Saw was one of the films that pioneered what has now come to be known as ‘torture porn’. Arriving in 2004 the film had two strangers awaken in a grotty bathroom, each shackled to a pipe. There only way out was to saw through their ankles with a rusty, and rather flimsy, hacksaw blade. The pair were part of a ‘trap’ devised by a deviant new serial killer who wasn’t really a serial killer. Sounds confusing I know, but Jigsaw aka John Kramer, believed that confronting people with their morality and their indiscretions at the same time made them appreciate life more if they lived. Granted, most of his subjects died horrifically rather than survived.
The series ran for seven films, the last one featuring the added 3D factor, and had several incarnations of Jigsaw continue the work started by Kramer. The first few films went from strength to strength at the box office, clearly helped by the very clever Halloween release date. Eventually interest started to wane however, and then found-footage suburban nightmare Paranormal Activity series started to steal all the Saw franchise’s viewers.
These days films and franchises are never truly over, pretty much any film you can think of is having a sequel/prequel/reboot written at the moment. This is nothing new for the world of horror, how many times have Leatherface, Jason and Michael Myers come back around? With this is mind it will come as no shock that since its 10th anniversary last year there has been talk of yet another Saw movie.
We spoke to original film writer and cast member Leigh Whannell about Insidious Chapter Three last month and confirmed that he’ll never say never regarding bringing the series back and now we’ve found a cast member, one of the few who remains alive, who would be interested in a return. Costas Mandylor played Hoffman, one of the many protégés who was last seen at the end of Saw VII falling victim to a trap of his very own. We spoke to Costas when he was a guest at Showmasters’ Collectormania event in Milton Keynes and here’s what he had to say:
[quote_box_center]Well I’m still alive, I’m in that room and Cary Elwes runs away so…if there’s a way to come out of there in a plausible way I’d love to start chasing him. I wish that Leigh and James would be a part of it. I hope that I’m included but you never know, but I would like to see the originals [creators] have a hand in it.[/quote_box_center]
Whilst chatting to Costas we also asked about his time in the series, Hoffman appeared in five out of the seven films, first appearing in Saw III. By that point the franchise was at its most frenzied, fans desperate to see what new horrific torture trap would be devised next. Costas shared that, joining such a huge phenomenon at this stage was a little daunting:
[quote_box_center]When they offered to introduce me to it I was flattered because it was already a monster, but I just didn’t want to screw it up. When I went in there I just tried to fit in and find a way to let it be what it was. Eventually I became part of the family and I couldn’t keep away. I mean, to go into something that already is successful, you’ve got to live up to it, but also it’s a gift.[/quote_box_center]
Hoffman’s character went through several changes as the films progressed, and in some ways was one of the darkest and most dangerous characters in the series. It turns out that this switching of teams didn’t bother Mandylor as he was just happy he never got strung up:
[quote_box_center]I was happy that they kept me in there. I became an integral part of the legacy to Jigsaw, so I felt like I was an important part of it. A lot of other people were suffering in traps but I wasn’t, so I was really grateful for that.[/quote_box_center]
So over the past couple of months we’ve found a writer/producer/director with an interest in returning to the special project that made his career, and now we’ve got a potential cast member. Adding that to the rumoured renewed studio interest in the franchise, might a new Saw film be just around the corner? Don’t forget that the Paranormal Activity series will come to a close later this year, meaning Halloween 2016 is currently without its scary movie.
Adam Nixon
Jul 10, 2015 at 10:42 pm
I’m definitely open to another film (maybe even a few more films, especially if the series creators are involved), though I’m not sure if general audiences will be ready for another film. (Film audiences are a fickle bunch, and it’s hard to guess which film franchises they’ll return to and which they won’t. There have been plenty of later-produced-sequels that have been hits, and plenty of genuinely good later-produced-sequels that bombed because modern audiences were apathetic.)
As much as I enjoyed the series (it holds a LOT of nostalgia for me, as it was sort-of “my generation’s” horror franchise, and it came at a time in my life where I was leaving High School, entering college, and was ready for something like it), even I have to admit the last film wasn’t the most satisfying conclusion. It was too rushed and unfocused and although the final 10 minutes were great, the rest of the film felt sub-par at best.
It would be nice to see the series rectify the messy final installment by giving fans at least one more movie that lived up to the series in it’s prime. (And yes, the series did have good entries… it was never all about the gore. Even the majority of fans thought the gore was too played-up by the studio and instead were more interested in the storyline and characters.)