A film that redefined modern horror and spawned one of the longest-running franchises in the genre has landed on ITVX – and fans are calling it a “masterpiece”.
James Wan’s 2004 thriller Saw shocked audiences when it first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, before becoming a worldwide box office sensation. Two decades later, it continues to be hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made, with viewers still praising its shocking twists, tense atmosphere and groundbreaking low-budget production.
Directed by Wan in his feature debut and written by Leigh Whannell, the film tells the story of two men (Whannell and Cary Elwes) who wake up chained in a grimy, abandoned bathroom. A mysterious tape reveals their horrifying task: one must kill the other to save his own family. As they try to piece together who has trapped them, a sinister figure known as Jigsaw looms in the background, testing their will to survive through deadly “games”.
The narrative unfolds in a nonlinear structure, gradually revealing the Jigsaw Killer’s methods and motivations. Alongside Whannell and Elwes, the cast includes Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson and Ken Leung.
The origins of Saw are almost as gripping as the film itself. Whannell and Wan originally wrote the script in 2001 in Australia, but struggled to secure funding. They then produced a short film based on a single scene to attract investors.
Producers came on board, a horror production label (Twisted Pictures) was created, and the film was shot in just 18 days on a shoestring budget. Initially intended for a straight-to-video release, Saw gained such strong festival buzz that Lionsgate picked it up for a theatrical run in October 2004.
It went on to gross over $104 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable horror films since Scream (1996) and paving the way for a franchise that includes multiple sequels, video games, theme park attractions and merchandise.
While critics were divided at the time of release, fan response has remained consistently enthusiastic. On Rotten Tomatoes, one viewer wrote: “With the low budget and many plot twists filled with suspense, this movie is a masterpiece at its time. Great acting and the pacing is great! Highly recommend.”
Another called it “one of the best narratives of all time,” adding: “You can see that by looking at all the other movies it has created. Truly masterful, and its endings have to be considered the greatest ending to a movie ever. Truly Saw is one of the best, if not the best, gore movies of all time, and deserves a place as one of the greatest movies of all time.”
A third praised its impact on the genre, saying: “A thriller that set new standards and its influence can still be seen in so many films today. It’s scary, exciting, and extremely well made despite its low budget. After a rewatch, I realized once more how successful the story is, and the ending is one of the best horror movie endings ever.”
Another reviewer summed it up: “This is unironically a great horror movie. It uses the concept well, is genuinely tense and scary, and has memorable characters – none of which can be said for most of its sequels. And do we even need to talk about the twist at the end??”
On Reddit’s r/horror forum, fans also argue that the Saw series deserves more credit than it gets. One user wrote: “Saw is actually one of the greatest horror film franchises of all time and does not get enough credit… They are the longest horror franchise that has had a consistent plot that hasn’t been remade or placed in an alternate timeline. The twists are amazing and honestly almost the best part of them.”
Saw is now streaming on ITVX, Prime Video and Apple TV.