Do you want to play a game?

And we have, each and every Halloween these last handful of years, and there’s one thing we all can agree on when it comes to the Saw sequels: Jigsaw is the King of Halloween. Regardless of how you personally feel about the quality of each sequel, they make money, and in this business that’s the bottom line. Coming off Saw V, a sequel that left many either confused or left an odd taste in their mouths (even though I personally enjoyed it), Saw VI quickly picks up from that film’s cliffhanger ending, and now Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is the lone apprentice to Jigsaw, with seemingly no one knowing his identity and involvement. Hoffman now sets the final game into motion.

I really don’t want to talk about the plot, because if you’ve seen a few of these films, then the point of how to have fun with them is the twists and turns of the stories. Saw VI is a very satisfying sequel for a handful of reasons. One of the complaints of the last few sequels, were people felt each entry was incomplete because the film’s would leave plot points left unanswered. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton make Saw VI into a caper for the previous films, finally answering some long wondered questions, while juggling an interesting solo story. We get questions answered, which should please the long time fans, and tells a sick little moralistic tale that goes back to the origin of Jigsaw. Saw VI won’t win over any newbies, but it doesn’t have too. If you’re late in this game, go back to the beginning. Maybe that’s good advice for all of us Saw fans, because you’ll appreciate this film a lot more, with all of the subplots fresh in your mind.

Another issue this film should rectify for most fans, is the traps. Many felt Saw V’s were weak, or not that inventive, and while I see their complaint, I felt those traps worked for the nature of that story. But here, we get plenty of fun, gory, interesting traps, disproving my own theory that maybe Melton and Dunstan were tapped out of ideas, after the trap-heavy The Collector. Each of the traps are satisfying. From the opening prologue, where two characters must shed more flesh than the other in 60 seconds in order to live, or the spinning carousel that stops for a shotgun blast, they’re constantly fun and sick. That’s exactly how this series came to become famous, was the wicked traps, and fans, they’re back.

On a technical side, long time Saw editor Kevin Greutert turned director for this film, and he uses that editor eye to great success. Saw VI is a well crafted film, probably the best paced and edited film since Saw II. Greutert makes everything clear; from visuals, to the easy-to-follow story structure, Saw VI is one of the more accessible of the Saw sequels. Again, that clears away a gripe many have had with the series, is that it’s a bit hard to follow. I don’t know how he done it, but Greutert gets away with a lot of gore in this film, more so than Bousman or Hackl did in their respective sequels.

Finally, we cannot discuss a Saw film without talking about Tobin Bell. It seems like each sequel, he gets less and less screen time, and even here it feels like he is barely in the film for 12 minutes, but he completely owns the film. True, it’s Tobin’s sixth go-round with the character, and that certainly helps, but if you haven’t considered it yet, do so: Tobin Bell as John/Jigsaw is a modern horror icon that will be in the same discussions as Robert Englund’s Freddy and Kane Hodder’s Jason Voorhees. Jigsaw is a face of horror for this new generation’s nightmares. I know most fans will always have their favorite or least favorite in this series, and that’s fine, but Saw VI perfectly caps the series off in a satisfying manner. Game over! Well, at least the current arc is complete, and while they’ll be more sequels, Saw VI is a thrilling entry. It’s no Saw II, but like that film, it’s a solid torture-infused entry.

Rating:

Tags: Costas Mandylor, kevin greutert, Marcus Dunstan, Saw, Saw V, Saw VI, Tobin Bell