In all the horror movie hype of controversial billboards and pointing fingers, Saw IV might have gotten lost in the shuffle. There hasn't been a lot of news about the film so far, other than a few glimpses at a teaser poster. Plus, the latest photo to appear on MTV.com isn't giving anything up about what to expect from the latest installment of the series. The image consists of what looks to be a woman strapped to a chair with an ominous countdown clock presumably ticking away -- familiar terrain, I'm sure, for fans of the films. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, the film reportedly was going to pick up where number three left off, with one of the survivors (Angus Macfadyen) still trapped in Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) "house of horrors." Armed only with a videotape starring Jigsaw, he must solve a mystery to save his daughter. But, Bousman has already discounted that storyline with Bloody Disgusting, saying that "Every plot synopsis you've read online is false and untrue. The thing with Macfadyen looking for his daughter? Believe it if you want. But no one knows what this story is."

Erik gave us the news a couple of weeks back that the horror movie had just finished shooting, and I'm guessing that expectations for the film's box office take are probably still pretty high despite the much-discussed horror backlash. Especially when you think back to the highly profitable opening that Saw III had, Lionsgate is probably hoping that lightening is going to strike twice. We will have to wait and see until October 26th, when Saw IV hits theaters.

I really enjoy it when I can catch a trailer for a movie I know nothing about. No casting reports, no "buzz," no six months of wild/mild/non-existent anticipation; just a promo clip for a flick I've never heard of. Something like this happened when a friend emailed me this link with the subject line "Fast and Furious 4: The Suckening??" Well no, actually, it's a car racing thriller called Redline, and it stars the likes of (get this mix) Angus Macfadyen, Eddie Griffin, Tim Matheson and Wyclef Jean.

While trying to snag a handy plot synopsis for you guys, I came across the following info: All the cars used in this "illegal race" adventure belong to real estate tycoon producer Daniel Sadek ... including a $200,000 Porsche Carrera GT that gets demolished at one point. (Must be nice to be that rich!) Apparently Redline is about a very illegal car race, which explains why the trailer reminds me of Torque meets The Cannonball Run -- only funnier than both of those movies put together. With a story by the very wealthy producer and direction from Jackie Chan's old stunt double, Redline looks to be a grade-A classic of unintentional hilarity. We'll find out on April 13. Until then, check the trailer.

(Visit Autoblog for some car geeks' reactions to the upcoming movie.)

When you're compelled (by money and ravenous fans) to churn out another Saw movie every single year, you don't have much time to a) write a script, b) hire actors and c) keep everything a big fat secret. Case in point: It's been widely mumbled that David Hackl (production designer on Saw 2 and Saw 3) would be the one settling into the director's chair for Saw 4, and that seems a pretty good move: Get some fresh blood in there, but have it come from someone already inside the Saw family. (Plus it's probably pretty difficult to get an established director who can take a gig and start shooting "like, next month?")

And now comes additional news. IGN Movies is reporting that Ja Rule will appear in Saw 4, but only in the first scene. (And we all know what that means!) Additionally, some guy who allegedly read the Saw 4 script (which we believe was written by Feast scribes Marcus Dunston and Tom Fenton) claims that Angus MacFadyen's character plays an important role -- but Angus Mac hasn't technically signed on for the sequel at this time.

Looks like production is scheduled to begin next month in Toronto, so we should have a lot more information within the next few weeks. In the meantime we can all sit down and enjoy our Saw 3 Unrated Version DVDs, a platter that's presently poised atop the DVD sales AND rental charts. (Interesting note: Not only was Saw 3 the top-selling DVD last week, but its arrival gave Saw and Saw 2 fresh life; they're both back on the Top 20 sales chart this week!)

Yeah, so I dig the Saw movies. Sue me. But as part of a society that adores American Idol, professional wrestling, and NASCAR, I don't feel all that guilty about enjoying a few crafty little gore flicks. Anyway, Lionsgate and Darren Bousman are just getting their second Saw sequel underway up in Canada, and they were cool enough to drop us a brief but interesting plot synopsis.

Seems Saw 3 will deal with a sexy young doctor who finds herself kidnapped and forced to keep ol' Jiggy alive while another poor sap tries to escape from one of the Saw-Man's patented Nasty Dungeons. Good enough for me!

The cast of Saw 3 includes Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith (of course), as well as newcomers Bahar Soomekh (as sexy doc) and Angus MacFadyen (as poor sap). I still can't find word on if Dina Meyer's coming back, darnit...