Who here is a fan of the SAW movies? *Spoilers if you haven't watched them but want to*

One thing you will find out about me quick right now, that you could have gathered on my posts from 2007 and 2008 prior to my 15-year hiatus, is that I am a SAW fan. I'm also a huge fan of The Conjuring franchise, and still need to see The Nun II. Also rekindling my fanship of the Nightmare On Elm Street films, as well as getting into other horror franchises. In 2022, I watched The Exorcist three times. Literally 20 years earlier as an adolescent in 2002, I had to leave the room with the crucifix and Regan scene. Mom, Dad, and sis stayed and watched the rest. Does anyone have a favorite SAW film? Mine are the first, sixth, third, and seventh installments. I have also only watched the first 7 films, and still need to watch my copy of Jigsaw, as well as Spiral. SAW X hits theaters at the end of September.



I started watching the SAW films when I was still in high school, in the spring of 2007. At that point, only the first three films had been released with the fourth in production. A friend lent me the movies, and I really liked them for the most part. That same friend and I went to the SAW 4 showing at the theatre the following October. That was one of the films that had a huge surprise twist at the end, reminiscent to the first and seventh films. Upon watching the first four films, Donnie Wahlberg's character Eric Matthews was my favorite for awhile. Even upon watching these all over again, I still wish his character had survived. He was one of the longer/longer-lasting protagonists and supporting characters in the movies. It hurts even more that Donnie Wahlberg's character was originally intended to survive (according to SAW Wiki info). I think the very anti-climactic end of SAW 4 and character demise is echoed by the fact Donnie Wahlberg by the time of SAW 4 was getting burnt out on doing the films. They gave his character an interesting send off at the end of the day, though. According to SAW Wiki, I think I like the original plot of SAW 4. Eric Matthews would have once again been the lead protagonist of the film; this time having to aid fellow Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), whose character in that idea was intended to be fighting poisoning. What we ended up with was Eric Matthews and Mark Hoffman on a see-saw balancing kind of game. Eric Matthews' fate was connected to two blocks of ice that would come crashing against his head if a timer went off too early, by a door that would be opened too soon. If Eric Matthews deviated enough of his weight from the surface, Mark Hoffman would be in danger of dipping into water and electricity (so we're meant to believe).

I still like Eric Matthews' character a lot and wish he had still survived, 16 years later. Upon revisiting the series, Mark Hoffman is probably my favorite character overall now, and definitely my favorite Jigsaw apprentice. We get a little peek into Hoffman with one scene in SAW 3. Though I don't think most of us would have guessed so on our first watch, there are little hints that very lightly point to Mark Hoffman being the next Jigsaw apprentice. At the beginning of SAW 3, the police under the direction of Hoffman at this point are on the case for Jigsaw. Another detective and associate of Matthews named Rigg walks out of a crime scene to tell Matthews' ex-wife, Detective Kerry, that they don't know if the victim in the room was Matthews. A few seconds later, out of worry, Kerry walks into the crime scene where Hoffman is 'collecting evidence'. He almost immediately tells Kerry the victim was not Matthews. Hoffman also implies that he knows who the victim was, and the purpose for the trap upon its set up.

"All he (the victim, Troy) had to was release himself from the chains...and walk out the door."--Hoffman

"All he had to do???"--Rigg

There's also some very subtle symbolism with Hoffman's attire in the crime scene. In SAW 2, when Eric Matthews was investigating a crime scene, his attire looked much more average for your homicide detective (normal jacket and tie, maybe a white or brightly-colored button-up shirt). From the moment we see Hoffman in SAW 3, pretty much his entire suit is black or pretty dark. In SAW 3 and 4, we see Detective Hoffman get frustrated at fellow colleagues or other agents making outward observations about the traps he helped set up, that he may not have intended for. Even if Troy had released himself from all the chains, the door to his escape from the explosion was welded shut. Kerry pointed that out and we see Hoffman make some interesting points of eye contact between Kerry and Rigg. His demeanor had also seemed just a tad annoyed in that moment as well. Could it be that Hoffman was frustrated that the door was welded shut in a trap, and this was somehow unintended? Was the door being welded shut a peek into how much more brutal Hoffman's traps could get in the future? Could Amanda, another Jigsaw apprentice and admirer of Jigsaw, have been in on that? A Schrodinger's Moment. That is pretty much the extent of what we see of Hoffman in SAW 3.

Mostly because Matthews' death, Saw 4 is my least favorite in the films. SAW 5 is another one I wasn't too keen on, despite the much needed backstory and origins of Mark Hoffman's character and how he came to work for Jigsaw. SAW 6 is arguably my favorite film in the series. It came out in 2009, and the plot is kind of political. It's an attack on the health insurance industry, and an excellent reminder that not even the rich and powerful are safe from Jigsaw. Mark Hoffman's character had definitely been low-key psychopathic since the reasons for his acquaintance with Jigsaw. But as the plot unfolds and some surprises with fellow detectives and FBI agents come to light, you get to see Mark Hoffman lose his mind in action. SAW 6 has my favorite ending, too. In SAW 7, if Mark Hoffman hadn't gone rogue before (which he certainly had), he really did a number in that installment. He is wanted by the police and FBI at that point, so his cover is pretty much blown. The even more painful and rigged traps in SAW 7 imo are a reflection of how much more unhinged the events of SAW 6 made him. Hoffman is my favorite Jigsaw apprentice as stated, but one or two things about his cruelty and trap rigging in SAW 6 and 7 kinda made me hate him when those things went down.

There has been a lot of debate in SAW Facebook groups about whether or not we will see Hoffman's character in SAW X. I am going to assume yes. There is a voice on the trailer that sounds almost identical to Hoffman's normally deeper octave. No Hoffman shown in the trailer, just a voice in the background that sounds like his. Though we didn't see Mark Hoffman until SAW 3, he was still very much involved in Jigsaw traps that took place before then. SAW X is also set between the first and second films. We know we will get Jigsaw/John Kramer and Amanda back. Even when at conventions signing autographs, Costas Mandylor won't say yes or no when asked if he'll be in the upcoming film. He'll normally give a wink and a funny smile, though. Anyway, how do you all feel about the SAW films? Favorite movies? Characters?

One of the franchises I really enjoy.

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