Every Saw Movie Ranked, Worst To Best (Including Saw X) (2024)

The Saw movies rank as one of the most successful and influential horror franchises of the 21st century, although the Saw movies ranked greatly varies. Saw premiered in 2003, and the massive hit propelled filmmaker James Wan into the Hollywood mainstream. Two years later in 2005, Saw 2 debuted and was a box office hit, launching the IP into a full-fledged horror movie franchise. Even without Wan as director, Saw 2 thrilled audiences with its interesting premise and captivating villain. Soon, Saw movies came out every October for several successive years, and while critics were not always on board, they remained successful.

The original Saw movies came to an end in 2010 with Saw 7: The Final Chapter, which served to bring the saga of John "Jigsaw" Kramer and his apprentices full circle. That was until 2017 when the soft reboot Jigsaw showed up. Jigsaw ended up having a much more direct connection to the prior films than fans expected. Chris Rock's reboot Spiral: From the Book of Saw once again brought the franchise back to theaters, the ninth movie in the Saw franchise, and Jigsaw himself returned for Saw X in 2023. With such an expansive franchise, some of the entries have been more successful than others.

10 Saw V (2008)

Hoffman's Lackluster Reign Begins

Saw V is low in the ranking of the overall franchise thanks to taking the focus off of what made John Kramer so interesting. This sequel was seen as a drop-off from Saw IV and that is mostly because it takes place after Jigsaw died and his apprentice Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) took over as the main villain.

As the movie delves into his job of taking up the mantle of Jigsaw, the movie features another ensemble of Jigsaw victims with several people put through a series of traps together, each striving to outlast the others.

Hoffman wasn't anywhere near as compelling as Jigsaw himself, though actor Tobin Bell still appeared in flashbacks. While the cat-and-mouse game between him and FBI agent Peter Strahm is interesting, and the traps are great, the movie does nothing to move the story, which leaves it the weakest edition of the franchise. It felt like the series was spinning its wheels at this point.

Saw 5

Director

David Hackl

Release Date

October 24, 2008

Cast

Tobin Bell , Costas Mandylor , Scott Patterson , Betsy Russell , Mark Rolston , Julie Benz , Carlo Rota , Meagan Good

Runtime

92 Minutes

See Also

Brochure 600652 AREC - [PDF Document]How to Watch the 'Saw' Movies in Order: From Jigsaw’s First Trap to His Shocking DemiseSaw X | aka Saw 10 DVD | Region 4 • $22.48“More a Labor of Love Than a Paying Gig”: Chris Wilcha Returns to Documentary With ‘Flipside’

9 Jigsaw (2017)

A Soft Reboot Doesn't Add Anything New

2017's reboot Jigsaw attempted to return the Saw movies to pop culture prominence but failed to capture the glory of previous Saw movies. The movie takes place years after Jigsaw's death with an apparent copycat killer taking up the cause of John Kramer himself.

This leads to a group of strangers being put through some of the famous Jigsaw tests while locked inside of a barn. The main selling point was supposed to be the return of Jigsaw himself, John Kramer. However, this was just a cameo and almost seemed like a cheat.

Also, the movie was missing one big thing that made the rest of the franchise so iconic. The traps were not as ingenious and interesting as the rest of the series. The movie also moved things slightly away from the satirical nature of the original traps compared to the victims' sins, making it a little more tiresome and a lot less playful in nature.

Jigsaw

R

Director

Michael Spierig , Peter Spierig

Release Date

October 27, 2017

Cast

Brittany Allen , James Gomez , Hannah Emily Anderson , Mandela Van Peebles , Matt Passmore , Laura Vandervoort , Shaquan Lewis , Callum Keith Rennie , Tobin Bell , Cle Bennett

Runtime

92 Minutes

8 Spiral: From The Book Of Saw (2021)

Chris Rock's Reinvention Is Interesting Yet Uneven

Spiral is the ninth Saw film to release, and while its lack of Tobin Bell's Jigsaw hurt, it was time for the franchise to try and evolve beyond a man who died six movies ago, as great as Bell was in the role.

The film is a new approach to the story, taking inspiration from movies like Se7en to tell the story of a new Jigsaw-like killer who is targeting members of the police department. With Chris Rock in the lead, Spiral takes an act to find its feet, but before too long, things go full Saw, albeit without the original killer or any of his apprentices.

Spiral's final twist was predictable though — a far cry from the reveal at the end of the first Saw. Ultimately Spiral is a good movie, but it fails to be a great one. The ending of Spiral might have given way to a sequel, but Saw X appears to ignore this one, making it an interesting yet flawed one-shot in the Saw franchise.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

R

Director

darren lynn bousman

Release Date

May 14, 2021

Cast

Chris Rock , Marisol Nichols , Samuel L. Jackson , Max Minghella

Runtime

93 minutes

7 Saw VI (2009)

A Saw Movie With A Message

Interestingly, Saw VI sported the best critical reaction of the franchise outside the first film (until the 10th installment) with 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it had the worst box office, as the only Saw entry to make less than $100 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

The most frustrating aspect of Saw VI's financial failings is that it is the smartest entry in the Saw movie franchise. Though its messaging is not overly complex, it offers real-world commentary that is interesting.

Saw VI focuses on the inadequacies of the American healthcare system, and how it condemned John Kramer to death. Even in the midst of its messaging, it was still gory and thrilling, and it offered up a change in that not all the victims were pure evil, and John and his apprentices' motives were not as noble as in the past few movies.

Saw 6

r

Director

Kevin Greutert

Release Date

October 23, 2009

Cast

Tobin Bell , Costas Mandylor , Betsy Russell , Mark Rolston , Peter Outerbridge , Shawnee Smith

Runtime

90 Minutes

6 Saw: The Final Chapter (2010)

The Ending Of A Chapter Is A Mixed Bag

Saw 7: The Final Chapter seemed designed to be the grand finale for the Saw horror franchise after Lionsgate started to see diminishing financial returns. However, it ended up disappointing in both critical acclaim and the box office. Other than the surprise return of Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), it seems lackluster in traps and the message of the movie.

The main plot involving Bobby Dagen, a self-help guru who lied about surviving Jigsaw, wasn't very interesting, and while the kills are good and gory, the creativity well was running dry. While it also brings the much-maligned reign of Hoffman as the lead of the franchise to an end, it is still not fun to follow his over-the-top adventures throughout the movie. However, for those who followed the twists and turns of the story, it provided a nice conclusion to this chapter of the franchise that brought it full circle in the final moments.

Saw 3D

R

Director

Kevin Greutert

Release Date

October 29, 2010

Cast

Tobin Bell , Cary Elwes , Costas Mandylor , Betsy Russell , Sean Patrick Flanery

Runtime

90 Minutes

5 Saw II (2005)

Tobin Bell Cements John Kramer As A New Horror Icon

After the famous Saw ending revealed John Kramer as the real Jigsaw killer, Saw II was the first time the character truly got to step into the spotlight. Tobin Bell is in top form as Jigsaw in Saw II, especially now that he doesn't have to pretend to be dead for the whole movie. This was where the entire franchise really started its mythos and where the story really started.

Saw 2 also had some absolutely terrifying traps, including the infamous Saw needle pit and the glass box full of razor blades. However, one thing that holds it down is Detective Eric Matthews. The character is antagonistic with a violent temper and is supposed to be the hero. Audiences often found themselves rooting for Jigsaw, which was a strange turn for the Saw movie series.

Saw 2

R

Director

darren lynn bousman , Franky G , Glenn Plummer , Beverley Mitchell , Dina Meyer , Emmanuelle Vaugier , Erik Knudsen , Shawnee Smith , Tobin Bell

Release Date

October 28, 2005

Cast

Donnie Wahlberg

Runtime

93 Minutes

4 Saw IV (2007)

John Kramer Flashbacks Save The Standard Sequel

Saw IV was the first movie to follow the controversial choice to kill off John Kramer in Saw III and it is clear almost immediately that the franchise has some regret with that decision. The fourth entry does little to update the usual Saw traps and survivors tropes, other than introducing some new variations on the established formula.

The movie also saw the return of Detective Eric Matthews, who is considered a somewhat uninteresting character. However, what makes Saw IV better than most people might remember is the interesting layers added to Jigsaw's backstory and origins.

Though not having John Kramer as an active part of the story is a disappointment, he is still shown to be a fascinating character who continues to elevate these movies.Saw is more than just torture, as it is also a morality tale about people facing consequences for their sins, and this movie really shows that importance.

Saw 4

R

Director

darren lynn bousman

Release Date

October 26, 2007

Cast

Tobin Bell , Scott Patterson , Costas Mandylor , Betsy Russell , Lyriq Bent

Runtime

92 Minutes

3 Saw III (2006)

John And Amanda's Relationship Highlights The Intelligent Sequel

Saw III is the first movie to complicate the Saw franchise timeline by offering flashbacks revealing John Kramer's backstory. In the actual movie, Jigsaw dies — but still pulls off his most complex, challenging game yet. Amanda fails her own test as a punishment for crafting inescapable traps, and protagonist Jeff Denlon (Angus Macfadyen), a grieving father who has to choose between mercy and revenge, is probably the most sympathetic person ever forced to take part in Jigsaw's trials.

The dynamic between John and Amanda is also interesting, making them out to be a twisted father-daughter team of killers. As it is, Saw III is not only the best original sequel, but it is technically the best movie in the entire franchise. It has a great story and traps and is the highlight of the series.

Saw 3

R

Director

darren lynn bousman

Release Date

October 27, 2006

Cast

Tobin Bell , Shawnee Smith , Angus Macfadyen , Bahar Soomekh , Dina Meyer , Donnie Wahlberg

Runtime

108 Minutes

2 Saw X (2023)

An Intimate Yet Grisly Spotlight For John Kramer

The first proper prequel in the franchise,Saw X brought the beloved franchise back after a long absence and scored the best critical reception of the entire series with 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The tenth movie in the franchise partially flips the script on what audiences came to expect from the horror movies, as the story is much more personal for Jigsaw this time. It is no coincidence that one of the best Saw movies is also the one that featured the most for Tobin Bell to do as John Kramer.

The return of Bell and Shawnee Smith's Amanda Young gives Saw X some familiar characters, while the new cast of Jigsaw victims delivers a mixture of horrible and redeemable individuals. By the time that Saw X's ending concludes, audiences have been treated to a great amount of traps, blood, and twists. That ensures Saw X is familiar enough, while also grounding the franchise like never before.

Saw X

R

Director

Kevin Greutert

Release Date

September 29, 2023

Cast

Tobin Bell , Shawnee Smith

1 Saw (2004)

A Game-Changing Horror Movie

While Saw III is the better movie, Saw is the one seen by many fans and critics as the best of the Saw movies. It isn't nearly as good or smart as the third movie, but it set the stage and stands the test of time as creating the entire subgenre of torture p*rn.

Without Saw to set the stage, none of the other movies would've been possible on a narrative level, and every subsequent sequel builds on elements introduced in this first movie. Saw definitely has the lowest budget of the series, but thanks to Wan's skills, it never feels cheap.

The ending twist was also praised as one of the most unexpected horror movie endings of all time. While the franchise would get a lot bigger and gorier from here, there is a sense that the franchise has always been attempting to replicate the magic of the original Saw.

Saw

R

Director

James Wan

Release Date

October 1, 2004

Cast

Cary Elwes , Leigh Whannell , Danny Glover , Monica Potter , Ken Leung

Runtime

103 Minutes