February Attractions

I am still working on my Saw/Buddhism articles. I currently have one on the first Noble Truth (Life is Suffering) and the first part of the Eight-fold Path (Right View) started. I will keep working on them and writing about Saw, but will also be writing on other horror stories. This month I will be writing about Friday the 13th the Series.

I am starting a new job this Monday, so posts may be a bit slow, but they are coming.

Saw VI Tag Line

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...

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.