Since Saw first hit theatres in 2004, audiences have been intrigued, disgusted, curious, and terrified in equal measure. For horror fans looking for their next franchise watch (or rewatch), these are our picks for the best Saw movies.
What are the best Saw movies as of 2025?
It goes without saying that these films aren’t for the faint of heart. While some entries lean heavily on gore than others, the sheer brutality of the concepts alone is often enough to make viewers squirm.
And, of course, this list is entirely subjective. Ask any Saw fan for their ranking, and you’re bound to get a completely different order.
Saw (2004)
Starting with the original, Saw opens with two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the screenplay) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), who awaken chained at opposite ends of a filthy bathroom with a corpse and a tape recorder between them. They have no memory of how they got there, but soon discover they’re pawns in a sadistic game devised by the Jigsaw Killer.
Originally a small horror project, Saw gained major attention after its successful Sundance screening, leading Lionsgate to pick up its distribution rights.
Working with a modest $1.2 million budget, the film went on to gross an impressive $104 million worldwide. Because of the tight schedule and limited resources, many scenes were shot in just a few takes. Director James Wan and Whannell filled in missing coverage during post-production using surveillance-style footage and still photographs, a creative workaround that ultimately gave the film an even grittier tone, perfectly suited to its story.
Saw II (2005)
Following the unexpected success of the first film, Saw II expands the twisted world of Jigsaw. But with a bigger budget (not that much bigger, as they were only working with around $4 million), there is a larger cast and more complicated traps. Still, the focus on the writing was a worthy attempt to make this film more than the “torture porn” critics called it. And though the disturbing elements are still there, Saw II works to interrogate and unearth more on the killer’s philosophical views. It’s still a tough film to watch for its graphic content and themes, but it is interesting from a psychological perspective.
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Saw II centers on Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), who discovers that Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has captured a group of strangers and locked them inside a booby-trapped house filled with nerve gas. Among the captives is Matthews’s own son.
Saw X (2023)
With a $13 million budget, Saw X isn’t the flashiest entry in the franchise, but it’s still solid as far as sequels go. Directed by longtime series editor and returning director Kevin Greutert, the film narrows in on John Kramer’s morality. Although it’s a confusing statement to put in a sentence, this sort of intellectual debate in a film makes it worth watching, even if it can be overshadowed by the franchise’s infamous traps.
After nearly two decades of sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, the series experienced a decline in quality and thought-provoking writing. Spectacle over content, as they say. Saw X manages to return the franchise to something more than brutality alone, bringing us back to where it all began, both literally and tonally. Set between the first two films, this installment follows John Kramer (Tobin Bell) after his cancer diagnosis, when he travels to Mexico for an experimental medical procedure that promises to cure him. When he discovers the operation is a scam, Jigsaw takes it upon himself to teach some lessons the hard way. Though the film isn’t typically at the top of fan-favorite lists, it’s one of the better-reviewed films in the series.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Apparently, this film was created at a wedding. No, really — Chris Rock revealed in an interview that he met the head of Lionsgate at a wedding and pitched his own version of Saw, and that’s how Spiral: From the Book of Saw came to be. Not everything works perfectly, but it still brings a fresh perspective to the franchise. The film leans more heavily on political and social commentary while keeping the writing, violence, and signature twists that fans have come to expect.
In Spiral, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner are called to investigate grisly murders that mimic Jigsaw’s style. As the case unfolds, it becomes clear that the new killer is targeting the police force itself. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who helmed several earlier entries in the franchise, Spiral had a budget of around $20 million. While it isn’t as iconic as the early Saw films, Spiral does make our list for its ambition in trying something new. It’s far more procedural and sometimes feels like it’s borrowing from David Fincher.
Jigsaw (2017)
With a $10 million budget, we won’t necessarily argue that Jigsaw is the strongest or most inventive entry in the franchise. However, it is an interesting attempt to revive the series after a long break following Saw 3D. Directed by the Spierig Brothers (the directors behind Daybreakers), Jigsaw tries to revamp the classic Saw formula with the late 2010s modern style.
This time, a new set of victims wakes up in a barn filled with mechanical traps, each tied to sins from their past. As detectives and forensic experts try to uncover the killer, they discover that the crimes eerily match Jigsaw’s original methods, despite John Kramer having long been dead. As is the case with the other films, be ready for a twist.
How we picked the best Saw movies
Aside from the original, we picked the Saw movies that give us the most intellectual and philosophical stimulation. Aside from the gore, we chose the films that make you think about choices, justice versus retribution, the mindset behind the games, and what they ultimately reveal about our own humanity. It’s hard not to feel a bit of Greek-tragedy energy while watching these installments, whereas some of the others lean more toward violence for the sake of shock. Maybe we’re reading too much into horror, but that’s the only thing that’s ever kept this writer truly engaged with the series.
If you’re looking for more bloody franchises with a similar edge and phonetic propensity, check out our picks for the best Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies
