Even as the franchise looks to go backwards in time, director Kevin Greutert promises that Saw X will avoid the major complaint of prior sequels in regard to its reliance on past lore. The latest installment in the horror franchise will be set between the first two movies and see John Kramer heading to Mexico for an experimental procedure to cure him of his cancer, only to learn those behind it conned him and his health still failing. Kramer, still in his early days of Jigsaw infamy, crafts a new game to take revenge on the ones who betrayed him.
In anticipation of the movie’s release, SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar+) spoke with Kevin Greutert to break down Saw X. While discussing how the latest sequel will connect to the larger franchise, the director/editor promised that the new movie will be “the most standalone Saw” since the original and assured that it will avoid the major complaint of needing to know the larger lore of the past. Check out what Greutert explained below:
I truly believe that this is the most standalone Saw film since the first one. It’s not about knowing or remembering anything about the previous films. It’s a richer experience if you know about Saw because otherwise you won’t necessarily know who Amanda is when she appears, but it’s very clear from the beginning what’s happening.
How Saw X Connects To The Rest Of The Franchise
Featuring the returns of Tobin Bell as Kramer/Jigsaw and Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young, Saw X is continuing the franchise’s recent twists on its timeline by putting the movie squarely between the original James Wan-helmed movie and its 2005 sequel. Described as a “direct sequel” to the former, the sole trailer released for the movie thus far has indicated a return to the iconic bathroom trap Cary Elwes’ Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Leigh Whannell’s Adam found themselves in, and where Kramer revealed himself to be the ultimate mastermind behind the twisted game.
The return of said location has led to theories that both characters will return in some capacity for the tenth movie, especially with Smith back as Amanda, given Saw III confirmed she had returned to the room and suffocated Adam with a plastic bag out of mercy, while Kramer found Gordon crawling through the tunnels after cutting his foot off to escape. Greutert recently teased that Jigsaw’s larger role in the movie will see him portrayed as an actual hero in comparison to prior installments, making it just as possible Amanda could be given somewhat of a redemption after her deranged downfall in the 2006 threequel, or better set up her spiral.
Regardless of how these all play out, Greutert’s assurance that Saw X will be the most standalone in the franchise should come as a comfort for longtime fans who have grown weary of its increasingly convoluted timeline. In their hopes to keep Bell a part of the cast after Jigsaw’s demise in Saw III, the various sequels have created numerous plot holes in regard to when Kramer began his murderous games, and how he chooses his test subjects, struggling to establish stakes in any new or recurring characters as any installment could just as easily write them back in. Though Greutert seems uncertain on the Saw franchise’s future after the next movie, it will be interesting to see if his return can put the horror series on a fresh path.
Key Release Date
Saw 10
Release Date:2023-09-29
