Billy Cox
11th November 2007, 01:23 AM (01:23)
Although this movie is typically thought of as horror, it is really more of a mystery movie wrapped in a puzzle. It is far more like 'The Sixth Sense' and not so much like 'Friday the 13th.'
When you think of horror, you may think of a psycho stalking a group of people, picking them off one by one until one or two survivors turn the tables and kill the killer. This is far from the formula used in Saw.
The premise in Saw is that the so-called killer kidnaps people and puts them into a 'game' situation in which 'winning' means that they survive and 'losing' means that they die a fairly atypical death. The game determines just how far someone will go in order to survive.
The two main characters wake up in a dark room, soon to be revealed as a long-abandoned public restroom. Most of the plot centers around these two characters and their unfolding predicament. They have a certain amount of time to free themselves before a slow-acting poison kills them. Their kidnapper leaves a tape recording with instructions and the characters discover various clues and items along the way.
There are 'Sixth Sense' style twists and suble hints to the plot, but this movie is not for everyone. While the majority of the violence is implied or happens off-screen, all but the most desensitized person will feel a level of shock at the terrible things that happen to the characters.
Unlike most horror movies, this movie aims to make the viewer reflect on the central question. Violence and gore are certainly a story element, but violence and gore are not the story.
When you think of horror, you may think of a psycho stalking a group of people, picking them off one by one until one or two survivors turn the tables and kill the killer. This is far from the formula used in Saw.
The premise in Saw is that the so-called killer kidnaps people and puts them into a 'game' situation in which 'winning' means that they survive and 'losing' means that they die a fairly atypical death. The game determines just how far someone will go in order to survive.
The two main characters wake up in a dark room, soon to be revealed as a long-abandoned public restroom. Most of the plot centers around these two characters and their unfolding predicament. They have a certain amount of time to free themselves before a slow-acting poison kills them. Their kidnapper leaves a tape recording with instructions and the characters discover various clues and items along the way.
There are 'Sixth Sense' style twists and suble hints to the plot, but this movie is not for everyone. While the majority of the violence is implied or happens off-screen, all but the most desensitized person will feel a level of shock at the terrible things that happen to the characters.
Unlike most horror movies, this movie aims to make the viewer reflect on the central question. Violence and gore are certainly a story element, but violence and gore are not the story.