Saw VI

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Horrorphile - October 2009

Saw VI

October 23rd 2009 01:09

Saw VI (2009) is a piece of mutilated, putrid flesh; I don’t care what anyone says. Somebody shoot this lame duck, and put it out of its misery! I wish the same had been done for all the shoddy, uncessary sequels that followed Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), ad nauseum. Excuse me, I seem to have some vitriol stuck between my teeth, lemme just spit it out ...

So Saw (2004) spawned a new sub-genre called “torture porn”, but really they’re flogging a dead horse here. Producers beg to differ, I know, because the Saw franchise is the most profitable horror series in history. But from a hardcore horrorphile’s point of view the series has been cannibalizing itself since the first sequel. All the elaborate booby-traps and violent installations are the wet dreams of creatives and the screenwriters squirming over the novelty of the next nightmarish set-piece, but the actual horror has long been eviscerated.

Tobin Bell as Jigsaw

The cinematic element – the all-important atmosphere - has all been consumed and instead the raw machinations are spat out in the face of the gullible audience; mostly misplaced horror geeks who view the Saw series like some kind of non-interactive video game, so they can cream themselves in the cyber chat-rooms discussing what they perceive as clever filmmaking, and compiling their own torture porn collections and variations to upload onto youtube.

Betsy Russell as Jill

Saw, written by Australian actor Leigh Whannell and directed by his mate James Wan, was not half bad. A novel premise executed with a modicum of style on a low-budget with a neat little nightmare twist. It did very good box office, and Hollywood (whom the original short had been sent to and given the green light for a feature) pricked its ears and raised its eyebrows, thinking, okay, seems our little Aussie investment paid off. A sequel was rushed into production, Saw II (2005) and released the week of Halloween in America (as it has been for every one of the Saw movies, resulting in the publicity tagline, “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw.”)

Costas Mandylor as Agent Hoffman

Kevin Greutert, who has edited all the Saw movies, relinquishes his duties as the cutter to take the reigns as director for the sixth installment in serial killer Jigaw’s gore-drenched opus. Screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, both of whom penned the surprisingly effective carnage-fest monster flick Feast (2005), return for the third time to further twist and tweak the convolutions of the Saw-verse. It’s beyond the pale now, but there seems to be no rest for the wicked, as three more Saw movies are planned with Saw VII (in 3D!) already in pre-production with David Hackyl (Saw IV) returning to the director’s chair to call the cuts, err, tears, rips, um, shots.

Peter Outerbridge as central victim William

There's the usual plot shenanigans, like bad television: John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, lingers on and on and on (in flashback), his wife Jill (Betsy Russell, whom I discovered made the deeply dreadful Avenging Angel back in the 80s) moves into the limelight and the contents of the box left for her by her dead husband are revealed, agent Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) continues to scowl and stay one step ahead of the deadly game he’s embroiled in, but only just, Erickson (Mark Roslton) is still investigating, with the help of Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis), who apparently didn’t die in Saw IV, the ghost of Amanda (Shawnee Smith) returns to the fray, and, as the tagline indicts; “The Game Comes Full Circle.” Well, sort of, kind of, not really. It’s a play on words. But yes, a certain familiar booby-trap reappears, and a carousel is involved in one of the final traps.

The Saw series should be re-titled Blood Soap, because it’s become so laboured like a soap opera. The first movie was concise and self-contained, but each successive sequel has prized more and more loose ends, and then tied particular ones up, while leaving others frayed. It shifts back and forth in time haphazardly, with little regard to cohesion, despite trying to be clever – and most significantly, it indulges ludicrously in coincidence and implausibility (how on earth could anyone have the time and resources to realistically install all the traps and recorded messages, and bag the victims, with such ease and precision?!). 80% of Saw VI was like watching an episode of one of the plethora of forensic detective shows, combined with the claustrophobic settings of a cheap, late night soap, spiced up with graphic violence. The best parts were the proverbial opener; a spectacular set-piece of gore, and the movie’s final ten or so minutes, which sported another gore-soaked set-piece.

Alternate poster design that hints at Hoffman's guise

But even these set-pieces have become so pedestrian in the way they’re staged and delivered that they hold no genuine horror. The scenes are devoid of a palpable atmosphere, and the deadened tone renders the shock lifeless (oh, what sweet irony). I couldn’t give a damn about any of the characters. I was bored to tears by Jigsaw’s tiresome rants about the arrogance of people who under-value life. He may be dead (although it’s hard to know when his autopsy actually occurred, but by admitting that I’ve become ensnared in the Saw super-booby-trap), but Jigsaw lives on passionately in flashbacks which riddle Saw VI’s narrative. His wife has a vivid hallucination: the spectre of John and Amanda having a three way conversation with her for no other reason than exposition. Jill must be completely bonkers then. A most suitable candidate for filling her hubbie’s soiled shoes.

I’ve ranted long enough. Saw VI is strictly for the Saw completists, who will lap it up like hungry dogs with tails wagging furiously.

Here's a misleading teaser:

Here's the trailer:

Arguably the only good thing to have emerged from the Saw franchise

NB: A curious and cynical thought just hit me; at the rate movies are being plundered, and if the success of the Saw franchise continues unabated, a remake of the original Saw will probably be put into production whilst the series of Saw sequels continues on ... Now that will be bizarre.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

3 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Catherine Stebbins

October 31st 2009 16:05

Cinema Enthusiast
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher

Spot on! It sucks because I actually like the first Saw. I saw it in the theaters and I thought is was something different and I also thought it was really quite effective in the twists and gore it provided. I watched Saw II a couple of years ago and hated it so much. I thought it was really pretty awful. And now with all of these sequels I feel like I am looked at like an asshole if I say I liked the first one because of the connotations that the whole series carries with it. I want to see the other ones because horror films are easily the genre in which I am willing to watch the most crap. I love crappy horror films. Anyways though I agree with everything you said and I lament the fact that something that started out as one really decent film has spawned off such a steaming pile of nonsense. : (

Comment by Bryn

November 1st 2009 21:39

Horrorphile

Catherine ...

horror films are easily the genre in which I am willing to watch the most crap. I love crappy horror films.

...LOL
That's why I have "High Art and Deep Trash" on my banner ...
Thanks for the props.

Comment by Flutterby

November 12th 2009 16:16

I agree sooo much..

When the saw guy died i thought "oh well this is the end of it then.. was fun". But then they brought more out and it just seemed to me like they made a mistake in killing him off and were desperately trying to bring him back to life with all the silly flash backs and "hidden messages" and stuff he apparently left behind.

Anyway at least it teaches you to buck up and be happy with your life or you will end up with a mashed up face or something.
lol x)

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