An early opportunity for Guillermo del Toro to direct the iconic serial killer film, Se7en, could have had major repercussions on the popular horror franchise, Saw.
Guillermo del Toro has worked hard to become one of the leading names in the film industry; the director’s diverse career has covered everything from gothic ghost stories, to superhero franchises, to Oscar-winning creature features. Del Toro’s first film, Cronos, came out in 1993. The director also experienced many unrealized projects during the ‘90s as he tried to figure out the best way to build his reputation as a genre filmmaker.
Del Toro’s next movie was ultimately 1997’s Mimic, an intimate monster movie that he wrote and directed. Mimic spawned a number of sequels and felt like a proper steppingstone for del Toro’s career. However, for a moment it appeared that the director’s follow-up to Cronos would be the bleak serial killer drama, Se7en, which in turn could have drastically changed the style of James Wan’s Saw as a result. Here’s how.
Se7en is a moody drama that follows the hunt for an enigmatic serial killer who disposes of his victims in accordance to the seven deadly sins. It’s a disturbing premise that intentionally confronts humanity’s darker impulses. Se7en became a formative film for David Fincher, whose accomplished career often shines a light on serial killers. Before Fincher’s attachment, Se7en was offered to del Toro, who turned it down due to the script’s harsh perspective. Se7en views the world in black and white terms, whereas del Toro is a romantic at heart and his horror movies are more inclined to feel like haunted fairy tales, perhaps best represented in Pan’s Labyrinth. Del Toro’s take on Se7en would have possibly masked itself in a similar level of fantasy and surrealism, perhaps as a result of the sliding mental states of either Brad Pitt or Morgan Freeman’s characters. This is a very different take on the material, which ultimately would be a disservice to the story. Se7en is all about how the overwhelming evil in the world can persevere and consume the good. It’s a dark movie that becomes increasingly nihilistic; it’s important that Se7en’s tone embraces this rather than shy away from it.
Alternatively, if del Toro was forced to follow through with a more aggressive and haunted approach to Se7en then it’d likely feel even more like the sadistic torture with a moral imperative that’s present in Saw. The most fascinating thing to consider here is that this darker version of Se7en, under Guillermo del Toro’s direction, could have made Saw’s twisted retribution seem repetitive and irrelevant. Saw draws inspiration from Se7en’s brutality, but they’re very different films with contrasting messages. The Saw franchise has made such a major impact on the horror genre that it’s almost impossible to consider how it’d be different if those movies didn’t exist or had to focus more on Jigsaw’s motivations rather than the graphic and claustrophobic means in which he exacts justice.
Guillermo del Toro has voiced his distaste on empty violence and horror. Not to mention, he shares a personal connection to all of the stories that he tells. If del Toro were pushed to make Se7en during the beginning of his career and compromise these ideals, he also might have gotten stuck doing more generic horror movies and franchise fare rather than the wildly eclectic genre filmography that he’s instead been able to create. Del Toro went on to face one of the worst directorial experiences of his career with Mimic due to studio interference, but it’s unlikely Se7en would have been a better decision for the burgeoning director, especially if the Saw movies needed to pivot as a result. Mimic is much more in tone with del Toro’s sensibilities, just like how Se7en aligns more with the ethos of David Fincher.
Key Release Dates
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Release Date:2021-05-14
