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When Saw first hit movie screens in 2004 it was a low budget, independent, horror film looking for a larger release. After airing at the Sundance Film Festival early that year, it would be released world wide that October. From then on it would go on to have a sequel every year for the next seven years. By the fourth installment of the films they’d gained the tagline “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw” a clever play on the need to see the horror film right around Halloween each year. Back in 2010, it was announced that the series would be coming to a close with their final film Saw 3D. Lionsgate talked about a reboot of the franchise only to decide to move forward with a sequel, Jigsaw:
Jigsaw will apparently take place 10 years after the death of John Kramer. As the trailer wants you to believe, Jigsaw may still be alive if only in inspiring a copy-cat killer. For some, it will be a return to a late October tradition continuing the story of a twisted killer forcing an appreciation for life upon his victims. Others will see it as only a must-see film because they’ve invested so much time and money into the original series that they have to see it through. Finally will be the last group, who want to lock the studio in a torture room, like the ones in the movies, until they agree to stop making films in the series.
If Lionsgate wanted to return to this style of film they could’ve really made a splash with a character everyone always wanted to see more of. Find a way to work out a deal with CBS/Showtime for the rights to Dexter bring one of the most beloved serial killers to the big screen. As much as people like the Saw franchise, we’ve seen all that we can from the story. Unless they find a way to reinvent the wheel, the likelihood of a predictable film is very high. With Dexter, they could’ve put a nice cap on a show that at one time was looking towards one more season. Rather than bring back a franchise that seven years out of touch with current audiences, they could’ve brought back one that is still being streamed after being off the air for 4 years.
Whatever the case may be Jigsaw might have an uphill battle in regaining ground in the horror genre. Some would even go as far to push it right into gore, out of the realm of an engaging storyline. Combine that with almost a decade out of the audiences’ eyes and it might not sit as well with a younger crowd. Jigsaw might be seen as one of the few flops of the franchise.