A brilliant theory connects Saw to another controversial horror franchise through one of its main characters, potentially creating a disturbing horror universe. The horror genre is packed with franchises from different subgenres, and among the most successful ones is the Saw franchise. The world of Jigsaw began in 2004 with James Wan’s Saw, which introduced viewers to John Kramer a.k.a. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), who tests his victims’ will to live by subjecting them to deadly “games” and traps that inflict great physical pain, pushing them to do unimaginable things to survive.
The Saw franchise has expanded to a total of 10 movies (with an 11th installment in development), video games, comic books, and even theme park attractions, but it’s a contained universe. Saw hasn’t crossed over with other horror franchises nor does it have any details that could link it to other horror universes, but one fan theory suggests Saw is part of the same universe as the Hostel franchise, all based on one seemingly unimportant detail in Hostel: Part II.
Related
Every Single Saw Movie (In Chronological Order)
Placing all of the Saw movies in order may be more difficult than many casual fans of the franchise realize, with the timeline often being confusing.
Theory: Saw’s Amanda Young Founded Hostel’s Elite Hunting
One detail in Hostel: Part II could link both franchises.
Given the design of Kramer’s traps, few of his victims survived, and the first known survivor was Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith). Kramer targeted Amanda because of her past substance use disorder, with Kramer deciding that she took her health and life for granted and thus needed to be taught a lesson. Amanda would go on to have a bigger role in the Saw franchise than just the first survivor of Jigsaw’s twisted “games”, and she returned in Saw II as part of a new group of targets – except she was actually working with Kramer, becoming his apprentice.
During the events of Saw III, it was revealed that Amanda had completely ignored Kramer’s modus operandi and designed inescapable traps that would kill the victim no matter what, as she believed they wouldn’t learn anything. Kramer put her through a test to see if she would be able to carry on with his work, but Amanda failed the test and was killed by Jeff Denlon, with John dying shortly after. Now, a theory shared on Reddit gives Amanda’s fate a twist based on one detail in another gore franchise: Hostel.
In Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II, when Beth (Lauren German) is at the mansion of the leader of the Elite Hunting Club, a portrait of a woman can be seen there, and she looks a lot like Saw’s Amanda Young. The author of the theory suggests that Saw and Hostel are part of the same universe, with Hostel being an alternate timeline derived from Saw in which Amanda passed her test and inherited Kramer’s fortune and “mission”. After getting rid of her rivals, Amanda used the money to found the Elite Hunting Club, hence why there was a portrait of her in the mansion.
The author adds that this moment of Beth at the mansion and the portrait being shown foreshadows Beth going from “tortured to torturer”, which is exactly what happened to Amanda in the Saw franchise and could also be why Sasha, the leader of the EHC, accepted Beth’s deal at the end of Hostel: Part II, as she reminded him of his boss.
Elite Hunting Is A Twisted Continuation Of Jigsaw’s Legacy
Jigsaw had a purpose.
As mentioned above, Kramer puts his victims through these elaborate and deadly traps to torture them physically and mentally to make them appreciate life. Of course, this doesn’t justify the horrible things his tests were put through and all the deaths he caused through his “games”, but he had a clear purpose. Hostel’s Elite Hunting is similar to what Jigsaw did in terms of both involving torture and death, but Elite Hunting didn’t have a “goal” like Kramer’s. Instead, Elite Hunting is all about rich people paying to torture other people, but these “sessions” always have to end with the death of the victim.
After seeing what Amanda did in Saw II with her inescapable traps, it makes sense that, in an alternate timeline, she could have pretended long enough to inherit Kramer’s money and “mission” and thus found something like Elite Hunting, where she could not only kill for the sake of it but also make a profit.
How This Theory Changes Saw & Hostel Franchises
Is there a Saw/Hostel multiverse?
This theory of Saw’s Amanda founding Hostel’s Elite Hunting Club would make her the most dangerous character in the Saw franchise. Amanda passing her test in Saw II but going on to found something like Elite Hunting Club would show that she was only taking advantage of Kramer, but that once she got what she wanted and needed, she finally carried on with her own, horrible, deadly plans. The theory would also mean that many, if not all, of the victims after Saw II never became a target.
At the same time, the theory would mean that Amanda is responsible for the deaths of many people while she makes money out of them, and she no longer has to get her hands dirty. The theory brings together two gore franchises in a surprising and believable way, but also makes Amanda Young a truly terrifying character.
