A behind the scenes look at the Saw movie franchise
Horror lovers everywhere have latched onto the thrilling escapades of the Saw movie franchise, which reveal the motives of the infamous Jigsaw killer. Perhaps this set of films have developed an overwhelming popularity because they’re rather unique. A sociopathic killer who forces his victims through a series of mechanical traps as a means to torture them into discovering if they are worthy of life. Sounds pretty uncommon in comparison to many far-out horror franchises. Not to mention, Jigsaw is also an exceptional villain who has never actually killed anyone. Combine that with all the guts, gore, blood and the iconic appearance of the creepy ventriloquist dummy, it’s pretty clear why this shocking, sadistic film series has made it this far. Yet, even after 14 years of chills and thrills, there are still interesting facts about the franchise that keep creeping their way out of the woodwork.
The first movie set the scene
The first film in the Saw movie franchise really staged the feel for the entire series. It was actually the only one out of the eight movies that wasn’t filmed in Canada, having been shot in Los Angeles. The most interesting fact was that it was a rush job. It was completed in only 18 days without a single rehearsal. Wild right? Crazy fans of the movies may also want to check out the short film, Saw 0.5, which was used to pitch the full-length film shot the following year. Upon watching this eerie short, you may also notice that the scene featured looks rather familiar and that the actor being tested by Jigsaw was none other than Leigh Whannell himself — the director that would go on to produce the first three films in the classic horror franchise.
The inspiration came from…
There were two things that really inspired the Saw movie franchise. Directors Leigh Whannell and James Wan were motivated to create a film similar to The Blair Witch Project after having watched the film and how it was produced on minimal funds. The idea for the Jigsaw killer also came from a personal experience. Wan suffered from extreme migraines and went for an MRI because he was fearful of having a brain tumor. This fueled his backstory behind John Kramer’s condition and made him nervously wonder what he would do with the rest of his life following a negative diagnosis.
Do you know any other interesting facts about the Saw movie franchise? Drop a comment below and tell us all about it.