Throughout the history of horror films there are key turning points that have signaled genre-defining changes or the birth of new subgenres. One of those important moments happened 20 years ago when writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan began the Saw franchise. The movie is known for its threshold pushing scenes of violence, but while similar horror flicks of the time accomplished little else, Saw produced a story about survival, moral ambiguity, and an extreme form of rehabilitation.
The movie centers around the Jigsaw Killer who tests his victims’ will to live by putting them in traps in which they must physically harm themselves to be freed. The frame story sees oncologist Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam (writer Whannell pulling double duty) chained to pipes in a large, dilapidated bathroom. They listen to a tape recorder from Jigsaw informing the doctor that the only way to save his family is to kill the photographer. A gun is out of reach in the middle of the room and each man is given a saw – sharp enough to cut through bone, but not their chains. Meanwhile outside of the bathroom, flashbacks follow detectives Tapp (Danny Glover) and Sing (Ken Leung) as they investigate the crimes and Jigsaw survivor Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) recounts her story.
Whannell and Wan co-created the story in 2001, but could not secure a producer in their home country of Australia. Instead, they traveled to Los Angeles and shot a low budget short film using a scene from their script. The movie was successful and in 2003, Twisted Pictures backed the movie, with a small budget and they shot it in a scant 18 days. Saw was first screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004, receiving a positive reaction from the audience. It was set to be a direct to video release, but based on the Sundance response, Lionsgate picked it up for theatrical distribution.
Saw arrived in theaters on October 29, 2004, instantly generating buzz for its frightening concept, visceral climactic scene, and shocking twist ending. It ended up being a huge success, making $103 million at the box office, against a budget of just over $1 million. A sequel was rushed to production with Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) in a starring role that provided more exposition on his motives and once again with a twist ending. It was followed by six more sequels, a spinoff film, and a prequel.