Saw X: Why Jigsaw Should Follow A Jason X-Like Resurrection Story
John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka Jigsaw, is returning to wreak havoc all over again. But he's still dead, and that's the problem.
"Saw X" is a prequel that explores the villain's cancerous origin story and sees him wreak carnage on a bunch of con artists who promise him a miracle cure and fail to deliver the goods. But while the narrative of "Saw X" adds a few more sympathetic layers to the ill-stricken serial killer, it also doesn't reinvent the wheel — and it's time for the "Saw" creators to get out of their comfort zones and unleash a wilder, weirder side of Kramer. There are only so many prequels that the "Saw" timeline can squeeze in before they've wrung every tiny piece of Jigsaw's entire backstory dry. Unless they make a movie that entirely focuses on his days as a charitable civil engineer, it's getting way too difficult to tell more flashback stories about Kramer that actually feel fresh and exciting.
However, the franchise can open up more creative avenues for Kramer if they resurrect him as an undead maniac and give him the "Jason X" treatment.
As it stands, the "Saw" franchise is stuck in a rut, as all of the movies are too similar. "Jason X," on the other hand, is the product of a horror dynasty that isn't afraid to throw some crazy ideas at the wall and hope they stick. It's an approach that many horror franchises have adopted, admittedly with mixed results sometimes. However, it's better to take a big swing and fail than stick to the status quo.
Right now, "Saw" is the Nickelback of horror franchises — bland, inoffensive, and commercial. That said, the brand name is popular enough to experiment with going off the rails and opening up new worlds of possibilities.
The Saw franchise is scared of change
Let's go back a few years.
The year was 2019, and a visionary named Chris Rock promised to reinvigorate the "Saw" franchise with "Spiral: The Book of Saw." The studio hailed his concept as an innovative idea that would stun fans and breathe new life into the saga. They lied to us. While the spin-off deals with topical themes such as police brutality and social justice, the movie is a standard thriller about detectives on the hunt for a Jigsaw copycat killer. The elaborate booby traps are all present and accounted for, and the only thing that slightly sets it apart from other "Saw" flicks is its desire to be David Fincher's "Se7en" at times.
At this point, we know what we're getting from a "Saw" flick. One serial killer or another will send Billy the Puppet in on his cute little bicycle to freak people out, they'll get killed in gruesome ways, and the process will rinse and repeat itself until the phrase "I want to play a game" is etched into our brains forevermore. Sure, the fact that Jigsaw has disciples spices things up, but the formula for each movie is essentially the same.
For some fans, there's a comfort in knowing that their favorite franchises will stick to tried-and-tested routines. In regard to the "Saw" saga, some people are just happy to watch serial killers play games with their victims and expose them to brutal fates. Of course, the core approach doesn't have to change, but fresh ideas that add more excitement to the proceedings could please the die-hards and bring back the absent fans who abandoned this franchise in the mid-2000s. That's why it's time to make Jigsaw a zombie and send him to space.
What Saw could learn from Jason X
Say what you will about the "Friday the 13th" franchise, but it's never been afraid to experiment. "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" turns the hockey mask-wearing villain into a demonic spirit who possesses people through gruesome make out sessions. In "Friday vs. Jason," he has a showdown with the dream-haunting killer from the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise." However, "Jason X" is the killer's most entertaining adventure of all, as it sees him cause mayhem on a spaceship in the year 2455.
"Jason X" retains all of the hallmarks we expect to see in a "Friday the 13th" movie — brutal kills, victims being picked off one by one, etc. However, the futuristic sci-fi space setting and Jason returning to life after being cryogenically frozen for over 400 years is something different. More importantly, the movie is a hoot, and a testament to a horror franchise that's never been afraid to take risks.
Similarly, the "Hellraiser" franchise's most entertaining sequels are huge departures from the lowkey terrors of Clive Barker's original. "Hellraiser: Bloodline" is a centuries-spanning epic that culminates with the Cenobites raging out on a spaceship, while "Hellraiser: Hellworld" turns them into video game villains. The "Leprechaun" series has even shown more ambition than the "Saw" saga, simply by sending its pint-sized antagonist to the hood and space. Why can't the "Saw" creators adopt this ambitious mindset?
John Kramer died a long time ago, but the "Saw" franchise insists on keeping his legacy alive only through prequels that are becoming tiresome and forced. However, resurrecting him as a zombie and launching him into uncharted terrains could inject some fresh life into the franchise. He can still use his traps, but why not give him undead superpowers as well?
Horror fans actually love absurdity, and that applies to Saw aficionados
While there are some fans who are content to see horror franchises repeat themselves, there are arguably many more who appreciate seeing them experiment. "Jason X" was panned by many fans and critics at the time of its release, but it has since gone on to garner some love in cult circles. Sometimes it takes fandom a minute to catch up with a bold vision, but it's appreciated in the long run.
What's more, a movie about Jigsaw's resurrected corpse causing mayhem doesn't have to be as absurd as "Jason X." It can be handled with the same type of seriousness as the other "Saw" films, though it must be said that this franchise could benefit from being wackier at this point. The point is, though, that "Saw" fans will probably get a kick out of a fresh setup as most of them are horror purists who are undoubtedly fans of other horror franchises that tore up their own rulebooks and branched into new territory.
In reality, "Saw X" will probably make a lot of money and lead to more sequels, prequels, and spin-offs in a similar grounded vein. And fans won't get to experience the joy of seeing creators come up with interesting ways to bring Jigsaw back from the dead. But maybe someday, if we're lucky, Jigsaw will live again — in space.