Saw III

As Halloween night approaches and whispers it’s final BOO of the season, Lionsgate Films and Twisted Pictures leads us like lambs to the slaughter as they unleash Saw 3 upon us. Being a folklore enthusiast and horror film aficionado, I am reluctant to praise any type of film with a numerical after it.

It is with my utmost pleasure that I hail Saw 3 as one of the best horror films of the decade. From the opening sequence, which makes Hostel seem like a PG-Rated trip to grandma’s house, the film grabs you by the throat, clenches your morals throughout the film and in the final moments, it will leave you gasping relentlessly for another trip to the tool shed next Halloween.

Saw 3 is one hell of a crackling and terrifyingly complex yet morally gripping yarn. In a nod to Argento, Fulci, Castle, King, Browning, Craven, Bradbury, Whale, Barker, Garris, Romero, Anderson, Carpenter and Hitchcock for which he has now joined the ranks, Darren Lynn Bousman’s film has transcended the half-assed horror films of late and created a masterpiece. Leigh Whannell has hit his stride as one of the great horror film writers of our generation. I look forward to seeing what he cooks up next.

Before I begin this, I want to applaud the crafty and brilliant marketing behind this series of films. The sinister and wispy voice alone saying “I want to play a game…” tagged with the ingenious print work heralds a time many moons ago when the film going public couldn’t figure the story out simply by watching the trailers. Kudos to the marketing masterminds behind this terrifying machine.

I am not one to divulge the entire film, but Saw 3 opens moments after the climax of Saw 2 with Donnie Wahlberg making a cameo in one hell of a predicament. This sends us spiraling out of control into the rabbit hole that belongs to Jigsaw.

The plot this time around is streamlined with one character at the center of its spinning web of darkness and mayhem. Angus Macfayden stars as a man grappling with the loss of his son whose life was taken by a drunk driver. He has neglected everything else in life and is hell-bent on exacting revenge or a pound of flesh for the one’s he deems responsible.

But the film’s not so simply straight laced this time. Jigsaw, played brilliantly by Tobin Bell, has constructed another house of horrors for this man to endure. With the aide of his first victim, Amanda, played by the beautiful Shawnee Smith (still love her in Summer School and Chuck Russell’s ‘The Blob’ remake), who finally gets her due as a top-lining actress. The two of them kidnap a doctor with her own moral dilemmas to keep Jigsaw alive as he’s dying from cancer until Angus Macfayden either succumbs to his revenge or is able to forgive the world for his loss.

And then…

Sorry for the blue-eyes. I refuse to give away this intricately plotted thriller. Instead, I’d like to delve into what makes this film stand out from the horrifying crop of crap that has plagued the box office over the last few months. Saw 3 accomplishes what most horror films lack; a compelling moral purpose. Hitchcock broke taboos back in the day by simply having a toilet flush on screen. Apparently, Saw 3 endured seven viewings by the MPAA before they downgraded the film from an NC-17 to an R rating. What is the point of gore without a compelling story? A forgetful 90 minutes.

Saw 3 begs the question, Can people change? By peering inward, one begins to feel a sense of sympathy for what Jigsaw is trying to get across. A question of moral perception is the underlying subtext within this franchise. Referencing Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”, Jigsaw presents us with a moral conundrum which has baffled humanity since the dawn of man.

Revenge.

This film is about revenge and the forgiving heart of humanity. Bousman and Whannell have shaped a telling tale of the age we’re living by mirroring our current political and societal state by applying a principle question:

Is there an end to any emotion and how far will we travel before we release our demons?

Jigsaw preaches that he’s no murderer and doesn’t condone violence. Who are we to judge a dying man that’s simply providing the space for humanity to look at themselves and their own flaws, faults and be given the ability to change?

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is considered a horror film while Romero’s “Dead Quadrilogy” is a political statement. Both of these films gravitate towards opposite ends of the horror spectrum while everything else falls in between. Honoring the deceased producer, Gregg Hoffman, the masterminds behind this franchise have wrapped things up so neatly and precisely that one walks away extremely satisfied while questioning their own morals.

In the end, all that we will have are memories and regrets. Violence is everywhere. Hell, we even score bonus points in the video games we play for killing the most people. This film has some of the most provocatively haunting yet justified beautiful violence that I have ever seen. I kept looking at my friend sitting next to me and by the end of the film she was curled up, clutching her legs near her chest.

“That was incredible.” She said.

And let me tell you, this woman is not a fan of horror films. We walked out in silence and chatted about it all of the way home. If audiences can embrace Jigsaw’s brilliant madness, they will witness the greatest monster of contemporary cinema since the birth of Frankenstein.

Happy Halloween, sleep tight, and pray that Jigsaw does not creep into your house tonight.

–Jack Reher