Saw (2004)

There was a time when I was a horror junkie and Saw was one of my favourite movies. I'm not a horror junkie anymore, but Saw is easily one of my favourite horrors for the simple reason that is more complex than most horrors.

Two strangers, Larry (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), wake up at the opposite sides of a dirty bathroom having no idea of how they got there or why. Later on, clues hidden around the room suggest that this might be the work of the jigsaw killer, a sick individual who engages his victims in deadly games. So locked in the room, Larry and Adam must trust each other and work together to get out.

One of my favourite things about this film has always been the complex, (probably too) heavy yet absolutely captivating plot. It keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat from start to finish. And it has one of the most brilliant plot twists ever. I'd probably put it right above The Usual Suspects twist-wise. Being a fan of detective thrillers, I also really enjoyed the investigation part.

Saw also delivers the horror perfectly. And I'm not talking only about visual horror (which is great, by the way, although a little too intense at times) but psychological horror as well (there's such a thing, right?). What's truly scary about this film is that something like this, people being forced to do terrible things to get to live, could happen in real life as well. 

Lionsgate Films

Which brings me to the villain of this film (and franchise), jigsaw. The problem with many horrors for me is that they have supernatural-like villains with no peers because they surrounded by absolutely dumb people. Jigsaw is different. He isn't literally a monster, he's a man like anybody else, but it's his beliefs that makes of him a monster. And he manages to "beat" the others not because they are acting stupid, but because he's smarter. It's also interesting the complexity this character has.

At last, this is the kind of horror movie that makes you think and has some truth in it. As Jigsaw says halfway through the movie, some people are ungrateful to be alive. They walk through life instead of living it. They throw it away. I don't get me wrong though, what this man does is absolutely sick and disturbing.