Fellow Saw lovers, the time has come for a very important anniversary for the franchise. And potentially, it’s a chance to make some folks feel very old. The Saw 20th anniversary is this October 20th, and it’ll return to theaters in its uncut form. Saw was spawned from a short film (of the same name) by both Leigh Whannell and James Wan , graced the horror sphere in 2004, put Whannell and Wan on the map, and since then, Saw has endured as a franchise. With Saw X being its latest installment and an upcoming Saw XI (currently slated for a 2026 release).
If you’re somewhat unfamiliar with the franchise or need a refresher for the first Saw, I got you. Saw is told through nonlinear events involving two men chained up in a rundown bathroom by a serial killer named Jigsaw. And from that bathroom spawned what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic modern horror franchises.
The impact that Saw has had on horror is noticeable, and it’s often marked as the “torture porn” franchise. Meanwhile, it helped popularize the survival/death game subgenre in the United States. And there’s more to the films than the gore, traps, and overall distorted ideologies of John Kramer (Tobin Bell). It’s a franchise that challenges us to think about our measures of pain and punishment.
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However, the first Saw is the least gory in comparison to the entries that came after. But it’s often remembered as gorier and that response is akin to another iconic horror entry, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Naturally the violence and gory imagery was amped up post Saw and that’s part of what made folks return again and again.
On top of delighting the gorehounds and creating horror icons with Kramer and his Jigsquad, the franchise has had queer fans since the beginning. Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam Steinhight (Leigh Whannell) were the first popular slash ship to spawn in the Sawniverse (as I like to call it). They even have their own ship’s name, Chainshipping. From there, we got more ships, including but not limited to Shotgunshipping (Amanda Young and Dr. Lynn Denlon), Coffinshipping (Mark Hoffman and Peter Strahm), and more. As someone who is part of more than one Saw Discord server, the queer fanbase is still thriving.
It’s still important as ever to discuss diversity within a fanbase because marginalized communities aren’t always taken into account. With a franchise like Saw, one might not think very many BIPOC and or queer people would flock to it. As a Black queer person, I can attest that we do exist in this fandom, and our love for the Saw franchise is valid. On occasion, folks who are marginalized are driven out of fandom spaces and told (directly or indirectly) that we don’t belong. Thus leading myself and others to join or foster our own small communities on Tumblr and Discord for example. I’ve found that on both platforms and it’s only strengthened my love for the franchise.
In fact, Saw X took place in Mexico and And at Fantastic Fest 2023, EIC of But Why Tho? Kate Sánchez asked the producers of Saw X why Mexico City was chosen for the location. During the answering of that question, it was confirmed that a third of Saw’s audience is Latin American.
Despite how it might not seem that serious, Saw is a horror film that a lot of folks have on their list of favorites, and this upcoming anniversary is exciting for plenty of horror fans across the board. The film helped build Wan and Whannell’s respective careers in horror and the film industry. Saw as a franchise has given us iconic characters, moments, Billy the Puppet, and will continue to carry on as a fandom. If you are able to safely visit your local theater and experience the film on the big screen, potentially for the first time, you absolutely should. The iconic ending likely hits differently with that surround sound and surrounded by other fans.
The Saw 20th anniversary Fathom Event begins in theaters nationwide on October 20, 2024.
