Saw X Filmmakers Tease The Magic Of Jigsaw & How To Set The Perfect Trap – Exclusive Interview
"Saw X," the 10th entry in the seemingly unstoppable horror franchise, returns to the series' roots after taking a left turn with 2021's somewhat divisive "Spiral: From the Book of Saw." This time around, John Kramer, aka the serial killer Jigsaw (played as always by Tobin Bell), returns front and center in a movie that delves into events that occurred in John's life between "Saw" and "Saw II."
Dying from brain cancer, John is persuaded by Dr. Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund) to travel to Mexico for an experimental — and illegal — procedure. At first, things seem to go well for John, but when he discovers that the whole thing is an elaborate grift — and that he has not been cured, but instead robbed of his money like many other "patients" — John goes after Pederson and her crew with a horrific new set of games, aiming to help them make "positive changes" in their lives.
"Saw X" is directed by Kevin Greutert, who has been with the series as either an editor or director since the whole bloody affair kicked off in 2004 with James Wan's original "Saw." Greutert edited the first five films before getting behind the camera for "Saw VI" and "Saw 3D." He's joined on "Saw X" by production designer Anthony Stabley, who worked with Greutert, cinematographer Nick Matthews, and the rest of the crew to create the grim "Saw" look and come up with Jigsaw's terrifying traps.
Most strikingly, "Saw X" explores the character of John Kramer in perhaps greater depth and detail than ever before. "It's a little bit of a slow burn by 'Saw' standards," Greutert told Looper in our exclusive interview. "But once it starts paying off, it delivers at a pretty relentless pace."
Why Kevin Greutert returned as director and what makes Saw X different
Kevin, you've been involved all along with the "Saw" series as both an editor and director, but this is the first one you've directed in over 10 years. Why was it the right time to get back behind the camera?
Kevin Greutert: It was the script. I thought it was so well done. I kind of couldn't believe it, and had no doubt when I read it that it was going to be a great film. I have [writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg] to thank, not only for writing such a cool script but for championing Mark [Burg] and Oren [Koules], the producers, to hire me as the director.
The first 20 minutes is all about John and features more character development for him than we've ever seen before.
Greutert: For sure. It's a little bit of a slow burn by "Saw" standards. Traditionally, we always make it a point to never go more than nine or 10 minutes without having some kind of iconic set piece. In this one, we're asking for a little bit more patience from the audience, but once it starts paying off, it delivers at a pretty relentless pace.
Anthony Stabley: Yes, that investment in John and his journey — there's so much of a payoff in the back end of the film. The performances by these actors were phenomenal, and that makes our traps even more believable in many ways.
Making Jigsaw's fiendish traps
When it comes to designing the traps, how does that process work? How much of that is on the page, and how much of that comes from Kevin? How does that whole process get to what we see?
Stabley: You start with the page. It's an outline of what these traps are going to be. They are very specific. We always talk about how we want to have the medical aspects even more integrated. All we're trying to do is help the audience tell the story. Kevin and I have conversations, and then we have conversations with the director of photography.
When we go through the test process, it's not just us. We're dealing with prosthetics, we're dealing with stunts, mechanical effects ... All of their input also affects how we approach these traps in the way that we're going to make them believable. It's a combination of all of that. We also need to make sure that we are safe for the actors so that when we're there on the day to shoot, we can do it over and over — take one, take two, take three.
The producers have spoken about how much investment Tobin Bell has put into this character. From your standpoint as a director, do you just let him go and you're confident he's going to deliver because he knows his character so well?
Greutert: Well, there's a lot of collaboration with Tobin. A lot of it we discuss beforehand. He does sometimes try things on the fly. The camera's rolling, and he and I both like that we never see him lose his temper except in very controlled situations, but those aren't always agreed upon beforehand. When he does shout and pound his fist in the course of all the "Saw" movies, it's always at a very perfect moment, something that he's feeling. He might've not been performing a given moment that way, and then suddenly he does — and if it works, we use it, and if it doesn't, we don't. But he follows his instincts, and they're generally excellent.
"Saw X" opens in theaters on Friday, September 29.
This interview has been edited for clarity.