Better tag line for Saw VI - "This is his will," instead of "The game has come full circle."
The game will come full circle when we find out what happened to Dr. Gordon...
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Philosophy of Saw: The Middle Way
In Buddhism, the way to enlightenment, the end of suffering, is through The Middle Way. The Middle Way is the path of moderation. In his experience, Buddha found that neither indulgence nor asceticism brought peace. He found moderation and understanding of The Four Noble Truths and The Eight Fold Path was the way.
In studying, the Middle Way, it occurred to me that we could see all three paths - indulgence, asceticism, and moderation mirrored in Jigsaw and his accomplices. Amanda represents indulgence; Hoffman asceticism, and Jigsaw/Jill Tuck moderation.
Indulgence is actually self-indulgence and hedonism. Amanda is a former drug addict. Addiction is a form of indulgence. It's a way to mask pain and an attempt to avoid suffering, which is really unavoidable. After her test and kicking her drug addiction, she turns to other addictions, like self-mutilation, to help her cope. Her real fault lies in her excess emotion and the addictions serve as a way to release them. Amanda shows little restraint and allows her emotions to override restraint and better judgement, such as when her guilt over the death of John's son Gideon and fear he might discover her involvement influences her to kill an innocent Lynn Denlon. In turn, this causes Lynn's husband Jeff to shoot and kill her in return.
Hoffman's asceticism is the other side of the same coin (and it's only fitting they have the same test). He too has a lot pain and emotion within him, mostly focused on the death of his sister at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. But rather than indulge it like Amanda, he buries it. He begins to deny it and push it inside himself. By denying his feelings, he doesn't have to face his grief or guilt. As Hoffman continues to do this, he becomes more and more brutal and detached from humanity. Over time, he begins to act like a sociopath and psychopath: lacking guilt, empathy, shame, or remorse. He also removes any chance the victims have to survive their games by booby-trapping them, for example, he manipulates the lock in Detective Kerry's trap so the key won't open it. In addition, Hoffman has taken on the role of murderer when he kills the FBI Agents on his tail. His character is still alive, so his ending hasn't been written yet. But the effects of his behavior are clear, when John decides to test him.
John Kramer/Jigsaw and Jill Tuck (by enacting John's will) represent moderation. John doesn't allow emotion to control his actions during the games. He is confident that his preparations will ensure everything moves smoothly. This allows him to focus on the present moment and gives him the opportunity to be an observer. He is not tied to an ending. John lets go of expectation and lets the game play out, regardless of if the victims survive or not. He does not strike out nor murder anyone with his hands. John has felt pain and emotion and does not indulge or repress it. He also expresses it, like when he cries after Amanda dies. However, he too lacks true compassion, like Amanda and Hoffman.
However, Jill best represents moderation and balance. She has dealt with her emotions and the loss of her child and husband. Jill continues her work with addicts at the center, defending them. She shows understanding and compassion toward them. She forgives her patients for their faults. She has an inner strength and perspective. While Jill generally is not involved in John's work, she does try to convince him to stop and end it. She participates in Hoffman's game to respect John's final request. In the end, she not only physically carries out John's will, but also embodies it.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Quick thoughts on Saw VI
Finished watching Saw VI. I thought it was very good. It has a very intense ending. I had seen a very bad bootleg copy of the theatrical version and it didn't have good sound or video quality. But that ending... I watched it two times and I still can't get over it. I am now very interested to see what happens next. I want to post my thoughts as it relates to the themes and story development, but I don't want to spoil it too much, so I am going to wait a few days. I want to finish the Buddhism article first too.
I watched all the extras. They were okay. I wish there were Deleted Scenes.
Also, I was a little annoyed because they don't break down how all the traps are made in "The Traps of Saw VI" featurette. I find the engineering of the traps interesting. And I was really curious about the design of the new reverse bear trap.
I liked the "Jigsaw Revealed" special. I love Tobin Bell's involvement and intensity in playing John Kramer and his views on the character. Fascinating. I have a great deal of respect for him. I would love to have a conversation with him about the character. And I want to see his notebook. I hope they eventually publish his notes. I would definitely buy it.
And I wish I could have gone to Halloween Horror nights and gone through the Saw Maze - that looked so cool. The level of detail they went to is really impressive. I know I would have loved it.
I watched all the extras. They were okay. I wish there were Deleted Scenes.
Also, I was a little annoyed because they don't break down how all the traps are made in "The Traps of Saw VI" featurette. I find the engineering of the traps interesting. And I was really curious about the design of the new reverse bear trap.
I liked the "Jigsaw Revealed" special. I love Tobin Bell's involvement and intensity in playing John Kramer and his views on the character. Fascinating. I have a great deal of respect for him. I would love to have a conversation with him about the character. And I want to see his notebook. I hope they eventually publish his notes. I would definitely buy it.
And I wish I could have gone to Halloween Horror nights and gone through the Saw Maze - that looked so cool. The level of detail they went to is really impressive. I know I would have loved it.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Saw and Dexter
Interesting little fact that Saw and Dexter share.
In Saw III, the wheelchair that Lynn Denlon is in is stamped with the name "Angel of Mercy" on the back, obviously the name of the hospital where it came from.
In Dexter Season 1, the Ice Truck Killer "operates" on Tony Tucci at the abandoned"Angel of Mercy Hospital where Dexter's adopted Grandfather used to work.
In Saw III, the wheelchair that Lynn Denlon is in is stamped with the name "Angel of Mercy" on the back, obviously the name of the hospital where it came from.
In Dexter Season 1, the Ice Truck Killer "operates" on Tony Tucci at the abandoned"Angel of Mercy Hospital where Dexter's adopted Grandfather used to work.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Friday the 13th the Series Inspiration?
I was watching the 5th Season of The Twilight Zone, specifically the episode called "Living Doll," which stared Telly Savallas as a man in a deadly feud with his step-daughter Christy's new doll. Telly Savallas' character, Eric is an angry, abusive man, who's relationship with his step-daughter and wife is strained. The doll is named "Talking Tina" and says, "My name is Talking Tina and I love you" to everyone except Eric. Tina takes offense to Eric's treatment of Christy and threatens him over and over. She tells him: "My name is Talking Tina and I hate you." and "My name is Talking Tina and I am going to kill you." The episode escalates, until Tina makes good on her threats.
While watching the episode, I could not help but think of the first episode of Friday the 13 the Series, called "The Inheritance." In that episode, we are introduced to the story of Louis Vendredi and how his antiques became cursed. We meet Micki Foster, Ryan Dallon, and Jack Marshak as they start their search to uncover the antiques. The first antique they go after is a talking doll, which was sold to Mr. Simms for his daughter Mary. Mary has a terrible relationship with her step-mother and like Tina, Vita, does not like Mary's step-mother. Vita threatens and kills the step-mother. She does this by first causing her to fall down the stairs and be hospitalized. Then, while at the hospital, she attacks the step-mother and kills her.
While "The Inheritance" is not word-for-word the same as "Living Doll," the plot is the same. I wonder if the writers of Friday the 13th Series had been inspired by The Twilight Zone?
While watching the episode, I could not help but think of the first episode of Friday the 13 the Series, called "The Inheritance." In that episode, we are introduced to the story of Louis Vendredi and how his antiques became cursed. We meet Micki Foster, Ryan Dallon, and Jack Marshak as they start their search to uncover the antiques. The first antique they go after is a talking doll, which was sold to Mr. Simms for his daughter Mary. Mary has a terrible relationship with her step-mother and like Tina, Vita, does not like Mary's step-mother. Vita threatens and kills the step-mother. She does this by first causing her to fall down the stairs and be hospitalized. Then, while at the hospital, she attacks the step-mother and kills her.
While "The Inheritance" is not word-for-word the same as "Living Doll," the plot is the same. I wonder if the writers of Friday the 13th Series had been inspired by The Twilight Zone?
Friday, January 8, 2010
The Philosophy of Saw: Introduction
In Saw V, Hoffman makes a very interesting comment during his last discussion with Jigsaw. He says to John: "What's going on with Amanda? I thought you told me that the only way to truly offer enlightenment is by detaching emotionally." I must have heard that line a dozen times, but it wasn't until I had just finished a book about Buddhism and consumerism that it's meaning and implications hit me.
Were they discussing Buddhist belief and philosophy? Then I had to ask myself - was John Kramer a Buddhist and teaching Buddhist philosophy to his disciples? It may sound strange, but I went back to watch the movies again and found an evidence that may support that theory. I want to explore that idea in a series of posts about Saw and Philosophy.
I first should preface these posts by saying that while I am not a Buddhist in belief, but I agree with many of its guidelines and views. I would say that I am a Buddhist/Transcendentalist in thought and action. So, while I have read about and experienced for Buddhism for myself, I am not an expert or a teacher.
But I hope these posts give everyone something to think about when considering the actions and behaviors of our characters.
Were they discussing Buddhist belief and philosophy? Then I had to ask myself - was John Kramer a Buddhist and teaching Buddhist philosophy to his disciples? It may sound strange, but I went back to watch the movies again and found an evidence that may support that theory. I want to explore that idea in a series of posts about Saw and Philosophy.
I first should preface these posts by saying that while I am not a Buddhist in belief, but I agree with many of its guidelines and views. I would say that I am a Buddhist/Transcendentalist in thought and action. So, while I have read about and experienced for Buddhism for myself, I am not an expert or a teacher.
But I hope these posts give everyone something to think about when considering the actions and behaviors of our characters.
The Focus on Saw
I don't plan to limit the scope of the blog to just the Saw movies, although volumes could be written about them. I am focusing on it for now, as the Saw essay was the first in The Horror Essay Series. So, I've watching the movies. Saw VI comes out on DVD on the 26th of this month, so it's a good reason to celebrate it.
And honestly, it is one of my favorite horror movie franchises, if not my favorite. I enjoy movies with complex thoughts that are driven on characters and their interaction. The games are driven by the traps, but the plot and stories are focused on how the characters are related. Also, I find the traps interesting. I really enjoy watching the special features that describe how they were engineered, how they work, and how they were shot for the film.
And honestly, it is one of my favorite horror movie franchises, if not my favorite. I enjoy movies with complex thoughts that are driven on characters and their interaction. The games are driven by the traps, but the plot and stories are focused on how the characters are related. Also, I find the traps interesting. I really enjoy watching the special features that describe how they were engineered, how they work, and how they were shot for the film.
The Symbolism of Saw I - The Jigsaw Piece
The cut jigsaw piece taken from each game's "loser" is like a brand, tattoo, or a scarlet letter. It marks those who fail to give the appropriate sacrifice and are missing, in Jigsaw's mind, the will and desire to live. It is a way to make internal flaws visible on the outside.
The Symbolism of Saw I - Opposition
Pitting Adam against Dr Gordon is a sort of reenactment of the battle between age and experience and light against dark. Not only is it mirrored in their ages, education, and life experience, but also in their appearances, one has dark brown hair and eyes, the other light blond hair and blue eyes.
In Pagan mythology, two characters, the Oak King and the Holly King are also at odds. The Oak King rules over the light half of the year, when days grow longer. It is the period of the Winter to the Summer Solstice. He would most align in theory and appearance with Dr. Gordon. The Holly King rules over the dark half of the year, when the days grow shorter, during the period of the Summer to Winter Solstice. He would be more like Adam. The Oak and Holly Kings are not enemies, but rather opposing and necessary forces. They balance each other out.
In Pagan mythology, two characters, the Oak King and the Holly King are also at odds. The Oak King rules over the light half of the year, when days grow longer. It is the period of the Winter to the Summer Solstice. He would most align in theory and appearance with Dr. Gordon. The Holly King rules over the dark half of the year, when the days grow shorter, during the period of the Summer to Winter Solstice. He would be more like Adam. The Oak and Holly Kings are not enemies, but rather opposing and necessary forces. They balance each other out.
The Symbolism of Saw I - Birth
I find that the similarities of the opening scene of Saw I and the realities of birth are striking. Adam wakes up in a tub of water and steps into darkness, like a baby moving from the mother and through the birth canal into life. He is overcome by confusion. He cries out for help, as a baby cries out for air. A baby's senses go through an adjustment period. Likewise, Adam can't see anything yet, but can hear Dr. Gordon speaking, answering his questions. He uses a quiet and almost muffled tone, making him difficult to hear. Then, Dr Gordon finds the light switch. The room and it's inhabitants are suddenly forced into the light and everyone can see. The "game" can begin. This is like when the baby's senses are fully working and the infant is now alert and alive. Also, while Dr. Gordon is a medical oncologist, it is ironic that a doctor should be present at the "birth."
The Symbolism of Saw I - The Clock
The only thing clean and new in the bathroom of Saw I is a clock high on the wall. The fact that the clock is new and clean highlights the lack of power that we have over it. We have no control over it at all. We can change way we count and measure time ot the words used to describe it. But time will continue on, indifferent.
Also, many parts of the story are told in flashbacks. There are flashbacks to Jigsaw's original traps - Mark, Paul, and Amanda. A flashback explains how Lawrence was implicated in the murders and how he and Adam were kidnapped. Also, there's another one for what happened when Tapp and Sing meet Jigsaw. This is done deliberatly in order to manipulate point of view of the viewer and the people in the traps. Certain details of the story are revealed only when necessary and others are hidden until the very end.
Time factors in most of Jigsaw's games and this game is no different. The players are given very little time to react to their situations, most likely to force them into making choices. By shocking their consciousness, they are forced to make brutal sacrifices in the blink of an eye or else pay the ultimate price, death.
Also, many parts of the story are told in flashbacks. There are flashbacks to Jigsaw's original traps - Mark, Paul, and Amanda. A flashback explains how Lawrence was implicated in the murders and how he and Adam were kidnapped. Also, there's another one for what happened when Tapp and Sing meet Jigsaw. This is done deliberatly in order to manipulate point of view of the viewer and the people in the traps. Certain details of the story are revealed only when necessary and others are hidden until the very end.
Time factors in most of Jigsaw's games and this game is no different. The players are given very little time to react to their situations, most likely to force them into making choices. By shocking their consciousness, they are forced to make brutal sacrifices in the blink of an eye or else pay the ultimate price, death.
The Symbolism of Saw I - The Bathroom
In Saw I, the main "players", Adam and Lawrence, are chained to pipes on opposite walls, with no apparent way to get free in a grimy, dirty bathroom.
Bathrooms are places where we get release and rid of things, like dirt and human waste. This a clue that in order to survive, the characters will have to let something go - a sacrifice is going to be necessary to live. While most bathrooms are clean, but this one is not. So, it signals a perversion/negation of that the meaning. So, we know the sacrifice is going to be a terrible one full of anguish and violence. It's going to be a painful process.
Also, bathrooms are symbols of purification, cleansing, truth, and honesty. When we release lies, we can cleanse and purify our minds, hearts, and souls. The truth is known. During the plot of Saw I, the lies told through out the movie are exposed. In the beginning Dr. Gordon lies that he was working at the hospital the night he was taken. As the story goes on, it's is revealed that he was actually at a hotel, cheating on his wife. He also confesses that while he was going to meet a women; he did not do anything with her and regretting what he was doing. Adam attempts lie as well. He lies about how he knew to turn off the lights and find the "x". When the truth is revealed it starts Dr. Gordon's breakdown.
Bathrooms are places where we get release and rid of things, like dirt and human waste. This a clue that in order to survive, the characters will have to let something go - a sacrifice is going to be necessary to live. While most bathrooms are clean, but this one is not. So, it signals a perversion/negation of that the meaning. So, we know the sacrifice is going to be a terrible one full of anguish and violence. It's going to be a painful process.
Also, bathrooms are symbols of purification, cleansing, truth, and honesty. When we release lies, we can cleanse and purify our minds, hearts, and souls. The truth is known. During the plot of Saw I, the lies told through out the movie are exposed. In the beginning Dr. Gordon lies that he was working at the hospital the night he was taken. As the story goes on, it's is revealed that he was actually at a hotel, cheating on his wife. He also confesses that while he was going to meet a women; he did not do anything with her and regretting what he was doing. Adam attempts lie as well. He lies about how he knew to turn off the lights and find the "x". When the truth is revealed it starts Dr. Gordon's breakdown.
My Horror History and Library
I was not a horror fan as a child. I watch Twilight Zone remakes and read The Amityville Horror and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles - but that was it. Everything else was just too scary for me. When I turned 18, I started to watch the odd horror movie here and there, like The Blair Witch Project, Seven, and Halloween H20. But I still wasn't a real fan of the genre.
Then, something changed. I have no idea what it was. But I suddenly loved horror. I started to read some Steven King and Clive Barker and watch all sorts of horror movies from classics, like Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera to The Wicker Man, the Evil Dead, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Over the last decade or so, my love of horror has grown and I've even started to write my own stories and work on this blog.
I now have a pretty nice horror movie collection (but these are not all the movies I've seen):
13:Beloved (Game of Death)
976-Evil
American Psycho
Amityville Horror (1970's)
Amityville Horror: The Possession
Amityville Horror: A New Generation
Army of Darkness
Beyond the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
The Blair Witch Project
Brutal
Cabin Fever
Candyman
Child's Play I
The Craft
Cube Zero
Darkness Falls (A collection of 3 Christopher Lee movies)
Dead Silence
The Devil's Rejects
Dracula
Evil Dead
Evil Dead II
Friday the 13th
Final Destination
Final Destination II
Halloween
Hellraiser (1-8)
High Tension
Hostel
Hostel II
In the Mouth of Madness
Intruder
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Mr. Brooks
The Midnight Meat Train
Mr. Sardonicus
Nightmare on Elm Street (1-6, New Nightmare)
Nightbreed
The Omen (The Remake)
The Omen (1-4) (1970's)
Pan's Labyrinth
The Phantom of the Opera (Mulitple versions, including the disappointing Argento one)
Puppetmaster (Retro and 5)
Purfume: The Story of a Murderer
Repo: The Genetic Opera
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Ring
Saw (1-5)
Scream
Season of the Witch
Seven
Silent Hill
Single White Female
The Skeleton Key
The Stepford Wives (1970's and remake)
Sweeney Todd (Multiple versions)
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Th3ee
Tormented Souls (A collection of 12 different horror movies)
Untraceable
Urban Legend
Van Helsing
The Wicker Man (1970's and remake)
Willard
Wishmaster
Wishmaster 2
Witchhouse
The Wizard of Gore (remake)
Friday the 13th the Series, Seasons 1 and 2
Masters of Horror, Season 1 and Part of Season 2
Then, something changed. I have no idea what it was. But I suddenly loved horror. I started to read some Steven King and Clive Barker and watch all sorts of horror movies from classics, like Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera to The Wicker Man, the Evil Dead, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Over the last decade or so, my love of horror has grown and I've even started to write my own stories and work on this blog.
I now have a pretty nice horror movie collection (but these are not all the movies I've seen):
13:Beloved (Game of Death)
976-Evil
American Psycho
Amityville Horror (1970's)
Amityville Horror: The Possession
Amityville Horror: A New Generation
Army of Darkness
Beyond the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
The Blair Witch Project
Brutal
Cabin Fever
Candyman
Child's Play I
The Craft
Cube Zero
Darkness Falls (A collection of 3 Christopher Lee movies)
Dead Silence
The Devil's Rejects
Dracula
Evil Dead
Evil Dead II
Friday the 13th
Final Destination
Final Destination II
Halloween
Hellraiser (1-8)
High Tension
Hostel
Hostel II
In the Mouth of Madness
Intruder
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Mr. Brooks
The Midnight Meat Train
Mr. Sardonicus
Nightmare on Elm Street (1-6, New Nightmare)
Nightbreed
The Omen (The Remake)
The Omen (1-4) (1970's)
Pan's Labyrinth
The Phantom of the Opera (Mulitple versions, including the disappointing Argento one)
Puppetmaster (Retro and 5)
Purfume: The Story of a Murderer
Repo: The Genetic Opera
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Ring
Saw (1-5)
Scream
Season of the Witch
Seven
Silent Hill
Single White Female
The Skeleton Key
The Stepford Wives (1970's and remake)
Sweeney Todd (Multiple versions)
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Th3ee
Tormented Souls (A collection of 12 different horror movies)
Untraceable
Urban Legend
Van Helsing
The Wicker Man (1970's and remake)
Willard
Wishmaster
Wishmaster 2
Witchhouse
The Wizard of Gore (remake)
Friday the 13th the Series, Seasons 1 and 2
Masters of Horror, Season 1 and Part of Season 2
Women and Their Tests in Saw I and III
I find how women are portrayed in Saw I and Saw III interesting. The idea of a "survivor girl" - a plucky, young, ingenue who decides to fight back and refuses to be a victim (think Kristy Cotton or Nancy Thompson) - is not new to horror movies. We see them in Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. But in Saw, it's different. The heroines are imperfect and far from innocent. They are mostly adult women, who have tons of life experience and often a great number of character flaws.
Interestingly, in Saw I, the real survivors of Jigsaw's games are all the main female characters. Amanda, Alison Gordon, and Diana Gordon win their games by fighting and making the necessary sacrifices to appease Judgment/Jigsaw. They prove that the games are winnable. The main male characters are killed or left to die: Zep, Dr. Gordon, Adam, Tapp, Sing, Paul, and Mark because they can't, don't, or won't make the proper sacrifices in time. However, the women all do and survive. I think this comments on how women are seen as more likely to give a sacrifice than men are.
It's almost as if the female characters are more willing and better able to survive adversity. The women survivors are fighters and rebel against the men who victimize them. Allison and Diana fight back against Zep, so they can escape. They sacrifice safety and possibly their lives, by challenging their armed kidnapper. They could have waited and hoped to be saved, but rather showed that they value their lives by becoming their own saviors. Amanda kills the man in the room in order to get the key that frees her from the trap that would have torn apart mouth/head and killed her. She doesn't want to kill someone else, but realizes that she has no choice and must do it. As a drug addict, she spends most of her time in a daze or looking for a fix, avoiding problems and strife. But in order to survive her game, she must give ignorance and passivity away and act. She does take control and in turn, saves her own life.
But in Saw III, there is a complete reversal. All the main women - Detective Kerry, Amanda, and Lynn Denlon all die. But their deaths are not due to their own actions, but rather the actions of other male characters. Detective Kerry retrieved the key needed to save her from her trap. But the trap was rigged and she could not escape. I would argue Kerry would have escaped Amanda's original trap, but it was tampered with by Hoffman (implied through later movies). Amanda was forced to into her 2nd game and Hoffman's interference (through the letter) is what drives her to shoot Lynn and in turn suffer her husband Jeff's wrath. Finally, Lynn Denlon made the sacrifices necessary to survive her trap and would have survived Amanda's gunshot. But her husband Jeff's desire for vengeance lead to her own death even though she tried to stop him.
While I am not positive, I think the reversal may have been due to the writers wanting to close a number of plot threads. Detective Kerry was the first closed link and confirmed death in the Detective Matthews story line and leads into Officer Rigg's tests. Amanda's death ties in with the death of Jigsaw. He may have done it to save her from what would be a torturous fight with Hoffman. I got the distinct impression that he was relieved she had died, because he wouldn't have to worry about her. Finally, Lynn Denlon adds further to Jeff's wrath and pushes him over the edge, eventually leading to his accidental death at the hands of Special Agent Strahm. That allows all the loose ends from Jeff's test to be tied up.
***Another note about the survivor women in Saw I. They are silenced until they fight back. Amanda's trap fits over the head and to her jaws, so she can't move them. Alison and Diana are gagged and while they are removed temporarily to talk with Lawrence on the phone, they are replaced. The gags are only fully removed when they fight back and escape. Interesting commentary on how women find power when their voices.
Interestingly, in Saw I, the real survivors of Jigsaw's games are all the main female characters. Amanda, Alison Gordon, and Diana Gordon win their games by fighting and making the necessary sacrifices to appease Judgment/Jigsaw. They prove that the games are winnable. The main male characters are killed or left to die: Zep, Dr. Gordon, Adam, Tapp, Sing, Paul, and Mark because they can't, don't, or won't make the proper sacrifices in time. However, the women all do and survive. I think this comments on how women are seen as more likely to give a sacrifice than men are.
It's almost as if the female characters are more willing and better able to survive adversity. The women survivors are fighters and rebel against the men who victimize them. Allison and Diana fight back against Zep, so they can escape. They sacrifice safety and possibly their lives, by challenging their armed kidnapper. They could have waited and hoped to be saved, but rather showed that they value their lives by becoming their own saviors. Amanda kills the man in the room in order to get the key that frees her from the trap that would have torn apart mouth/head and killed her. She doesn't want to kill someone else, but realizes that she has no choice and must do it. As a drug addict, she spends most of her time in a daze or looking for a fix, avoiding problems and strife. But in order to survive her game, she must give ignorance and passivity away and act. She does take control and in turn, saves her own life.
But in Saw III, there is a complete reversal. All the main women - Detective Kerry, Amanda, and Lynn Denlon all die. But their deaths are not due to their own actions, but rather the actions of other male characters. Detective Kerry retrieved the key needed to save her from her trap. But the trap was rigged and she could not escape. I would argue Kerry would have escaped Amanda's original trap, but it was tampered with by Hoffman (implied through later movies). Amanda was forced to into her 2nd game and Hoffman's interference (through the letter) is what drives her to shoot Lynn and in turn suffer her husband Jeff's wrath. Finally, Lynn Denlon made the sacrifices necessary to survive her trap and would have survived Amanda's gunshot. But her husband Jeff's desire for vengeance lead to her own death even though she tried to stop him.
While I am not positive, I think the reversal may have been due to the writers wanting to close a number of plot threads. Detective Kerry was the first closed link and confirmed death in the Detective Matthews story line and leads into Officer Rigg's tests. Amanda's death ties in with the death of Jigsaw. He may have done it to save her from what would be a torturous fight with Hoffman. I got the distinct impression that he was relieved she had died, because he wouldn't have to worry about her. Finally, Lynn Denlon adds further to Jeff's wrath and pushes him over the edge, eventually leading to his accidental death at the hands of Special Agent Strahm. That allows all the loose ends from Jeff's test to be tied up.
***Another note about the survivor women in Saw I. They are silenced until they fight back. Amanda's trap fits over the head and to her jaws, so she can't move them. Alison and Diana are gagged and while they are removed temporarily to talk with Lawrence on the phone, they are replaced. The gags are only fully removed when they fight back and escape. Interesting commentary on how women find power when their voices.
Saw I: The Sacrifices We Must Make to Live
In the first installment of The Horror Essay Series, I will focus on Saw I. I will warn you, there may be spoilers, so you might want to watch the movie first! If not, read at your own peril.
If I do decide to add/edit these essays for print publication, I will add more references and footnotes. But the information in this essay is the compilation of my observation/knowledge of the movie and what I've learned about myth, psychology, archetypes, and symbols over the course of my life. This is my own thoughts and feelings. If you would like to share it, great! But please give credit where it is due. And now to the essay...
I've chosen to focus on Saw I, as I feel that it best captures the essence of the Saw movies. It is the truest to both Leigh Whannell and James Wan's original vision. I also find that it is the best written, perhaps because it had been edited several times before it was made, while the later entries had less time, as each sequel comes out at Halloween the next year. That gives only one year for writing, creating, editing, and marketing – not a lot of time at all. So, the other movies often feel more rushed and frenetic, almost primal – focused on survival and the traps. Saw I feels slower, more complex and thoughtful. It is more dramatic and suspense filled than it's more gore-filled sisters. It's a modern morality play, told in the form of a horror film.
Saw is about two men, Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who wake up in a bathroom, chained to pipes on opposite walls. A dead man lies between them, the victim of an apparent suicide. They listen to the audio tapes in their pockets and discover that they are "playing a game". The goal of the game is for Lawrence to kill Adam before a clock hits 6pm (roughly 6 hours from when they first hear the tapes) or his wife and child will be killed. Adam's goal is to stop Dr. Gordon from killing him. After the game rules are set, Lawrence realizes they are victims of the "Jigsaw” killer, John. This killer doesn't actually kill anyone by his own hand, but rather creates complex situations that his victims must escape from. The escapes often involve brutality and violence. Now, Lawrence and Adam must challenge themselves to see who far they will go to save themselves and family.
There are many themes running through Saw I, but I think there are two main themes: life and sacrifice. They figure into every "game" and every character encounters them in some form. It is that bond that links their games together into one complete story.
Life and the desire to continue living are the driving force and goal of these games. The chance to live is ultimately the most basic human need. It is the reason for all other needs. If we're not alive, then we can't perform other basic needs, like breathing, sleeping, eating, having sex, drinking, never mind creating a shelter, family, or community. Once you're dead, there is nothing you need. It's literally “game over.”
Sacrifice is an ancient idea. It comes from the Latin words sacer and facere. Sacer means to set apart something from the secular. Facere means to make. So, the ancient definition of sacrifice is an action makes something holy by setting it apart. A more modern and appropriate definition is this - a sacrifice is when we give away something valuable, so that something even more valuable may be gained. It is gesture that usually requires a part of ourselves. In the games, Jigsaw requires the players to sacrifice something important and necessary (usually flesh and blood) in order to save their life (the most valuable prize of all).
Jigsaw chooses his victims from the people he knows and observes. He is the omnipotent watcher, who can see into the minds and hearts of others. He is knowledgeable about human nature. Jigsaw, as a detached party, sees how and where his victims have gone wrong in their lives. He is Judgment personified. Judgment is different than just being a judge, jury, and executioner. Judgment is a force, that holds all people must be held accountable for their lives. They then reap the benefits of their actions or be tested in order to prove they deserve their life. The games/punishments that Jigsaw meters out as Judgment are often related to the player's sins and crimes. However, they are not always fair and widely vary in their severity. It is important to note that Jigsaw doesn't see the players as victims, but rather participants. The rules are often wide enough to allow people to make their own decisions regarding their behaviors and reactions to the games.
In the main game of Saw I, the Bathroom Trap, we find that Jigsaw has found that both Adam and Dr Gordon need to be tested. Adam is found to be guilty of “simply (sitting) in the shadows, watching others live out their lives." Jigsaw asks: "But what do voyeurs see when they look into the mirror? Now, I see you as a strange mix of someone angry and yet apathetic. But mostly just pathetic.” Adam isn't truly alive to Jigsaw because rather than actually living, experiencing, and enjoying his life, he watches others. Adam must survive and through that learn to appreciate his life and opportunities he has. Dr. Gordon's flaws are just as repelent to Jigsaw. In various scenes and montages, we see Lawrence being cold and clinical with patients, rude and dismissive of co-workers who he thinks are beneath him, choosing work over his daughter, and cheating on his wife. Lawrence must sacrifice his moral, ethical, and professional ethics and identity to kill Adam. The act of murder is the opposite of what he has sworn to do as a doctor. But he must do it or else lose his family. Here, the goal is to not only win the game, but also find a way out, since they are both locked in place by thick chains which they do not have the keys to.
For another example, in the Razor Wire Trap, we discover that Paul, the player, was recently hospitalized for attempting to commit suicide by cutting his wrists. Jigsaw sees him as unworthy of the full life that he has. So, as Judgment, he challenges Paul to show him that is he worthy and grateful for the blessings of this life. He requests Paul to cut himself over and over, giving a sacrifice of blood, to escape the maze set in front of him and to stay alive. Jigsaw comments on the tape for this trap: “Hello Paul. You are a perfectly, healthy, sane, middle-class male. Yet last month, you ran a straight razor across your wrists. Did you cut yourself because you truly wanted to die, or did you just want some attention? Tonight, you’ll show me. The irony is that if you want to die, you just have to stay where you are. But if you want to live, you’ll have to cut yourself again. Find the path through the razor wire to the door. But hurry. At 3:00 that door will lock and then this room becomes your tomb. How much blood will you shed to stay alive, Paul?” However, Paul is unable to make it through the maze in time and dies. He is cut so deeply that stomach acid is found mixed with the blood, but this is not enough. He dies by blood loss.
Saw I is a modern morality play and cautionary tale. The lessons we are supposed to learn from it center around its two major themes - life and sacrifice. We learn that if we don't cherish our lives or honor our blessings, we will be brought to Judgment and tested in order to prove our worth. We must face the reality of our actions and their consequences, and try to make amends. The price we will pay is high. And in Saw, the thing we must sacrifice is often a literal a piece of ourselves, namely our own flesh and blood.
If I do decide to add/edit these essays for print publication, I will add more references and footnotes. But the information in this essay is the compilation of my observation/knowledge of the movie and what I've learned about myth, psychology, archetypes, and symbols over the course of my life. This is my own thoughts and feelings. If you would like to share it, great! But please give credit where it is due. And now to the essay...
I've chosen to focus on Saw I, as I feel that it best captures the essence of the Saw movies. It is the truest to both Leigh Whannell and James Wan's original vision. I also find that it is the best written, perhaps because it had been edited several times before it was made, while the later entries had less time, as each sequel comes out at Halloween the next year. That gives only one year for writing, creating, editing, and marketing – not a lot of time at all. So, the other movies often feel more rushed and frenetic, almost primal – focused on survival and the traps. Saw I feels slower, more complex and thoughtful. It is more dramatic and suspense filled than it's more gore-filled sisters. It's a modern morality play, told in the form of a horror film.
Saw is about two men, Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who wake up in a bathroom, chained to pipes on opposite walls. A dead man lies between them, the victim of an apparent suicide. They listen to the audio tapes in their pockets and discover that they are "playing a game". The goal of the game is for Lawrence to kill Adam before a clock hits 6pm (roughly 6 hours from when they first hear the tapes) or his wife and child will be killed. Adam's goal is to stop Dr. Gordon from killing him. After the game rules are set, Lawrence realizes they are victims of the "Jigsaw” killer, John. This killer doesn't actually kill anyone by his own hand, but rather creates complex situations that his victims must escape from. The escapes often involve brutality and violence. Now, Lawrence and Adam must challenge themselves to see who far they will go to save themselves and family.
There are many themes running through Saw I, but I think there are two main themes: life and sacrifice. They figure into every "game" and every character encounters them in some form. It is that bond that links their games together into one complete story.
Life and the desire to continue living are the driving force and goal of these games. The chance to live is ultimately the most basic human need. It is the reason for all other needs. If we're not alive, then we can't perform other basic needs, like breathing, sleeping, eating, having sex, drinking, never mind creating a shelter, family, or community. Once you're dead, there is nothing you need. It's literally “game over.”
Sacrifice is an ancient idea. It comes from the Latin words sacer and facere. Sacer means to set apart something from the secular. Facere means to make. So, the ancient definition of sacrifice is an action makes something holy by setting it apart. A more modern and appropriate definition is this - a sacrifice is when we give away something valuable, so that something even more valuable may be gained. It is gesture that usually requires a part of ourselves. In the games, Jigsaw requires the players to sacrifice something important and necessary (usually flesh and blood) in order to save their life (the most valuable prize of all).
Jigsaw chooses his victims from the people he knows and observes. He is the omnipotent watcher, who can see into the minds and hearts of others. He is knowledgeable about human nature. Jigsaw, as a detached party, sees how and where his victims have gone wrong in their lives. He is Judgment personified. Judgment is different than just being a judge, jury, and executioner. Judgment is a force, that holds all people must be held accountable for their lives. They then reap the benefits of their actions or be tested in order to prove they deserve their life. The games/punishments that Jigsaw meters out as Judgment are often related to the player's sins and crimes. However, they are not always fair and widely vary in their severity. It is important to note that Jigsaw doesn't see the players as victims, but rather participants. The rules are often wide enough to allow people to make their own decisions regarding their behaviors and reactions to the games.
In the main game of Saw I, the Bathroom Trap, we find that Jigsaw has found that both Adam and Dr Gordon need to be tested. Adam is found to be guilty of “simply (sitting) in the shadows, watching others live out their lives." Jigsaw asks: "But what do voyeurs see when they look into the mirror? Now, I see you as a strange mix of someone angry and yet apathetic. But mostly just pathetic.” Adam isn't truly alive to Jigsaw because rather than actually living, experiencing, and enjoying his life, he watches others. Adam must survive and through that learn to appreciate his life and opportunities he has. Dr. Gordon's flaws are just as repelent to Jigsaw. In various scenes and montages, we see Lawrence being cold and clinical with patients, rude and dismissive of co-workers who he thinks are beneath him, choosing work over his daughter, and cheating on his wife. Lawrence must sacrifice his moral, ethical, and professional ethics and identity to kill Adam. The act of murder is the opposite of what he has sworn to do as a doctor. But he must do it or else lose his family. Here, the goal is to not only win the game, but also find a way out, since they are both locked in place by thick chains which they do not have the keys to.
For another example, in the Razor Wire Trap, we discover that Paul, the player, was recently hospitalized for attempting to commit suicide by cutting his wrists. Jigsaw sees him as unworthy of the full life that he has. So, as Judgment, he challenges Paul to show him that is he worthy and grateful for the blessings of this life. He requests Paul to cut himself over and over, giving a sacrifice of blood, to escape the maze set in front of him and to stay alive. Jigsaw comments on the tape for this trap: “Hello Paul. You are a perfectly, healthy, sane, middle-class male. Yet last month, you ran a straight razor across your wrists. Did you cut yourself because you truly wanted to die, or did you just want some attention? Tonight, you’ll show me. The irony is that if you want to die, you just have to stay where you are. But if you want to live, you’ll have to cut yourself again. Find the path through the razor wire to the door. But hurry. At 3:00 that door will lock and then this room becomes your tomb. How much blood will you shed to stay alive, Paul?” However, Paul is unable to make it through the maze in time and dies. He is cut so deeply that stomach acid is found mixed with the blood, but this is not enough. He dies by blood loss.
Saw I is a modern morality play and cautionary tale. The lessons we are supposed to learn from it center around its two major themes - life and sacrifice. We learn that if we don't cherish our lives or honor our blessings, we will be brought to Judgment and tested in order to prove our worth. We must face the reality of our actions and their consequences, and try to make amends. The price we will pay is high. And in Saw, the thing we must sacrifice is often a literal a piece of ourselves, namely our own flesh and blood.
Why horror? Introduction to The Horror Essay Series
As a horror fan, writer, and student, I find that people tend to have a very marked reaction to the horror genre (films, books, comics). They either love it or hate it, with no room for ambivalence. I think that is due to the material that it covers. I'm not just talking man-made monsters, like Frankenstein or supernatural ones, like Dracula. I'm going beyond the slashers, like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. I'm moving past the places where evil works, like cemeteries, dreams, or Miskatonic University. I am going to the very heart of it: horror is created in the land of metaphor and subconscious. We need horror, since it functions as a way for us to handle and explore harsh realities, taboos, and the shadow self as the monster within.
Horror allows us to face harsh realities. By making the real fictional, we disengage and are better able to deal with it. We can place a distance between "us" and "it" or "the other." For example, we can explore and understand the horrors of torture, like what occurred in Guantanamo Bay, in the Hostel movies. In Hostel, young people are lured to an Eastern European hostel and reformed warehouse. There, powerful, rich executives pay to torture their prey in anyway they see fit, without repercussions. In Guantanamo, we saw soldiers treat the incarcerated as if they were less than people. They treated with without respect to their life or any dignity. They were tortured physically, mentally, and sexually, much like the prey in the Hostel movie.
Horror allows us to explore the taboo in a way that is social acceptable. It gives us permission to act out taboos in our minds and fantasies. In this case, we look to Hellraiser. One of the themes of Hellraiser is sadomasochism and going beyond everyday sensations, like skin being ripped off of muscle and sinew. Through the actions of the characters, like Frank, we can experience S&M through arresting images and the sight of blood dripping from hook-pierced flesh. Our society sees sex as a very dirty act, best left locked away. Through, Hellraiser, we can "open the box" when Frank does, seeking pleasure and the excitement of untold pleasures that are not "discussed in polite society."
Horror also allows us for a time to pretend that we are monsters, the things we delegate to the darkness and underground. We become "the other" without having to actually suffer the consequences. We become vampires, filled with a desperate, passionate nature, a desire to drink human blood, and power linked to supernatural abilities. We become The Phantom of the Opera walking triumphantly down the stairs as "The Red Death" to expose the hypocrisies of the crowd. We become werewolves, reaching in to our wild, base natures in time with the full moon. We become zombies, without any thoughts but the need to eat live, human flesh. We become Cenobites, Dream Demons, Cold-hearted Killers, and the Things that Go Bump in the Night.
In this once a month series, I will (tentatively) discuss the following movies/books:
Saw: The Sacrifices We Must Make to Live
Dexter: The Monster Lives Next Door
Hostel: Why Do Torture and Politics Come Together
The Phantom of the Opera: Love, Desperation, and Unveiling the Truth
American Pyscho: Sociopathic Societies
Nightmare on Elm Street: The Demons in our Dreams and Unconscious
Night of the Living Dead: The Social Mores and Everyday Prejudices We Allow
The Omen: Fighting the Evil We Birth
Hellraiser: Going Beyond the Limits
Seven: Judging Sin and Choosing the Punishments
Final Destination: Trying to Defying Death
It: The Fear We Grow Up With
Friday the 13th the Series: The Ends to Which We Will Go
I hope you all liked my small introduction to The Horror Essay Series I am working on. Once a month, I plan to take key horror films/books listed above and explore some of their themes and meanings in today's world. I will most likely edit and revise them, but I will post the first drafts here for you all to read and enjoy. I hope you like my upcoming analysis and will post your thoughts and reactions.
And if you get scared, just remember, "It's only fiction."
Horror allows us to face harsh realities. By making the real fictional, we disengage and are better able to deal with it. We can place a distance between "us" and "it" or "the other." For example, we can explore and understand the horrors of torture, like what occurred in Guantanamo Bay, in the Hostel movies. In Hostel, young people are lured to an Eastern European hostel and reformed warehouse. There, powerful, rich executives pay to torture their prey in anyway they see fit, without repercussions. In Guantanamo, we saw soldiers treat the incarcerated as if they were less than people. They treated with without respect to their life or any dignity. They were tortured physically, mentally, and sexually, much like the prey in the Hostel movie.
Horror allows us to explore the taboo in a way that is social acceptable. It gives us permission to act out taboos in our minds and fantasies. In this case, we look to Hellraiser. One of the themes of Hellraiser is sadomasochism and going beyond everyday sensations, like skin being ripped off of muscle and sinew. Through the actions of the characters, like Frank, we can experience S&M through arresting images and the sight of blood dripping from hook-pierced flesh. Our society sees sex as a very dirty act, best left locked away. Through, Hellraiser, we can "open the box" when Frank does, seeking pleasure and the excitement of untold pleasures that are not "discussed in polite society."
Horror also allows us for a time to pretend that we are monsters, the things we delegate to the darkness and underground. We become "the other" without having to actually suffer the consequences. We become vampires, filled with a desperate, passionate nature, a desire to drink human blood, and power linked to supernatural abilities. We become The Phantom of the Opera walking triumphantly down the stairs as "The Red Death" to expose the hypocrisies of the crowd. We become werewolves, reaching in to our wild, base natures in time with the full moon. We become zombies, without any thoughts but the need to eat live, human flesh. We become Cenobites, Dream Demons, Cold-hearted Killers, and the Things that Go Bump in the Night.
In this once a month series, I will (tentatively) discuss the following movies/books:
Saw: The Sacrifices We Must Make to Live
Dexter: The Monster Lives Next Door
Hostel: Why Do Torture and Politics Come Together
The Phantom of the Opera: Love, Desperation, and Unveiling the Truth
American Pyscho: Sociopathic Societies
Nightmare on Elm Street: The Demons in our Dreams and Unconscious
Night of the Living Dead: The Social Mores and Everyday Prejudices We Allow
The Omen: Fighting the Evil We Birth
Hellraiser: Going Beyond the Limits
Seven: Judging Sin and Choosing the Punishments
Final Destination: Trying to Defying Death
It: The Fear We Grow Up With
Friday the 13th the Series: The Ends to Which We Will Go
I hope you all liked my small introduction to The Horror Essay Series I am working on. Once a month, I plan to take key horror films/books listed above and explore some of their themes and meanings in today's world. I will most likely edit and revise them, but I will post the first drafts here for you all to read and enjoy. I hope you like my upcoming analysis and will post your thoughts and reactions.
And if you get scared, just remember, "It's only fiction."
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