Warning: This post contains spoilers for Saw X!
Saw X production designer Anthony Stabley explains how he and his team went to great lengths to create a callback to the original movie in the sequel’s post-credits sequence. The latest installment of the Saw franchise takes place between the events of the original film and 2005’s Saw II. For the first time, Tobin Bell’s John Kramer takes center stage in the lead role as he travels to Mexico for a medical procedure to deal with his cancer. When the experimental procedure is revealed as a scam to defraud the sick, John vows to teach the con artists a lesson using his classic Jigsaw methods.
The Saw X post-credit scene shows John torturing the con-man who referred him to the scam medical procedure in the first place. In a surprise reveal, he is joined by Costas Mandylor’s Mark Hoffman, a long-running villain of the franchise. However, what connects this scene to the original Saw is that it takes place in the iconic bathroom that served as the prime setting for the 2004 horror classic. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, production designer Stabley explained how he and his team had to study the bathroom from the original film, saying:
“We looked at the tile, we were very precise in the way we recreated that…My set designers were pulling their hair a little because we wanted it to be so true. It’s so iconic, so it was something that we were very excited to recreate”.
What Saw X Could Mean For The Future Of The Franchise
Saw X has received the most positive reviews of any movie in the series thus far and earned the highest domestic opening weekend of any Saw film since 2010, a deeply impressive feat for the tenth film in a franchise. It is a return to form for a series that has been hit-or-miss, with many praising the characterization of John Kramer and the depiction of his relationship with his apprentice Amanda, portrayed by Shawnee Smith. Saw X also sharply deals with John’s struggles with the for-profit healthcare system, reminiscent of another high point for the franchise, Saw VI, which had John take on the private insurance industry.
Regarding whether there could be a Saw 11 next, the appearance of Hoffman in the post-credits scene appears to set up another installment in the franchise. The creative team has been careful not to commit to a follow-up, though Saw X director Kevin Greutert told Entertainment Weekly that they were “superstitious about discussing” more potential sequels before finding out how this installment performed at the box office. With the new movie earning some of the best reviews of the franchise and looking at a solid box office run, Jigsaw and his games could very well return for more.
