Fans of the horror franchise Saw point out the fact that it is a clever movie series that mixes the ideas of a morality tale with a deadly game where the villain Jigsaw punishes the guilty for their crimes. The detractors look at Saw as the start of the torture porn subgenre of horror, where most of the films were simply excuses to display the worst excess of gore.
Regardless of whether you watch the Saw franchise for the blood, guts, and bear traps, or are more interested in the labyrinth puzzles and games that the morally corrupt victims go through, there is a lot of movies out there with the Saw DNA. These films include both those that influenced James Wan and Leigh Whannell and those that came later. Here is a look at 10 great horror movies to watch if you love the Saw franchise.
THE GAME (1997)
For fans of the gaming aspect of the Saw franchise, where one wrong decision could result in death, check out David Fincher’s The Game. While some might not consider this a horror movie, Fincher’s films always straddle that line of horror and thriller, with Se7en being another great example.
Michael Douglas stars as an investment banker whose brother (Sean Penn) gives him a “Game” for his birthday that he promises will change his life. Soon, his entire life falls apart, he loses everything, and people are trying to kill him — all part of the game.
CUBE (1997)
Seven years before Saw came out, another movie showed what torture porn could look like in a fantastic smaller film called Cube. Directed by Vincenzo Natali, this Canadian horror movie has a group of people wake up in a room with no idea how they got there and no idea how to leave.
It is very similar to Saw in that the characters have to make decisions to get out of this trap alive, and very few survive. Each room is a cube-shaped room with traps designed to kill them.
YOU’RE NEXT (2011)
One of the most creative slasher pics of the last decade was the Adam Wingard film. You’re Next. The movie features slasher killers attacking a family during a reunion. What makes this movie so great is that one of the victims becomes the aggressor.
Erin (Sharni Vinson) sets up traps all over the house and takes out the killers one by one in self-defense. The death and booby traps play out well as the audience can watch the bad guys all fall in the same manner that innocent victims die in a regular slasher movie.
THE COLLECTOR (2009)
In 2009, The Collector hit theaters from director Marcus Dunstan and writer Patrick Melton, two men who made their names on the old reality television series Project Greenlight. The movie sees a family and their handyman, a former convict named Arkin, who come under attack by a mysterious masked man.
For fans of the Saw franchise, the masked man set the victim’s house up with several booby traps. The idea is that The Collector invades homes, kills all but one person, and then “collects” the survivor for his own nefarious reasons.
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)
There have been two versions of the story House on Haunted Hill. The second hit in 1999 and was decent, but nothing worth seeking out. However, the 1959 version of the movie was fantastic with the legendary Vincent Price in one of the lead roles.
Price starred as Frederick Loren, a millionaire who invited five people to a party in a house that is allegedly haunted. If the five can make it through the night in the house, he will give them $10,000 each. Both versions of the film contained traps and terrors, but the original version remains superior.
IDENTITY (2003)
Fans of Saw likely enjoyed the “games” that led to the horrific deaths. It also delivered twists and turns and mysteries to fans who paid close attention and followed the characters involved in the “games.” Similarly, Identity has a mystery wrapped inside an enigma for people to solve by the end.
Many consider the twist at the end of Identity to be a cheat and consider it one of the worst movie endings in history. However, whatever a person may think, the entire story of 10 strangers trapped at a remote motel with no idea how they arrived there sets up a fantastic story with a truly twisted ending.
SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)
Martin Scorsese adapted the Dennis Lehane thriller Shutter Island for the big screen and made it into a tight horror thriller. The movie has an all-star cast with Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo starring as U.S. Marshal’s investigating a murder at a psychiatric facility.
Joining them in the cast is the legendary Ben Kingsley and Max con Sydow as well as Michelle Williams, Jackie Earl Haley, and Patricia Clarkson in supporting roles. The twist at the end of Shutter Island is similar to Identity in theory. However, it’s executed better thanks to the direction by Scorsese.
JIGOKU (1960)
The majority of movie fans today likely have no idea what Jigoku is. However, fans of Saw and other demented horror movies need to rectify that immediately. The horror film was released in 1960 by director Nobuo Nakagawa and is a massive departure from other Japanese horror movies of the era.
Jigoku tells the story of a young theology student who suffers through guilt after being involved in a hit-and-run death. The film has the distinction of depicting the tortures people in Hell go through, and the graphic imagery is even strong in today’s film world.
THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005)
Rob Zombie proved with House of 1000 Corpses that he had a keen eye for horror, especially the grungier and dirty horror that he then perfected in the sequel, The Devil’s Rejects. The serial killers from the first movie return in this one and are the anti-hero villains this time around.
The Devil’s Rejects starts seven months after the ritual sacrifice on Halloween with the Firefly family (Sid Haig, Bill Mosley, and Sheri Moon Zombie) on the run from a vengeful Texas sheriff (William Forsythe).
ICHI THE KILLER (2001)
Based on the Japanese manga by Hideo Yamamoto, Ichi the Killer tells the story of a man named Ichi who is sent to kill rival faction members and yakuza gang members. Meanwhile, he is pursued by a sadomasochist named Asano. This film is a masterpiece by Takashi Miike, the master of excess, and is a gorefest that any fan of Saw would love.
