Deconstruction of Saw VII Opening

About Saw

Saw is a horror franchise consisting of 7 major feature films and other Medias, such as video games. It can be seen as a slasher horror or psychological horror in terms of the killer’s mind-set. The franchise was financed and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment, a production company commonly associated with horror films. The first instalment was released in 2004, with the most recent film released in 2010; it is rumoured that a new Saw film will be released in the upcoming years.

John Kramer alongside Jigsaw Puppet, Saw Franchise

Synopsis

The film revolves around the character of John Kramer, a psychotic killer who rather than kills his victims outright, puts them through a series of torture tests he calls games in order to test their will to live and overcome their sins. The films focus on this character throughout the series, whereby he is labelled the Jigsaw killer, or just Jigsaw; subverting to other horror films, Jigsaw conceals his identity by use of a puppet (The Jigsaw Puppet) which features in the videos played to the victims during the torture scenes.

Saw VII Opening

The opening to the 7^th instalment of the Saw films takes place in a glass room in full view of the public, which subverts common conventions in slasher films where usually, the scene takes place in abandoned buildings or isolated woods.

It is titled ‘Lover’s triangle’, whereby two men are hand cuffed to two chainsaws either side of a table, with the female of the triangle suspended from the ceiling on a lowering table, whereby a third saw faces upwards. The chainsaws are all interconnected, whereby when one man moves his away from him, it moves the chainsaw to the side of the woman and the third one towards the other man.

 

Saw VII Film Opening - Lover's Triangle

The aim is that the men have to compete for the role of ‘alpha male’ by moving the chainsaws away from themselves and the woman in order to kill the other man and save themselves. In an unexpected twist during the opening, the two men realise that they have both been played by the same girl and thus, decide to collaborate and save themselves by killing the girl instead. As evident in the clip and screenshots, they position the chainsaw central to the girl so that when the time is up, she is killed, saving both men. This also subverts common representations in horror films as in many examples, the men die in favour of saving the damsel in distress.

Sequence

 

0:19 - in this scene, we see the glass room in which the victims are imprisoned, along with the public in view surrounding the room. As mentioned, this subverts common representations as murders are not usually in built up areas but rather often in isolated or abandoned locations.

0:40 - this screenshot shows the introduction to the iconic Jigsaw puppet, who announces the rules of the game and what they have to do to win. For viewers who have watched previous Saw films would know that that few victims make it out of the games alive and thus, the viewing of the puppet creates suspense and enigma as to which victim is going to die.

 1:45 - as indicated in the screenshot, the audience are presented with a view of the clock, counting down the minute until the end of the game. Typically countdowns create suspense, particularly when watching horror films, as the audience's anticipation builds as to who will die at the end. As the clock time reduces, the tension is increased; this method of editing/filming is highly effective for this reason.

 2:42 - Here the audience receives their first taste of gore from the film opening, as we see one of the men's chest being cut open by the chainsaw. The low angle shot contradicts the scene unfolding, which makes the question who will die and who will survive. The gore element also supports the genre of the movie and entices the audience to watch the rest.

 3:53 - a cut is then used to display the clock once again as it gets to the final second of its countdown. This imitates the final climax of the scene as it represents the peak of the audience's suspense as by this point, the audience would question the final outcome of the film - who will die? Displaying the time via countdown once again is highly effective, as stated, due to the fact that the climax is reached and suspense is at its optimum.

 3:55 - This is the first insight the audience has into the death of the chosen victim. the suspense is also created here as we see the suspending table being lowered closer to the moving chainsaw. Tension is created due to the anticipation of the gore and death to come.

 4:14 - here we see the saw starting to cut through the abdomen of the female victim. The close up of the abdomen rather than having the whole body of the victim in shot creates more suspense as the audience are focused on the chainsaw and the stomach, emphasising the pain and brutality of the event on the victim.

4:25 - this final screenshot shows a midshot of the victim, with the abdomen a chainsaw still in shot. The facial expression evident suggests that the victim is close to death, creating unsettlement for the audience. 

 

Evaluation

 

·       By subverting many common representations in this film opening, the audience are immediately put on edge, which sets up the atmosphere for the remainder of the film.

 

·       Compared to many horror films whereby the beginning is often slow and calm, this film opening jumps straight into the suspense filled gore aspect of the movie, setting the mood and enticing the audience to watch the rest.

 

·       The use of contradicting camera shots makes the audience question the outcome of the movie, allowing for unexpected actions and outcomes.

 

·       The introduction of the iconic Jigsaw puppet immediately alerts the audience of the genre of the movie, allowing them to decide if the film is one which they would enjoy. It also gives a rough idea into a possible narrative for the movie.

 

·     Overall, the film opening is very effective and sets up for an enjoyable yet thrilling movie.