saw 5 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

On a very basic level, sure, the Saw flicks appeal to that nasty side of our psyche that simply likes watching nasty sh!t. As far back as history goes, there's been some sort of "blood sport" or other examples of "violence as spectacle." But I like to think that, in the series' finest moments, these movies offer just a little more "emotional gristle" than your typical hack & slash horror flick. If this sort of deviously provocative material simply isn't your cup of tea, then at least there are a few of us who can appreciate this stuff in the way it was intended: part morality play, part funhouse, and part endurance test.

So with that (and the arrival of this weekend's Saw 5, yes FIVE!) I'd like to throw out a few of my favorite set-pieces from the Saw series. The franchise has certainly had its ups and downs over the last five years, but the Saw-makers are clearly working overtime in the department of Really Disturbing Ways in Which We Can Slowly Kill People While Still Telling a Story That's Practically Indecipherable at This Point...

But anyway, let's start with the best of the series: The first one. And while I squirmed through the "razor wire" and "jaw trap" sequences, my favorite jolt is right at the end -- when the music starts pounding and you-know-who gets up from the bathroom floor. Man ... I saw this film at the Sundance world premiere and that jam-packed crowd just squeeeeeeled at the end of the movie.

But then came the sequels: I still cringe at the thought of the "needle pit" and the "wrist box" traps from Saw 2. In Saw 3, the "angel trap" was pretty absurd, but cinematically quite cool. (Oh, and the "freezing woman" is really rough, while the "pig slop" trap is monumentally, well, it's just plain wrong.) From Saw 4 ... all I can remember is that freakin' autopsy. Yikes. I really need to watch part 4 again before I hit Saw 5 this weekend. This series has turned into the gorehound's version of As the World Turns.

Over to you, Saw-freaks: Any particular sequence that stands out as the pinnacle of ickiness?

As someone who's only grown decreasingly fond of the Saw franchise (at least since the second one) and still marvels at the fact that we as a world find ourselves facing the prospect of a fifth (and possibly sixth!) one this coming Halloween and the next, I must attest to being weirdly admirable of how creatively macabre the series' marketing campaigns have been.

Case in point: the first revealed poster for Saw V, included in full after the jump and courtesy of IMP Awards. Following up the magically MPAA-approved acts of amputated limbs, dislodged teeth, and bent fingernails is the face of actor Tobin Bell acting as a mask on another body entirely, in spirit with the films' perpetual acknowledgement that Bell's character, John Kramer/Jigsaw, kinda died at the end of Saw III and sorta went through an autopsy at the beginning of Saw IV.

As Bell remains flaunted and credited in equal measure - as does the similarly deceased Shawnee Smith - I think it's safe to expect A) more flashbacks, a la #4, and B) more exceedingly gruesome demises, a la #1-4. However, at a combined worldwide gross of $553 million to date, it's also safe to say that there are many who'd hope -- who'd pay -- for nothing less.

What's Halloween in the 00's without a new Saw to dissect? We've received word from Lionsgate that Meagan Good will be featured in a supporting role in the upcoming Saw V as Luba, "a city planner who comes from a very wealthy family." That is good news indeed (sorry, couldn't resist ) for fans of the very attractive Ms. Good. I noticed her when she appeared as a tattoo artist in Biker Boyz five years ago, but she first made an impression in Eve's Bayou in 1997. Recently she's had substantial parts in Waist Deep and Stomp the Yard. As far as her horror credentials, she was all too briefly in One Missed Call -- I was disappointed she didn't survive her big dramatic moment -- and was also in the little seen Venom.

Monika told us last month that Julie Benz was cast in a starring role as a proper and elegant Brit, so it sounds like Jigsaw is planning to bring justice to the upper crust in this edition. That might help answer the question: Where do you go with a horror sequel when the arch-villain has already been sliced open on an autopsy table? If you caught Saw IV, you know that screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan came up with a solution to that quandary. I wasn't entirely convinced, and the story as a whole felt too schematic and perfunctory to be fully satisfying, but I remain eternally optimistic. David Hackl is directing from a script by Melton and Dunstan. Saw V is set to open on October 24.

Just in case dating a serial killer and hanging out with Rambo wasn't enough horror for Julie Benz, The Hollywood Reporter posts that she's got herself a starring role in the next Saw movie -- Saw V. The film, which is currently filming in Toronto, is being directed by David Hackl, from a script by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan (as Scott mentioned back in February). Tobin Bell is returning as Jigsaw, but this latest victim isn't quite to his liking. As THR describes it: "Benz has been cast as a Brit with clothes and hair too proper and elegant to be a pawn in Jigsaw's latest games."

Well, at least she gets to be elegant. But really, when I see an actor like Benz who could be great on one show (or two, as in Buffy and Angel), top it off with a pretty notable gig on Dexter, but fill in the blanks with eh roles, I wonder if the real magic was just contained within one show or role. (The same could be said for Alyson Hannigan and her drama talents.) Is it just too hard to find a role similar to a snarky, strong, and in-control vampire woman? Benz can play a weak or troubled woman well, but she's at her best when she can command the screen and show her edge.

It's great that she's getting work; I just wish it was work that showed off more of what she can do, in roles that would give her some genre-free cred. At the very least, maybe she'll give Jigsaw a run for his money, even in fancy garb.

Saw V will be released on October 24.

One of the most ferociously entertaining horror flicks of the past several years is Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Inside (aka A l'interieur), which will be hitting DVD a little later this year. We already knew that the Frenchmen had been tapped to direct the Hellraiser remake for Dimension, but the project recently got bumped back to 2009.

Now that the strike is over, the producers can take some steps towards getting the flick moving. To that end, horror-lovin' screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton have been hired to help get the new (Barker-approved) Hellraiser ... raised. Genre fans will remember Marc and Pat from their debut flick Feast, plus they also joined the Twisted team last year when they provided the screenplay for Saw 4. (And yes, they also worked on Feast 2. And Saw 5. Oh, and Feast 3.)

According to Shock, the duo also have The Midnight Man in production with Dimension, so obviously the studio likes these guys. More word on Hellraiser, Inside, Saw 5, The Midnight Man, and the new Feasts as it becomes available.