🎶It’s the most wonderful time of the year.🎶
Welcome to Spooptoberfest 2020, a month-long celebration of all things horror. This year, we’re taking a look at my all-time favorite horror franchise: SAW. I know what you’re thinking, “Are you serious? Why?” and obviously there is nothing I can say to fully express why I love this franchise so much, I had such a hard time choosing the order for this list, but I hope to give some insight this year. And yes, I am beyond hyped for Spiral.
With SAW, I want to take every trap from all 9 movies and list my top 10. This is my personal opinion and I am basing my choices on the following criteria:
- Design / Aesthetic
- Pain-Level
- Survivability
- Entertainment Value
Now with some of these, I need to be careful, because if you’re like me and very knowledgeable in SAW lore, then you’ll know that there are many traps that don’t abide by the original rules: a person being tortured and the main player of the game has to free them, two players face each other and one must die for the other to live, and there are traps that are made to kill as opposed to acting as a “tool” to change a person’s life. If I include any traps that fall into either or both of those categories, I will make special note of that.
Without any further adieu, as our lord and savior once said, “Let the game begin”.
#2: The reverse bear trap
Film: SAW
The classic. It is the trap we see time and time again throughout the series. The trap that introduces us to one of the most important characters in the series, Amanda. While we do see this trap again in future installments, I want to only focus on the first time we see it. Although I will say I adore how we don’t get to see someone fail until the last moment of the series.
Jigsaw’s Explanation: “Hello, Amanda. You don’t know me, but I know you. I want to play a game. Here’s what happens if you lose. The device you’re wearing is hooked into your upper and lower jaws. When the timer at the back goes off, your mouth will be permanently ripped open. Think of it like a reverse bear trap. Here, I’ll show you. There is only one key to open the device. It’s in the stomach of your dead cellmate. Look around, Amanda. Know that I’m not lying. Better hurry up. Live or die, make your choice.”
How it works: The victim has the contraption placed onto their head. Metal bars or hooks are placed deep into their mouth. A timer on the back counts down and once it reaches 0, the contraption opens at the mouth so far, that it rips the victim’s jaw completely open, The victim most likely dies from blood loss. To escape, the victim must retrieve the key and unlock the padlock on the back of the contraption.
Why I like it: I mean… it’s a classic. One of the most iconic scenes in the whole series. The realism of the trap has spawned real life toys or “Can we make this” videos, the symbolism it represents in Amanda’s rebirth, the full body Billy puppet we see at the end, the twist halfway through the scene, and the impact it has on the entire franchise.
marcus loner 