but, having learned the lessons, did not enter the room. Eric was dying anyway, as Rigg saw through the glass. It is not entirely clear why Eric died, but it can be assumed that Art pressed the button before time elapsed, than he killed himself (with the device on his neck) and Eric. From what he saw, Rigg falls to his knees in shock. Hoffman unties the 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 the maze of corridors. After that, Rigg, having come to his senses a little, had to walk down the corridor and turn around the corner where Peter Strahm was supposed to shoot him.

Saw 5, 2008

According to the director of the film, David Hackle, for setting new original Jigsaw traps as visual material used a DVD 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 Hackle, the film's director.

When Agent Strahm descends into 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 behind.

The scene in which Hoffman leaves Gideon with Corbett and talks to Fisk was originally at the end of the fourth film, but was later cut. Only two second episodes were filmed - Jeff Strahm entering the room with the last game and Jeff standing by Jigsaw's bunk

Danny Glover was offered to play Tapp in a flashback, but had to be turned down due to filming Blindness

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

In the last trap, animal blood was used instead of artificial blood. David Hackle later admitted that they would never have done that if they knew what a terrible smell came from her.

In this section, the phrase "Game over" is spoken once and is spoken by Agent Strahm.

The director's cut was missing an episode 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 throughout the 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 turns on the tape where John left her a message, you can see the following. The recording is in 3D format, it can be seen wearing stereo glasses (k + s).

Saw 6, 2009

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

The film was banned from distribution in Spain and Belarus.

Initially, it was said that David Hackle would direct both the fifth and sixth films, but later it was announced that David would only be working on the fifth film. Kevin Grothert is the editor for all parts of the series. He was with her from the beginning. Tobin Bell said that it is Kevin who creates the wonderful atmosphere for the series. Saw VI was Kevin's debut as a director.

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

Due to a flaw in the Russian dubbing, many consider Pamela Jenkins to be William's friend, when in fact she is his sister.

Also known that casting the main character Simone was televised on MTV's "Scream Queens" telecast.

The opening scene, where two characters have to pay to be saved by the flesh, is a reference to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which a debtor who defaulted on a debt had to pay with a pound of his own flesh.

The only film in the series to receive an "X" rating in Spain, drastically reducing the number of cinemas able to show it. It should be noted that previously only pornographic films received such a rating in Spain.

Costas Mandylor did not know until the premiere if Hoffman survived or not, as they filmed several different endings.

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

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 be directed by David Armstrong (he has been with the series since 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 (jawbroker)

In the comments on the film, Kevin Grothert noticed that in the scene where Amanda is shaking from withdrawal, 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, in the ending of which there are no rules for the last trap

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

As William and John talk at the banquet, Amanda and Jill are standing in the background in a crowd of people. The scene between Jill and Amanda was supposed to start, but it was cut. In the comments it was said that a lot of scenes with Amanda were cut.

It was originally planned to make Jill the same game leader as John. This idea was later abandoned.

The movie was supposed to have a flashback of Jill and John's wedding.

The news anchor who reports that the games continue despite Jigsaw's death - Real Canadian TV personality

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

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

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

Saw: The Survival Game (original title Saw) was directed by James Wang in 2004. Written by Lee Whannell, James Wang. The movie is on 103 minutes / 01:43. Film slogan: "How much blood will you shed for her?"

1. The test scene, presented to the Hollywood producers, was filmed using a bear trap. The only difference from the film was that Lee Whannell was introduced in the place of Shawnee Smith. Most interestingly, this device could actually break the victim's jaw if properly adjusted.
2. Casting agent Amy Lippens asked James Vann who he would like to see in the role of Amanda. Wang, without hesitation, replied - 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.
3. Director James Wang took a serious risk by giving up the usual fee and opting 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).
4. 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. Initially, the characters had to saw off the ends of a long pipe with their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but it was later cut out, as James Wang decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters can saw off a piece of pipe, they can also saw through the chains.
5. No rehearsals were planned. The actors had to play with blank slate.
6. Amanda's dead cellmate was played by one of the film's producers, Oren Cowles.
7. After reading the script, agents of James Wann and Lee Wannell advised them to shoot one of the scenes as a short film and send it to Hollywood studios along with the script.
8. Several particularly violent scenes were cut from the film, including: Amanda rummaging through the guts of her dead cellmate; the scene where the fat guy makes his way through the barbed wire was much longer.
9. Carey Elvis accepted the role after watching a cassette tape that James Wan and Lee Whannell made as a showcase for the producers.
10. Actor Tobin Bell, each of the six shooting days injected with a calming agent so that he would lie very still.
11. The decision to launch the sequel into production was made immediately after the debut weekend.
12. The film was filmed for release directly on video. However, after the flattering responses on test screenings, it was decided to release the film on wide screens.
13. According to the DVD commentary, James Wang and Lee Wannell's nightmares formed the basis for most of the film's creepy and scary scenes.
14. All filming took place in one pavilion.
15. It took only five days to prepare for filming. The filming process itself lasted 18 days, of which six were spent on the scenes in the bathroom.
16. At the Toronto Film Festival, the film closed the competition program.
17. The film contains many references to paintings by Dario Argento.
18. The car chase scene was filmed in a warehouse garage with the lights off, fake smoke added, and several people rocked the cars to create the effect of movement.
19. In August 2005, Carey Elvis (Dr. Gordon) filed a lawsuit against the film's producers, demanding that they pay him $ 500,000. He claimed that he was promised 1% of the film's total box office as a fee, but he received less: for example, Danny Glover (Detective Tapp) was supposed to receive 2% of the receipts.
20. The bathroom scenes were filmed in chronological order to help the actors get a better feel for their characters.
21. Lee Whannell said that the scene in which his character dips his hand into the toilet was inspired by a similar scene in Trainspotting.
22. During filming, Tobin Bell had to lie motionless on the floor for six days.
23. The sinister killer doll is a reference to the movie Blood Red (1975).
24. Most of the filming took place in an abandoned warehouse. The necessary rooms were repaired for the filming of certain scenes. Separate decorations were made only for the toilet.
25. The authors of the idea, James Wan and Lee Wannell, had to re-shoot some scenes at a time when the actors involved were no longer available. The shooting was carried out so that faces did not flicker in the frame. All of these scenes were filmed with the participation of Whannell. Thus, the actor played Detective Singh, entering the building with a shotgun, as well as the character Shawnee Smith, shredding his 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 happened in Australia and was directed by James Wang. The script was invented by Lee Wennell, he also played in the film the main role... James and Lee filmed the video to offer the material to other studios, but almost a year later they themselves shot a full-length horror film, a short version was included in the final material as one of the scenes.

How was Saw filmed? Here are a few 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 to get an "P" category for distribution.
• Initially, the film was planned to be published only on DVD-disks.
• The performer of the role of Designer (Tobin Bell) had to lie motionless on the floor for six days of filming as a corpse in makeup. Since the cost of a high-quality and believable mannequin, with which it could be replaced in the filmed scenes, was prohibitive. So this technical solution was born. By the way, it took several hours to make up the actor every day.
• According to the film's annotation, the plot is based on the childhood nightmares of the director and scriptwriter.
• The scriptwriter himself, Lee Wannell, had to replace actors in some scenes. And in one of them he even played Amanda!

How was Saw-2 filmed in 2005? Just as fleeting. In just 25 days, they did it.

• For the scene with the syringe pit, 120,000 syringes were used. And as many as four assistants prepared these devices for 4 days (they replaced real needles with fake needles so that the actress would not get hurt during the filming.
• The ending of the film remained a secret from many of the filming participants until the last moment (the actors did not receive the last pages of the script).
• The entire classic story was filmed without leaving the same room.

Films Philosophy "Saw":

• Appreciate what you have and take care of your life
• Trust me, the rules are simple, but breaking them is fatal
• Be careful, the key to salvation is in your hands
• Don't help them, they have to help themselves
• Do not kill them, but rehabilitate ... put them under the test ... if they pass the test, they will become different people
• Everything is interconnected, all the individual parts lead to the main thing.
• Everything should be thought out to the smallest detail ... if you know a person's train of thought, there will be no surprises
• Until a person looks death in the eye, 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 know death.

Interesting facts about the films of the series "Saw"

Saw (short film), 2003

• Saw is a 2003 Australian short thriller, 9.5 minutes long. It was directed by James Wang and written by Lee Wennell, who also starred in it.
• The film was originally conceived to offer the script for Saw to other studios and actors. However, Wang and Wennell directed the film themselves in 2004.
• The short film was subsequently included in the full-length one, as a scene with Shawnee Smith, where Amanda Young, instead of David, was wearing a jaw-breaker trap.

Saw: A Survival Game, 2004

• The movie was originally rated NC-17 and James Wan had to delete several scenes to get an R rating.
• The scene in which Stephen Sing chases John was filmed last
• 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. Initially, the characters had to saw off the ends of a long pipe with their saws and talk through it. This scene was even filmed, but later it was cut, as James Wang decided that this scene would create plot holes, since if the characters can saw off a piece of pipe, they can also saw the chains
• The film was shot in just 18 days
• The scene in which Tapp is chasing Zep in his 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 movie Blood Red
• When casting agent Amy Lippens asked James Vann who he would like to see in the role of Amanda, Wang replied without hesitation: Shawnee Smith, whom he had a crush on in his youth. A couple of days later, much to James' surprise, Amy revealed that Shawnee had agreed to star in the film.
• Jigsaw's Tobin Bell had to lie motionless on the floor for six days. They did not replace it with a dummy, since the creators of the tape could not afford it for financial reasons due to the very high cost of a quality dummy.
• Lawrence and Adam could have guessed that the "corpse" in the center of the room was actually a living person from several facts. Firstly, when Lawrence took a pistol from the hands of the "corpse" to insert a cartridge into it and kill Adam, there were no used cartridges in the drum, which means that the man lying on the floor did not fire a revolver. Secondly, the lying person did not have a cassette in the audio player, which means he could not know that he was poisoned
• According to a DVD commentary, James Wang and Lee Wannell's childhood nightmares formed the basis for 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 it took Tobin Bell several hours to make up and the crew did not want to take long pauses in filming, the scene in which John gets up from the floor was filmed in one take.
• Lee Wanell said that initially Adam and Lawrence were supposed to be locked in the elevator.
• Lee Wonell 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 had received an R rating, although it hadn't even been rated by the MPAA yet.
• The script for the film is a revised script by Darren Lynn Bausman, which he offered several times to various studios, but he was refused everywhere due to excessive cruelty
• In the scene where John sews the key to Michael, John is played by Darren Lynn Bausman.
• The film was shot in just 25 days
• About 120 thousand syringes were used for the pit with syringes
• While filming a scene in which Obi (Tim Bard) tries to climb out of the oven through a small window, Tim Bard accidentally punches Glenn Plummer (Jonas) in the face. Because of this, I 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 out to Darren Lynn Bausman at lunchtime.
• Most of the actors did not receive the last 25 pages of the script. This was done to keep the ending of the movie a secret.
• Four people spent four days preparing syringes for the syringe trap - they replaced real needles so that Shawnee did not get hurt during the filming of the scene
• The entire film was filmed in the same building.
• Some of the traps actually worked exactly the way they do in the movie. For example, the Death Mask did close, the revolver fired when the key was turned, and Emmanuelle Vogier could not pull her hands out of the blade box without assistance.
• The syringe pit was originally a bathroom full of syringes, but the crew felt that this was not shocking enough to the viewer.
• Addison was originally meant to fall into a different trap. According to the comments on the DVD, this trap was a semblance of a chair with knives from the fourth movie, only Addison had to press her face on a red-hot iron (something like a waffle iron) instead of knives.
• Trap a box of blades intended for Gus
• When John shows Eric the way, he says that Matthews needs the last house on the left. This is a reference to the 1972 movie.

Saw 3, 2006

• For the bathroom scenes, the set was borrowed from the filmmakers of Scary Movie 4
• Lee Wanell wrote the film script in one week, based on ideas from James Wan
• Darren Lynn Bausman admits that the film was heavily influenced by the thoughts of fans expressed on the website of the House of Jigsaw
• The film was redone seven times to get an R rating.
• Corbett is named after Lee's girlfriend Wanella Corbett So
• In the original version of the classroom, Troy was supposed to hang from large hooks, but the production team gave up on the idea. In another version, chains were to be threaded through his nails, teeth and eyelids.
• Initially, the trap that Kerry was placed in was supposed to rip out her limbs, but later this trap was redone
• It was originally planned to make a police officer a victim for the freezer. When it was decided that Danica would be placed in the freezer, she was originally 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 versions of the film: Saw III Unrated Edition and Saw III Director's Cut.

Saw 4, 2007

• Lee Whannell said that the film will answer many of the questions that have arisen in the third part, and will also reveal the connection between the Death Designer and Obi from the second part.
• A new approach was taken to the plot, according to Bausman, making the manuscript difficult to comprehend. There will be four stories running in parallel in the film, and none of them touch on the subject of torment.
• This film was sent to theaters under the title "Angel Fish".
• The decision to shoot the fourth movie was made even before the third movie hit theaters.
• The dog Ivan is playing with belongs to Darren Lynn Bausman.
• Initially, Donnie Wahlberg turned down the role of Eric due to a tight schedule, so the writers wondered which character they would put on a block of ice (options provided for Rigg's father and Hoffman). Donnie was able to carve out time for the film after filming began.
• Alison Luther, who plays Jane, is Darren Lynn Bausman's niece.
• The film was shot in 32 days.
• The women in the photographs raped by Ivan are played by Bowsman's girlfriend, 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 went to his last test, but, having learned his lessons, did not enter the room. Eric was dying anyway, as Rigg saw through the glass. It is not entirely clear why Eric died, but it can be assumed that Art pressed the button before time elapsed, than he killed himself (with the device on his neck) and Eric. From what he saw, Rigg falls to his knees in shock. Hoffman unties the 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 the maze of corridors. After that, Rigg, having come to his senses a little, had to walk down the corridor and turn around the corner where Peter Strahm was supposed to shoot him.

Saw 5, 2008

• According to the director of the film, David Hackle, DVDs with recordings of real industrial accidents, disasters, and other incidents were used as visual material to set the new original traps of the Designer.
• The press trap that killed Peter Strahm was invented and drawn by the seven-year-old son of David Hackle, the film's director.
• When Agent Strahm descends into 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 behind.
• The scene in which Hoffman leaves Gideon with Corbett and talks to Fisk was originally at the end of the fourth film, but was later cut. Only two second episodes were filmed - Jeff Strahm entering the room with the last game and Jeff standing by Jigsaw's bunk
• Danny Glover was offered to play Tapp in a flashback, but had to be turned down due to filming Blindness
• The photograph on Erickson's desk shows Mark Rolston with his real wife.
• In the last trap, animal blood was used instead of artificial blood. David Hackle later admitted that they would never have done that if they knew what a terrible smell came from her.
• In this section, the phrase "Game over" is spoken once and is spoken by Agent Strahm.
• The director's cut was missing an episode 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 throughout the 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 turns on the tape where John left her a message, you can see the following. The recording is in 3D format, it can be seen wearing stereo glasses (k + s).

Saw 6, 2009

• After the credits, there is a "postscript" in the director's version of "Unrated Cut" in which Amanda, through the keyhole, warns Jeff's daughter, who is locked up, not to trust whoever saves her, and then a shot in which Mark takes Jeff's daughter out of the building (scene from "Saw 5" in a different angle).
• The film was banned from distribution in Spain and Belarus.
• It is known about the plot that it was already written on June 22, 2007, as reported by Oren Coles.
• Initially, it was said that David Hackle would direct both the fifth and sixth films, but later it was announced that David would only be working on the fifth film. Kevin Grothert is the editor for all parts of the series. He was with her from the beginning. Tobin Bell said that it is Kevin who creates the wonderful atmosphere for the series. Saw VI was Kevin's debut as a director.
• On July 14, 2009 it became known that Saw 6 is not the last film in this series. Not having time to release the sixth part, the writers were already in full swing coming up with a sequel.
• Due to a flaw in the Russian dubbing, many consider Pamela Jenkins to be William's friend, 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 Scream Queen telecast.
• The opening scene, where two characters have to pay to be saved by the flesh, is a reference to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which a debtor who defaulted on a debt had to pay with a pound of his own flesh.
• The only film in the series to receive an "X" rating in Spain, drastically reducing the number of cinemas able to show it. It should be noted that previously only pornographic films received such a rating in Spain.
• Costas Mandylor did not know until the premiere if Hoffman survived or not, as they filmed several different endings.
• There are several figurines on the table in William's office. One of them is CN Tower from Toronto, in which all films were filmed except the first
• 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 be directed by David Armstrong (he has been with the series since 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 (jawbroker)
• In the comments on the film, Kevin Grothert noticed that in the scene where Amanda is shaking from withdrawal, 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, in the ending of which there are no rules for the last trap
• The post-credits scene in the director's cut had to be different - Corbett had to sing a song, and Amanda had to sing along with her to calm the girl
• As William and John talk at the banquet, Amanda and Jill are standing in the background in a crowd of people. The scene between Jill and Amanda was supposed to start, but it was cut. In the comments it was said that a lot of scenes with Amanda were cut.
• It was originally planned to make Jill the same game leader as John. This idea was later abandoned.
• The movie was supposed to have a flashback of Jill and John's wedding.
• The news anchor who reports that the games continue despite Jigsaw's death - Real Canadian TV personality
• It was originally planned to reveal that Perez's death was faked in the fifth film. It was also originally planned to be Strahm's idea.
• The writers wanted to change the third film, revealing that it was John who hit Dylan (and then the Russian translation of the third part would be correct). This idea was then abandoned.
• Brent was originally supposed to be around 7-8 years old
• The producers wanted the film to end on the stage in which Tara takes the lever, that is, they did not want to see either William's death or Hoffman's trial. Kevin and the writers defended the ending
• A small dialogue was originally planned between Jill and Hoffman as she attaches the device to him. It was cut since Hoffman couldn't speak with a ripper in his mouth.

Saw 3D, 2010

• Instead of the usual 9 weeks, the preproduction phase lasted 21 weeks.
• Brit is not in the film, but she survived after the events of Saw 5. But Mallik was at the meeting and you can hardly notice that his previously sawn arm seemed to have grown together. Also at the meeting, you can see a curly-haired teenager, he could presumably be Daniel Matthews.
• Writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan had invented the Garage Trap when they wrote the fourth film, but the producers considered it too brutal. The writers tried to insert a trap in the fifth and sixth films, but they managed to use it only in the seventh part with the personal request of Kevin Grothert, the film's director. This episode stars Chester Bennington, lead singer of the bands Linkin park and Dead By Sunrise.
• Only in this part of the franchise was the death of Jawbreaker shown. In other parts, the victims managed to remove it.
• The film starts and ends at the same place.
• In this part, the phrase "Game over" is spoken 4 times (flashback "Hello, Zepp", Jill's goodbye, Jill's death, ending). In other films Saw 2 and Saw 3, this phrase is pronounced 2 times.
• The trap in which Joyce died is constructed in the shape of a pig.
• This is the third part of the series, which ends with someone being locked in the 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 movie traps has blue LEDs. In the previous parts of the series, such a timer was used only once, all other timers were with red LEDs.
• The film is banned from showing in Ukraine and Belarus