| Saw character |
 |
| Jigsaw |
| Birth name: |
Jonathan Kramer |
| Nickname(s): |
The Jigsaw Killer, Jigsaw |
| Gender: |
MaleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
|
| Age: |
52 (at death) |
| Relationships: |
Amanda YoungAmanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series.-Saw:...
(apprentice)
Mark Hoffman (accomplice/successor)
Jill Tuck (ex-wife)
Lawrence Gordon (doctor)
Art Blank (lawyer / business partner) |
| M.O. Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "method of operating". The plural is modi operandi...
: |
Constructing symbolic death traps
Psychological torture
Indirect physical torture |
| Status |
Deceased |
| First appearance: |
Saw Saw is a 2004 horror film, the first installment of the Saw film series. Directed by James Wan and written by Wan and Leigh Whannell, Saw was filmed during only eighteen days of production. It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2004 and saw international release later that year...
|
| Created by: |
James Wan James Wan is an Australian producer, screenwriter, and film director. He is widely known for directing the horror film Saw. He also directed Dead Silence and Death Sentence.-Career:...
& Leigh WhannellLeigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, perhaps most known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Biography:...
|
| Portrayed by: |
Tobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television actor. He is best and widely known as John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw/Billy the Puppet in the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
|
The Jigsaw Killer is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
in the
Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut appearance as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series,
SawSaw is a 2004 horror film, the first installment of the Saw film series. Directed by James Wan and written by Wan and Leigh Whannell, Saw was filmed during only eighteen days of production. It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2004 and saw international release later that year...
, and later
Saw IISaw II is a 2005 American horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 film Saw. The film was filmed in one building over the span of 25 days. It was released in most parts of the world on October 28, 2005, but not released in Australia until December 1, 2005...
,
IIISaw III is the third installment in the Saw series, released on October 27, 2006. The film is a joint effort of both the first Saws writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman....
,
IVSaw IV is the fourth installment in the Saw series. The film was released in Australia on October 25, 2007, and in the United States on October 26, 2007...
and
VSaw V is the fifth installment in the Saw franchise. The film was released on October 23, 2008 in Australia, and October 24 in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Saw V was directed by David Hackl, unlike the previous three installments which were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman...
. He is portrayed by American actor
Tobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television actor. He is best and widely known as John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw/Billy the Puppet in the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
.
Jigsaw, introduced in the series as
Jonathan Kramer, was a patient dying from an inoperable
frontal lobeThe frontal lobe is an area in the brain of mammals. It is located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to the parietal lobes and above and anterior to the temporal lobes...
tumorA tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be benign, pre-malignant or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
that had developed from colon cancer.
In the series, Jigsaw usually created deadly tests for his subjects, where often a symbolic representation of what could be seen as a flaw in the person's life. He claimed that he was attempting to help his victims to appreciate their lives by jump starting their survival instincts by placing them in life threatening situations.
Saw
The Jigsaw Killer character was introduced in the 2004 film
SawSaw is a 2004 horror film, the first installment of the Saw film series. Directed by James Wan and written by Wan and Leigh Whannell, Saw was filmed during only eighteen days of production. It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2004 and saw international release later that year...
through the character Dr. Gordon's recounting of his first killings. Jigsaw is described as a mysterious person who kidnaps people he sees as wasting their lives and attempts to "save" them by administering various inhumane tests. As opposed to other killers, Jigsaw does not actually intend to kill his subjects. The purpose of his traps is to see if the subject has the will to survive, and thus inflict enough psychological trauma for the subject to appreciate their life and save themselves from their own demons. As his victims increase, the media dubs him
The Jigsaw Killer, or simply,
Jigsaw; because of the jigsaw puzzle shaped piece of flesh that he cuts from an unsuccessful subject, a practice explained in
Saw IISaw II is a 2005 American horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 film Saw. The film was filmed in one building over the span of 25 days. It was released in most parts of the world on October 28, 2005, but not released in Australia until December 1, 2005...
as reflecting the subject "was missing a vital piece of the human puzzle; the survival instinct". Throughout the first film, his identity remains mostly unknown; the unstable ex-cop David Tapp suspects that he may be Dr. Gordon, one of the film's two protagonists, and near the end of the film Gordon and fellow protagonist Adam Faulkner are led to believe it is the hospital orderly Zep Hindle. Only at the end of the film is it revealed that the Jigsaw Killer was in fact a terminal cancer patient of Gordon's, John, who spent the entire movie posing as a corpse to watch the test he created for Adam and Dr. Gordon.
Saw II
Much of the character's backstory was revealed in
Saw IISaw II is a 2005 American horror film, and the sequel to the 2004 film Saw. The film was filmed in one building over the span of 25 days. It was released in most parts of the world on October 28, 2005, but not released in Australia until December 1, 2005...
, revealing that he had become sick and had gone in for a checkup, where he learned from Dr. Lawrence Gordon that he was dying of colon cancer, with an inoperable brain tumor. From there, he stated that he began to see how many people took their lives for granted. He ended up driving himself off of a cliff, but survived the suicide attempt, and began his work to save people from themselves. Though he never claimed nor encouraged the name, John's work eventually earned him the nickname
The Jigsaw Killer, in spite of the fact that the circumstances and intentions he had while conducting his work, he did not label himself a "killer" or "murderer". This is because rather than killing his
victims outright, he traps them in situations, which he calls "tests" or "games", in order to test their instinctual will to live via physical or psychological
tortureTorture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is:In addition to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may be motivated to inflict torture on others for similar reasons to those of a state; however, the motive for torture can also be for the sadistic gratification of...
.
In
Saw II, Jigsaw leaves a hint in one of his traps that leads police to apprehend him. There, he puts police
Detective Eric MatthewsEric Matthews, originally scripted to be named "Eric Mason", was a fictional character from the Saw series, with the first appearance being in a fake documentary entitled, Full Disclosure Report: Piecing Together Jigsaw, featured on the Saw: Director's Cut DVD, before the character became one of...
through a test by showing him Eric's son Daniel trapped in a house filled with
nerve gasSarin, also known by its NATO designation of GB, is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations in UN Resolution 687...
, along with people whom, though far from innocent, Matthews had framed for crimes they did not commit. Jigsaw offers to let the younger Matthews survive if the Detective sits and talks to him, which ends with Eric brutally beating Jigsaw and forcing him to lead him to the house. Upon their arrival, Jigsaw is rescued by
Amanda YoungAmanda Young is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is portrayed by Shawnee Smith. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series.-Saw:...
, one of his victims who, having survived her trap and seeing her captor as a savior, has become his apprentice.
Saw III
By
Saw IIISaw III is the third installment in the Saw series, released on October 27, 2006. The film is a joint effort of both the first Saws writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman....
, a dying Jigsaw is bedridden and extremely concerned over Amanda's failure to allow her subjects a fair chance to survive her tests. In his desperation, Jigsaw administers a final test to Amanda, in order to see if she was truly capable of successfully carrying on his work. Being kept alive by Dr. Lynn Denlon, a test subject who is forced to perform brain surgery on Jigsaw at the risk of dying by her own trap, Jigsaw attempts to keep Amanda from failing her test. However, after she breaks down, Amanda shoots Lynn. Witnessing this, Jeff Reinhart, the vengeful husband of Lynn who is also being tested, kills Amanda with a gunshot to her neck. After explaining the rules of a final game to Jeff, Jigsaw is killed when Jeff slices his throat with a power saw. Whilst dying from this wound Jigsaw pulls out a tape player and plays Jeff a tape explaining that he is responsible for the abduction of Corbett, Jeff's daughter, and that if Jeff wants her back he'll have to participate in another game.
Saw IV
While Jigsaw appears as a corpse in the present at the beginning and end of
Saw IVSaw IV is the fourth installment in the Saw series. The film was released in Australia on October 25, 2007, and in the United States on October 26, 2007...
, a tape found in his stomach during his autopsy assures
Lieutenant Mark HoffmanLieutenant Mark D. Hoffman is a fictional character in the Saw film series. He is portrayed by Costas Mandylor. While the character first appeared to be a legitimate police officer in Saw III, later films in the series have expanded his role and revealed him to be an apprentice of the Jigsaw...
that his games have just begun. During the autopsy, it was revealed that John was 52 at the time of his death.
Saw IV also explored Jigsaw's history, more so than previously done in
Saw II, rendering some of the content in
Saw: Rebirth non-canon, instead showing a new back story. From the story given in
Saw IV, John was a successful
civil engineerA civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering, one of the many professions of engineering. Originally a civil engineer worked on public works projects and was contrasted with the military engineer, who worked on armaments and defenses...
who got into property development, and a devoted husband to his wife Jill; she ran a recovery clinic for drug users, to which he gave his belief, "Cherish Your Life." However, after a robbery and the reckless actions of a clinic patient named Cecil resulted in the loss of John's unborn child, he became detached and angry, which ultimately resulted in the divorce of John and Jill. After being diagnosed with cancer, as first seen in
Saw II, and trying to kill himself, John began his work as Jigsaw, hunting down Cecil as his first test subject.
Saw V
Jigsaw reappears in
Saw VSaw V is the fifth installment in the Saw franchise. The film was released on October 23, 2008 in Australia, and October 24 in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Saw V was directed by David Hackl, unlike the previous three installments which were directed by Darren Lynn Bousman...
, by appearing in flashbacks meeting with Hoffman, attacking and kidnapping Paul Leahy, then setting up, and later watching his razor wire trap from
Saw, as well as setting up the house of
Saw II. He appears on his deathbed talking to Hoffman about setting up a test, which leads Hoffman to exit the room, as Amanda enters, with Lynn Denlon, which occurs near the beginning of
Saw IIISaw III is the third installment in the Saw series, released on October 27, 2006. The film is a joint effort of both the first Saws writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman....
. Jigsaw also appears in a video will to his ex-wife
JillJill Tuck is a fictional character in the Saw film series. She is the ex-wife of the series' main antagonist John Kramer, a.k.a. the Jigsaw Killer. She first appeared in the one-shot comic book Saw: Rebirth as John's ex-girlfriend, however her backstory and appearance were altered significantly in...
, leaving her a mysterious box. His deceased body is seen several short times, during the start of the movie, which was also the end of
Saw IV, an opening scene in which Peter Strahm receives his first cassette tape, and a flashback which occurs to Strahm later in the film.
Saw VI
It has been confirmed that Tobin Bell has officially signed on for
Saw VISaw VI is the sixth installment in the Saw film series. The film, which began shooting on March 30, 2009, will be released in theaters on October 23, 2009....
, reprising his role as Jigsaw.
Saw: Rebirth
The character of John Kramer is also featured in the comic book,
Saw: RebirthSaw: Rebirth is a comic book one-shot published by IDW Publishing. It was written by R. Eric Lieb and Kris Oprisko with art by Renato Guedes....
, which is set prior to the events of the first movie. It filled in some of John's history, showing him as a toy designer at Standard Engineering Ltd. who was too lazy to do much with his life, ultimately ending his relationship with Jill.
Saw: Rebirth also reveals John's discovery that he had terminal cancer and outlined how his subsequent failed suicide attempt impacted his train of thought. His relationships with Lawrence, Zep, Paul, Amanda, and Mark were explored, along with his transformation into Jigsaw.
Rebirths continuity was ultimately contradicted by the backstory presented in Saw IV
.
Saw: The Videogame
Tobin Bell reprises his role as the voice of Jigsaw in the Saw video game. He is shown in television screens dressed in his signature robes setting up traps for people and preaching his lesson of life appreciation to them. He frequently advises and taunts Detective Tapp as he traverses through an abandoned insane asylum, usually through Billy the Puppet.
Characterization
The producers of the Saw
films have sought to differentiate the Jigsaw Killer from other horror film killers. Darren Lynn BousmanDarren Lynn Bousman is an American film director. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University.-Career:...
, the director of Saw II
, III
and IV, has stated on the character's role "He's not
JasonJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
or
FreddyFreddy Krueger is a fictional character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill children and teenagers in their dreams, which ultimately results in...
. He's not even
Hannibal LecterHannibal Lecter, M.D. is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. Lecter is introduced in the thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. This novel and its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, feature Lecter as one of two primary...
. He's a person with extreme beliefs and he really thinks he's making a difference. He's a vigilante if anything. He thinks he's making a difference."
Tobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television actor. He is best and widely known as John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw/Billy the Puppet in the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
, the actor who plays Jigsaw, describes his character's role as being more of a scientist or engineer and "he thinks very specifically and very pragmatically".
Bousman mentioned that Saw III was intended to contain a scene in which Jigsaw showed remorse for his actions after seeing the results.
As a result of his cancer and a failed suicide attempt, John decided to dedicate the rest of his life to teaching people to appreciate their own lives. The producers of Saw III and director
Darren Lynn BousmanDarren Lynn Bousman is an American film director. He is a graduate of the Film School at Full Sail University.-Career:...
see Jigsaw, not as a serial killer, but a "scientist" who is determined to initiate the survival instinct in his "subjects", believing that humanity no longer uses its instinct of survival.
While the character's discovery that he has cancer is acknowledged to be the "final straw" that drove him to his actions, Bell has stated in an interview that "His terminal cancer is one of the elements of his life but he's as angry over the fact the world is going to hell in handbasket because it's no longer the survival of the fittest; it's the survival of the mediocre. That drives him as much as anything else. He doesn't just talk about his frustrations, he does something about them, and he puts himself on the line. His cancer was about one element in about 130 elements that caused him to create the world that he's created."
Jigsaw is depicted in the Saw
films as being extremely intelligent in the areas relevant to his actions. In Saw: Rebirth he is depicted doing extensive study in multiple fields to gain knowledge for designing his tests, and recurring director Bousman himself has described Jigsaw as being "extremely educated" in an interview.
Traps
In the series, Jigsaw usually builds deadly traps for his subjects, which are often a symbolic representation of what Jigsaw perceives as a flaw in the person's life. Jigsaw calls these tests "games", and tells the person the "rules" of the game usually by audio or video tape. The rules are tasks that the person must perform in order to pass the test and survive; however, the tasks often involve extreme self mutilation (although there have been occasions where it is possible for the subject not to harm themselves if they are clever enough, such as the Hand Trap). On occasion, Jigsaw has used psychological torture for the subject's test.
Many of the games involve clocks, counting down timers or other measured time constraints provided to the victims. Jigsaw elaborated in Saw II
his appreciation of "time", outlining the importance of savoring every moment. He also stated his belief that telling someone the time in which they may die would awaken an alertness for every moment of existence.
Jake Huntley wrote of the complexity of Jigsaw's character in the Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies. Huntley described the intention behind Jigsaw's actions, and evaluated the extent to which they can be analyzed to fit into the philosophies associated with
DeleuzeGilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher of the late 20th century. From the early 1960s until his death, Deleuze wrote many influential works on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art...
,
DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist who realised and presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection...
and
NietzscheFriedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th- century German philosopher and classical philologist. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive German-language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and...
:
Jigsaw intends through these traps to force his victims to prove to him that they are "worthy" and "deserving" to continue living, and also for them to learn to abandon what he perceives to be their vices. Jigsaw often expressed a desire for his victims to succeed, but stressed that their fate was always in their own hands. The video and audio tape instructions for his games often echo this idea: "Live or die. Make your choice."
Billy the puppet
Billy the puppet is an icon of the Jigsaw character. Jigsaw often used it for the purposes of delivering messages to his victims. This was often done via a television screen, but at times it has also been physically present with Jigsaw's victims during their tests. Jigsaw provided the voice for Billy when it delivered its messages. It is shown in Saw IV
that the original puppet was created by Jigsaw as an intended toy for his unborn child. Jigsaw is shown constructing the more menacing Billy puppet in Saw III for the purpose of its inclusion in his psychotic 'games'.
Pig mask
The pig mask is a thematic prop worn by Jigsaw and his accomplices throughout the Saw film series to conceal their identities while abducting their "test subjects". As the series continues, the purpose of the pig mask is explored in detail; explained to be a tribute to the "Year of the Pig", the year in which Jigsaw started his work.
The origin of the pig mask was shown in
Saw IVSaw IV is the fourth installment in the Saw series. The film was released in Australia on October 25, 2007, and in the United States on October 26, 2007...
, revealing the first known pig masks to have been latex strap-on masks used at a
Year of the PigHai is the twelfth sign of the Earthly Branches. Its animal representation is the pig or boar . In Chinese culture, the pig is associated with fertility and virility...
Chinese New YearChinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year, especially by people in mainland China and Taiwan. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the...
festival. Jigsaw had snatched them and donned one, while using the other one to hold his chloroform-soaked rag. The second mask was then used to knock out John's first test subject, Cecil, by placing the mask over his head with the
chloroformChloroform is the organic compound with formula CHCl
3. This colourless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane. It is also considered somewhat hazardous...
rag still inside.
When working on the original Saw film, writer Leigh Whannel and director James Wan wanted their antagonist Jigsaw to have some sort of mask. After some discussion, the idea of Jigsaw wearing a rotting pig's head was chosen to symbolize his pessimistic view of the world and the disease that he was "rotting" from.
Nevertheless, the mask given to them from production (a rubber halloween mask) was considered by them to be less than satisfactory. A number of things were added to make it look more gruesome, including long black hair and pus running from its eyes and nostrils. Leigh Whannell has still admitted to being disappointed with its final appearance compared to his intended one, but has admitted that the mask has since become one of the "staples" of the Saw franchise.
Along with
BillyBilly is a puppet that has appeared in the Saw films. He was used by the series' primary antagonist John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer, to communicate with his victims. Although he has never been identified in the actual films themselves, Billy is the name by which he is referred to by writers,...
and perhaps Jigsaw himself, the mask has since become one of the more iconic symbols of the franchise. It has appeared on both the posters for the first film and the fourth. The mask has also been featured on many forms of merchandise. Officially licensed pig mask replicas have been sold for
HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
. In addition, the mask has been featured on numerous Jigsaw action figures. NECA has released two Jigsaw figurines with the pig mask; the original was Jigsaw wearing the mask in his black cloak, and a Saw III variant
of Jigsaw wearing it in his red cloak. In addition, the Be@rBrick line has released a "bear" version of Jigsaw wearing the pig mask. Sideshow Collectibles has also released a figurine of Jigsaw wearing his infamous pig mask in the "Real Action Hero" line.
On the commentary track of Saw IV
, several discussions occur about Jigsaw's decision to use references to pigs in the series. In the series, the producers explained that Jigsaw was a spiritual person. However, it has never been revealed what religion he follows. In Saw IV, Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill explains Jigsaw's organized and planned lifestyle, stating that she had conceived their miscarried son Gideon, with Jigsaw planning for him to be born in the year of the Pig. On the commentary track, the producers explain that in the
Chinese ZodiacThe Sheng xiao , better known as Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year cycle...
, the pig stands for fertility and rebirth. Jigsaw is seen several times throughout the series with figurines of clay soldiers and
buddhasBuddharūpa is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.-Commonalities:...
, further symbolizing his reference to various Asian cultures.
Jigsaw puzzle pieces
Cut outs were made, in the shape of jigsaw puzzle pieces, from the flesh of Jigsaw's deceased victims who failed to pass their test. John Kramer received the nickname "Jigsaw" from the police and the press stemming from his tendency to perform such a ritual; however, he never encouraged that name or used it to refer to himself.
Huntley argued that the jigsaw pieces that John cut out of the flesh of his failed test subjects was not intended as a mere stylized signature, but rather that it had a much deeper philosophical reflection. He stated that:
A hand-drawn jigsaw puzzle piece was also drawn on the back of a photograph in Saw
as part of a clue for one of his games.
Apprentices
Throughout the Saw series, Jigsaw developed a tendency to recruit "apprentices" to carry on his perceived mission. Amanda Young and Lieutenant Mark Hoffman are currently the only two known apprentices Jigsaw has had.
Huntley analyzed Jigsaw's intentions in taking in protégés as stemming from the terminally ill character's desire to overcome death itself, and argues that this is further evidence of his thought process being characterized by Deleuzian philosophy. Huntley argued:
The term "apprentice" was used in the official plot synopses for Saw III
and Saw IV
.
Theatrical robe
Jigsaw is usually seen wearing a black theatrical robe with a large hood and red lining when running traps or abducting victims. On the commentary track for the first Saw
film, it was explained that the producers originally wanted Jigsaw to have the red robe with black interior. Thinking that the red robe was too vibrant for the film, they reversed the robe to make it black with red interior. Jigsaw's apprentice, Amanda, appeared in Saw III wearing a robe like this, in an attempt to symbolically emulate her mentor.
Tobin Bell
Speaking about his character, actor
Tobin BellTobin Bell is an American film and television actor. He is best and widely known as John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw/Billy the Puppet in the Saw franchise.-Life and career:...
says, "My wife mentioned to me that she read an interview with
Jeffrey DahmerJeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys – most of whom were of African or Asian descent – between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders were particularly gruesome, involving rape,...
's mother about his childhood. And she said he was a perfectly normal child. He had friends like everyone else, he participated in the same kind of activities. In terms of your question about icons, if you begin to think of people like that, it's a deadly thing to do. You have to think of someone like Jigsaw from a very specific point of view. He doesn't view himself as some kind of diabolical psychotic. You know there's a little bit of evil in everyone. It just gets carried further. Most of us have some sort of moral fiber that restricts that. Some framework. And then others because of their lives and what happens to them, the thing develops in some other way. You know, I've played a lot of different kind of guys. Jigsaw's a fascinating person. And it's up to the filmmakers to do what ever they want to do with where he's coming from and to shape it and make it something meaningful and fits into the picture."
Reaction
As early as October 2005, an interviewer for
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
was willing to describe the Jigsaw Killer as "the next
FreddyFreddy Krueger is a fictional character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill children and teenagers in their dreams, which ultimately results in...
" in terms of iconic status as a modern horror film character, a comment that deeply touched
Leigh WhannellLeigh Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, and actor, perhaps most known for his work on the Saw franchise.-Biography:...
, the screenwriter of Saw. A review of Saw II
in the San Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireSan Francisco Chronicle is Northern California's largest newspaper, and one of the largest in the United States, serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area, but distributed throughout...
praised Tobin Bell and Jigsaw as being "more terrifying than the movie villains in Hollywood's last five horror films put together; even though he's in a wheelchair and hooked up to multiple IVs."
Tobin Bell was nominated for a Spike TVSpike , a division of MTV Networks, is an American cable channel designed for an audience described demographically as "young adult males". The channel began life as The Nashville Network , founded by WSM, Inc...
Scream AwardThe Spike TV Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. The show was created by executive producers Michael Levitt, Cindy Levitt, and Casey Patterson.-2006 Nominees/Winners:...
three times in the category of "Most Vile Villain" for his portrayal of Jigsaw in 2006 for Saw II
, in 2007 (alongside Shawnee SmithShawnee Smith is an American actress and musician. Smith is well known for her roles in the Saw film series and the CBS sitcom Becker...
's portrayal of Amanda) for Saw III
, and in 2008 for Saw IV
.
Don Summer, a writer for Best-Horror-Movies.com
, stated that "the villain, in Jigsaw, is brilliant and formidable" and that actor Tobin Bell has done a "fantastic job" in his recurring role.
Despite the mystery of the character's identity created by the filmmakers in Saw
, Bell's depiction of Jigsaw was used in promotional posters for Saw IIISaw III is the third installment in the Saw series, released on October 27, 2006. The film is a joint effort of both the first Saws writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, and Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman....
and Saw IVSaw IV is the fourth installment in the Saw series. The film was released in Australia on October 25, 2007, and in the United States on October 26, 2007...
. Action figures of Jigsaw have also been produced by the
National Entertainment Collectibles AssociationThe National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
.