See Saw II
I have had the opportunity to see an *ahem* "advanced screening" of Saw II.
If you have seen Saw I, I would highly recommend it; if you haven't, see Saw I and then see Saw II. (or as the Canadians say, Tittertotter I and Tittertotter II).
Saw II is extremely graphic, but without the cheap scares of other Horror franchises. THe basic premise is the "Jigsaw" killer, who kidnaps his victims and sets up a scenario where they must survive (or more often than not, die trying). As he says in the movie - he never actually killed any one of his victims - he just puts them in a situation where they inevitably top themselves. And this is what facinated me about these movies - the horror coming not from sudden shocks, but from the humanity of the characters. Whilst the characters really are cardboard-cutout archetypes, it is the recognition of humans faced with such awful choices that drives the horror - and the fact that we question what we might do in a situation like that. And the raw in-your-face gore accentuates, rather than cheapens, this.
Saw II lacks the claustrophic nature of the first... with an expanded victim cast, and more of their situation revealed upfront. Jigsaw's traps also lack the finesse of the original. However, we do get to get up close and personal with this twisted killer for most of the movie - as he tries to explain himself. The twist was, whilst not entirely believable, a satisfying end - and springboard for further sequels.
I have been looking for a decent "thinking" horror film for quite a while - and really enjoyed Saw and Saw II. Definitely worth seeing. 4 hacksawed feet out of 5.
*Warning: Seriously not for those with a weak stomach!
If you have seen Saw I, I would highly recommend it; if you haven't, see Saw I and then see Saw II. (or as the Canadians say, Tittertotter I and Tittertotter II).
Saw II is extremely graphic, but without the cheap scares of other Horror franchises. THe basic premise is the "Jigsaw" killer, who kidnaps his victims and sets up a scenario where they must survive (or more often than not, die trying). As he says in the movie - he never actually killed any one of his victims - he just puts them in a situation where they inevitably top themselves. And this is what facinated me about these movies - the horror coming not from sudden shocks, but from the humanity of the characters. Whilst the characters really are cardboard-cutout archetypes, it is the recognition of humans faced with such awful choices that drives the horror - and the fact that we question what we might do in a situation like that. And the raw in-your-face gore accentuates, rather than cheapens, this.
Saw II lacks the claustrophic nature of the first... with an expanded victim cast, and more of their situation revealed upfront. Jigsaw's traps also lack the finesse of the original. However, we do get to get up close and personal with this twisted killer for most of the movie - as he tries to explain himself. The twist was, whilst not entirely believable, a satisfying end - and springboard for further sequels.
I have been looking for a decent "thinking" horror film for quite a while - and really enjoyed Saw and Saw II. Definitely worth seeing. 4 hacksawed feet out of 5.
*Warning: Seriously not for those with a weak stomach!
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