Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Seen SAW

There’s been a trend of late to label some horror films as thrillers. The thought being around the studio marketing department is that if there isn’t anything supernatural in the movie, you can get away with calling it a thriller. Since serial killers are, scarily enough, flesh and blood, their yarns can fall into this real life category.

Make no mistakes, though. SAW is a horror film. A gruelling experience of watching people mentally and physically tortured to the point of madness and all the blood, sweat and tears that comes with.

Jigsaw is the preacher serial killer of the film. Not an all together original character. We’ve seen preacher killers in films such as SEVEN and 8MM. The original twist comes from the fact that Jigsaw doesn’t actually kill his victims. He puts them in puzzles where they either have to kill themselves or walk away scarred but alive. All this is an effort to make his victims appreciate life more.

This film is effective in the horror department. My bones and muscles ached with tension after leaving the theatre. But does that make it good horror or even a good film?

Sadly, not so much. The acting was surprisingly bland though I must congratulate Cary Elwes. Without his convincing breakdown, we would never have believed his ultimate sacrifice. It’s also due to his performance that the horror aspect even succeeds. Outside of the original concepts for torture and Mr. Elwes, however, SAW is what has become standard serial killer fare.

Red herring suspects, obsessed cops, and killers who love those voice box scramblers are all on deck here. (By the way, is it me or do these red herrings all come in the forms of mentally challenged custodian types? As if the filmmakers expect us to readily buy into these people as possible killers just because they’re slow. Are we the audience that dumb? Politically incorrect? In light of the recent election...never mind. I’ve strayed off topic.) It’s a tried and true formula, but you wish that a film like SAW, which has a strong concept going for it, would do something with their gifts.

True, as a horror film (not a thriller, kiddies), SAW does horrify. But that’s not so hard to do when a wife and kids are held at mutilation’s door or a saw is there just for the hack of it (Sorry. Had to do it.) Horror films, to paraphrase Clive Barker, are supposed to break taboos, but there are some taboos that are so fragile, breaking them takes little effort. That’s why I was not surprised by the effect of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. How can we, as human beings, not tear up at a man being flayed before our eyes? (I know what you’re saying. “Come on, Frank. THE PASSION and SAW?” An odd comparison, I admit, but it follows).

My point is that the horrific effect SAW’s (and THE PASSION’s) torture scenes have on us is a no brainer. I, for one, would like to see my horror films earn their chills a bit more craftily. Not just go for the taboo reflex like a class clown for the whoopee cushion.

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