It’s been over two decades since James Wan’s ‘Saw’ premiered at Sundance, revolutionizing the horror genre. Now, Wan is returning to his roots, and fans are taking note. As ‘Saw’ prepares to unleash its eleventh installment, Wan is making one thing very clear in an exclusive interview with Letterboxd: ‘Saw’ is going back to its roots in an upcoming feature.
The original ‘Saw’ premiered in 2004, but it was not the gruesome horror fans later became accustomed to. The original ‘Saw’ was a psychological horror film focused on terror, moral dilemmas, and a tragic final twist. However, as the series progressed, it became louder, more gruesome, and focused on traps and gruesome punishment. While it gained a huge worldwide fanbase, it also gained a reputation that Wan feels was never truly understood.
Saw’s next chapter will prioritize psychological terror
“When we went to Sundance with Saw, it was a big deal for us. I have always kept that mindset; since Saw, I’ve said to myself, “I won’t go back to Sundance unless I come back with another movie.” [laughs] So, it’s weird—I am going back with a movie, but it just so happens to be the one I started out with more than twenty years ago. From an emotional standpoint, that feels wistful and bittersweet. I’m coming full circle with my first festival movie, all these years later, to say goodbye to Park City.”
Now, with Saw returning to the Sundance Festival as part of the Park City Legacy series, and Wan re-engaged creatively, the director is discussing the change. From his point of view, the early film was not meant to be a celebration of violence.
“For me to finally come back to it, I feel I have probably the freshest outlook. I feel I can come back to it with a new perspective while knowing that with this next movie, I want to hark back to the spirit of the first movie. One of the things I really want to do with this next Saw is make it scary again. I want to make a scary Saw—not just gory, but psychologically scarring, like what Leigh and I did in the first movie.”
For fans of the series, Wan’s return is seen as a return to form, rather than a reboot. Wan’s plans for the future of Saw are to bring more psychological horror, rather than shock value, and more philosophy than spectacle. A key part of this is returning to the original worldview of Jigsaw, as a villain, but one who is deeply disturbing, and who believes he is teaching people lessons, no matter how twisted they may be. Wan has also discussed the role that the times played in the development and expansion of the Saw franchise. While the post-9/11 world, the changing face of punishment and justice, and the desire to see more extreme content played a role, Wan sees the strength of the series as being about restraint, not excess.
