Only weeks after the events of the first Saw movie John Kramer continues to struggle with his terminal cancer diagnosis in Saw X. When he believes he has found a miracle cure he travels to Mexico with newfound hope only for it to be crushed when he learns that it was all a lie told by a group of con artists. Enraged and with a newfound purpose, John Kramer and his apprentice abduct and subject the con artists that lied to him and many other victims to a series of deadly and bone-chilling new traps.
Saw X stars Ton Bell reprising his role as the iconic John Kramer with Shawnee Smith also returning as Amanda Young. Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Michael Beach, and Renata Vaca are newcomers to the iconic horror franchise. Kevin Greutert directed Saw X from a script written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. Mark Burg and Oren Koules serve as producers for the movie.
Director Kevin Greutert and production designer Anthony Stabley spoke with Screen Rant about their new horror movie Saw X. Greutert explained how working as an editor on the early Saw movies helped prepare him to tackle the franchise as a director and revealed which of the early Saw movies he was most impacted by when re-watching them to prepare for this movie. Stabley shared how Greutert’s experience helped him and where they found inspiration for the traps.
Kevin Greutert & Anthony Stabley Talk Saw X
Screen Rant: I think Saw’s at its best when it’s centered around the John Kramer character. He feels like the Punisher of the horror genre, especially in this one, because we get to see a more humanized side of him. Kevin, you’ve been on this franchise since the beginning. Can you talk to me about how working as an editor helped you prepare to be in the director’s chair?
Kevin Greutert: Making these films work did require a lot of ingenuity in editorial that James Wan brought to the table, because that film was shot on such a short schedule and with so little money that we didn’t really have all the pieces that we needed. The editing room became kind of a laboratory of creativity that made us really think outside the box. James and I shot stuff with my regular camera to supplement, and we did a lot of work in After Effects.
In the long run, as I started to work more on the series, I would recommend, “We need this kind of coverage. And don’t be shy about getting this, that, and the other,” because the trap scenes are comprised of lots of little units of information. I don’t even know how many different camera setups that were in this film, but probably thousands. I shot so much on this movie, and the actors were ready to strangle me. Because that’s what it takes to make it all work.
Anthony Stabley: But I think Kevin’s background in editing really helped us so much. The director of photography, Nick Matthews, and myself? This is our first Saw film. For us, it was like we had somebody that was really guiding us. When we talk about those inserts and those components that we needed, we had a lot of little gears and chains being pulled. We needed to see this moving, or this aspect of the trap needed to be emphasized so that the audience would feel it was real. It was really great to have Kevin on board as our guide.
And then we brought that fresh aspect, or fresh eyes, in addition to the fact that we were shooting in Mexico. That was really an added layer that I truly believe the audiences are going to appreciate.
Anthony, I love the traps in this film. Where do you draw that inspiration from to get some of these crazy sadistic traps?
Anthony Stabley: Yeah, I think they come from a couple of different areas. First of all, we always want to make sure that the audience believes that John Kramer made these traps, because sometimes it can get a little out of hand; a little too much. Number two, we were in Mexico, so we pulled from some of that lore and that mythology.
The other aspect is that we’re in the actual factory, so we wanted to make sure those traps were integrated, and it was believable. And the last aspect is that we have this medical theme, so each of these traps are designed for each of these characters. There was a purpose and a lot of thought put behind it. I think that was the approach.
Kevin Greutert: And we’re both lapsed Catholics.
Anthony Stabley: Yeah, there’s a little bit of iconography. We both went to Catholic school. You can look it up; you’ll see. The Spanish Inquisition was another part of it, too.
Kevin, this isn’t your first time directing a Saw film. But did you go back to watch the original Saw directed by James Wan, since this does take place between the first two?
Kevin Greutert: Of course. Yeah, I went back and watched 1, 2, 3 and 6, which are the ones that are relevant to the story. Yeah, it was fun. I hadn’t seen any of them in such a long time, and it was really cool to look at them again. Saw II, in particular. I’ve always really liked it, but that one stood out to me even more than I thought it would.
About Saw X
John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most chilling installment of the SAW franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of SAW I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer – only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.
Check out our other Saw X interview with Mark Burg & Oren Koules as well.
Key Release Date
Saw 10
Release Date:2023-09-29
