Saw VI

Saw VI
Gears and machinery form the shape of a VI. The title of the film is seen near the bottom of the poster. Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kevin Greutert
Produced by	Mark Burg Oren Koules
Written by	Patrick Melton Marcus Dunstan
Starring	Tobin Bell Costas Mandylor Betsy Russell Mark Rolston Peter Outerbridge Shawnee Smith
Music by	Charlie Clouser
Cinematography	David Armstrong
Edited by	Andrew Coutts
Production company	Twisted Pictures
Distributed by	Lionsgate Films
Release dates	October 22, 2009 (2009-10-22) (Australia and New Zealand) October 23, 2009 (2009-10-23) (United States and Canada)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Canada United States
Language	English
Budget	$11 million
Box office	$68.2 million

Saw VI is a 2009 Canadian-American horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sixth installment in the seven–part Saw franchise and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith. It was produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures and distributed by Lionsgate.

Saw VI continues the franchise's focus on the posthumous effects of the Jigsaw Killer and the progression of his successor, Mark Hoffman. In this film, Hoffman sets a series of traps for an insurance executive, William Easton, and his employees. Meanwhile the FBI trails Peter Strahm, now suspected of being Jigsaw's last accomplice, and Hoffman is drawn into motion to protect his secret identity.

Greutert, who served as editor for all the previous Saw films, made his directorial debut with Saw VI. Melton and Dunstan, the writers for both Saw IV and Saw V, returned to write the screenplay and Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, composed the score. Filming took place in Toronto from March to May 2009 with a budget of $11 million.

The film was released in New Zealand and Australia on October 22, 2009, and October 23, 2009 in the United States and Canada. In Spain it was the first film to receive a Película X rating for violence (a rating usually reserved for pornographic films); the rating restricted screenings to eight select theaters in that country. It was released almost a year later on October 8, 2010 in Spain with an "18" rating, after the producers had the offensive content edited out, according to the rating board. With gross receipts of $14 million in its opening weekend, Saw VI placed second to Paranormal Activity's $21 million. Saw VI went on to gross over $68 million worldwide, the lowest-grossing Saw film to date, but still a financial success compared to its small budget. Reviews were mixed, with some criticizing the acting and others praising Greutert's directing.

Plot

Predatory lenders Simone and Eddie awaken on each side of a room split by a cage containing a scale, wearing head harnesses with screws poised to pierce their temples. They learn via videotape that the one who sets more flesh weight on their tray will survive. Eddie cuts fat from his torso, but Simone chops off her arm, which tilts the scale in her favor; and when the timer expires, Eddie is killed by the screws. While he reviews the game's footage, Detective Lt. Mark Hoffman is called to the scene by FBI Agent Dan Erickson, who found Agent Peter Strahm's fingerprints around the room. Also present is Agent Lindsey Perez, whose survival was covered up by Erickson for her protection. They learn from Dr. Adam Heffner, who performed all of the autopsies for the Jigsaw case, that the knife used to cut the jigsaw piece from Eddie's flesh was only used on Seth Baxter before then. The agents intend to find the Baxter videotape to prove Strahm's involvement.

At Umbrella Health, insurance executive William Easton meets with Debbie, the company's attorney, about Harold Abbott, who succumbed to heart disease after his request for coverage was denied due to an application discrepancy. While at the hospital to meet with Simone, Hoffman is met by reporter Pamela Jenkins, who claims she found something at the meatpacking plant. Afterwards, he meets with Jill Tuck at her clinic and is given six envelopes containing photos of people to be tested, from the box left to her in John Kramer's will. A flashback reveals that Kramer brought Amanda Young to Jill, who had deemed Amanda a lost cause, as proof that his methods work. While delivering a package from the box to the hospital, another flashback shows that Jill met with Kramer at the plant hours before his death, where he gave her the box's key and his promise that she would be protected when the games ended.

That night, Hoffman abducts William from his office and brings him to an abandoned zoo. William awakens in a vise designed to tighten around his torso each time he breathes into the oxygen mask strapped to his face. His janitor, Hank, is in the same trap across from him. He learns from a videotape of Kramer himself that he must undergo four tests to remove the bombs strapped to his limbs, and he will lose his family if the tests are not finished within one hour. Hank, who is a heavy smoker, is unable to hold his breath for long and is killed by the vise. The other tests force William to save his staff and associates from their own traps, usually by choosing between them, forcing him to confront his own probability formula, which favors the healthy over the ill. Flashbacks throughout the tests show that Kramer met William at the opening of Jill's clinic and took issue with his formula. After his cancer was diagnosed, Kramer's applications for coverage for an experimental Norwegian treatment were rejected by William.

The game is viewed by a woman named Tara and her son Brent, who awaken below the observation room in a cage, which contains a tank of hydrofluoric acid and a switch marked "Live" and "Die". Pamela awakens in another cage on the other side of the room. During the game, Hoffman is called away by Erickson and Perez, who were informed of abnormalities found in Strahm's fingerprints. They reveal they found the Baxter videotape, and the voice did not match Jigsaw's. As a technician unscrambles the voice, Erickson reveals their knowledge of Strahm's death to Hoffman, who kills everyone in the room (Erickson, Perez and the technician) the moment his voice is unscrambled. He plants fingerprints using Strahm's severed hand and sets the room on fire to destroy the evidence.

Hoffman returns to the observation room and finds the letter he had written to Amanda, in which he used his knowledge of her role in Jill's miscarriage to blackmail her into killing Lynn Denlon. Pamela found the letter at the plant and gave it to Jill, who uses it to ambush Hoffman. William reaches the end of his path with one second left, and finds himself between the cages. It is then revealed that Pamela is his sister, while Brent and Tara are Harold's surviving family. Harold's wife is informed by a videotape of Kramer that she can kill William or free him using the switch. When she is unable to kill him, Brent angrily shifts the switch and a platform of needles swings down and injects William's body with the acid, killing him. Jill restrains Hoffman and locks a new reverse bear trap to his head. She shows him the sixth envelope, which contains his photo, and leaves him with 45 seconds but no key. He escapes by breaking his hand and jamming the trap as it activates, though his cheek is ripped open as he removes it. He then screams in agony before the screen cuts to black.

Cast

For more details on the cast and characters, see List of Saw cast members and List of Saw characters.

• Tobin Bell as John Kramer
• Costas Mandylor as Detective Mark Hoffman
• Betsy Russell as Jill Tuck
• Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young
• Peter Outerbridge as William Easton
• Mark Rolston as Agent Dan Erickson
• Athena Karkanis as Agent Lindsey Perez
• Samantha Lemole as Pamela Jenkins
• George Newbern as Harold Abbott
• Shauna MacDonald as Tara Abbott
• Devon Bostick as Brent Abbott
• Caroline Cave as Debbie
• Larissa Gomes as Emily
• Karen Cliche as Shelby
• Shawn Mathieson as Josh
• Darius McCrary as Dave
• Melanie Scrofano as Gena
• James Gilbert as Aaron
• Shawn Ahmed as Allen
• Janelle Hutchison as Addy
• Gerry Mendicino as Hank
• Tanedra Howard as Simone
• Marty Moreau as Eddie
• James Van Patten as Dr. Heffner
• Billy Otis as Cecil Adams
• Mpho Koaho as Timothy Young

Production

Development and writing

On May 14, 2008, Bloody Disgusting reported that Kevin Greutert, the editor of the first five films in the franchise, would make his directorial debut with Saw VI. Newcomer to the series, Andrew Coutts replaced him as editor for the film. Saw VI marked David Armstrong's last time to serve as cinematographer of the series. Mark Burg and Oren Koules again served as producers, with James Wan and Leigh Whannell, creators of the series, executive producing. Charlie Clouser was brought back to compose the score. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, writers of Saw IV and Saw V, returned to write the sixth installment. Melton said that the film had good pacing and a resolution for the series. Greutert commented that Saw VI would have some finality to it, something he always wanted to see in the series. During the early planning stage for the script it was suggested that Mandylor's character, Detective Hoffman, should take on the mafia, but the idea was quickly dismissed as not "feeling Saw enough". Greutert said in a Demon FM interview that Lionsgate told him a week before filming, that Saw VI would be post-converted into 3D. Greutert was upset by this, since the film he envisioned was a 2D film, aesthetically. The plans were later abandoned due to time restraints.

Casting

For more details on the cast and characters, see List of Saw cast members and List of Saw characters.

On July 26, 2007 before Saw IV was released, CraveOnline's horror website ShockTilYouDrop.com announced that Costas Mandylor would sign-on to appear as Mark Hoffman in Saw V and Saw VI. Mandylor commented on his character: "Hoffman is sort of torn of becoming a mad man or becoming a guy that's more composed, coming from a pure place like Jigsaw. That's my character's dilemma; does he go fucking crazy or follow the rules of the boss?" Greutert said in an interview with Bloody Disgusting that Saw VI would have the most characters of any Saw film to date but reassured the writers would stay true to previous storylines to prevent any "violations of logic and chronology". A TV reality show called Scream Queens aired in 2008 on VH1, in which 10 unknown actresses competed for a "breakout" role in Saw VI. Unknown actress Tanedra Howard won the role. Lionsgate made a public statement ensuring her a leading role in the film but did not elaborate further on her character.

It was confirmed on March 24, 2009 that Shawnee Smith would return as Amanda Young. Newly filmed "flashback" scenes would be created instead of using archive footage from previous entries, as had been done in the films since her character's death in Saw III. On April 19 it was announced that James Van Patten would return as Dr. Heffner, a character featured in the opening scene of the fourth installment performing the autopsy on John Kramer. Peter Outerbridge was cast as a new character, William, and Tobin Bell, Betsy Russell, and Mark Rolston returned as their characters John Kramer, Jill Tuck, and Special Agent Erickson, respectively. Russell commented about her character: "You find out a little more about if Jill is good or evil. Pretty much you'll know." Greutert wanted to bring Cary Elwes's character Dr. Gordon back but Elwes was not available. He was later cast in Saw 3D, though the storyline is very different than the one Greutert had for him in Saw VI.

Filming and trap designs

File:SawVI Carousel Room.JPG

Concept art of the "carousel room" trap. Since the actors were constantly spinning, they were given anti-nausea medication to prevent motion sickness.

With a budget of $11 million, Saw VI began principal photography on March 30, 2009 and wrapped on May 13, 2009. The film was shot at Toronto's Cinespace Film Studios. Greutert said that the victims in traps would be more one-on-one with the trap and would be more personal to them. This was compared to Saw IV and Saw V, which most of the traps were set in big rooms and involved several people at one time.

Armstrong told Bloody Disgusting reviewer Mike Pereira that he thinks "visually" Saw VI might be his favorite, saying "We're kind of pulling back a little bit in the color palette. It's going to be more suggestive and not so vibrant, in your face like III and IV. It's more neutral and shows natural flesh tones. On Saw V, I pulled back a little bit and on this one, I pulled back even more." He commented that the "steam room" trap was the "best looking" of them all. He went on to say, "It's big and expensive. It's got furnaces, fires and steam. It's multi-leveled. The most complex Saw. We had techno cranes flying through. It was pretty amazing." Commenting on the "carousel room" trap Armstrong said: "It's very carnival, playground-like. It's just nasty. [There are] spinning red lights in there. It's really overwhelming to walk in and look at because everything is spinning." Greutert said in an issue of the horror magazine Fangoria that the "carousel room" was, to date, the "longest trap scene ever". He admitted that originally they had ten actors riding the carousel, but it was ultimately scaled down to six, to "tie in to the [film's] title". Post-production services were provided by Deluxe.

Soundtrack

See also: Saw VI: Original Motion Picture Score

Saw VI: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
File:SawVIsoundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	October 20, 2009
Genre	Heavy metal, metalcore
Length	75:38
Label	Trustkill
Various Artists chronology
Saw V Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2008)Saw V Original Motion Picture Soundtrack2008 Saw VI: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2009) Saw 3D Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010)Saw 3D Original Motion Picture Soundtrack2010

Saw VI: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack includes music by the bands Every Time I Die, Chimaira, Suicide Silence, Nitzer Ebb, Mushroomhead, and Lacuna Coil, among others. The soundtrack includes 18 tracks separated by 3 parts, each with six songs and includes 3 bonus tracks. It was released on October 20, 2009 through Trustkill Records. James Christopher Monger of Allmusic praised the use of hard rock and heavy metal music, something that had been missing since Saw IV. He said in his review that "It's a fitting marriage, as hard rock and heavy metal are the sonic suitors to horror and torture porn films and video games". He particularly liked the songs by Hatebreed ("In Ashes They Shall Reap"), Converge ("Dark Horse"), My My Misfire ("The Sinatra"), and Kittie ("Cut Throat"), calling the songs the "most ferocious moments this time around".

Track listing

6 Chances
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	"In Ashes They Shall Reap"	Chris Beattie, Matt Byrne, Jamey Jasta, Sean Martin	Hatebreed	3:20
2.	"The Last Goodbye"	Don Gilmore, Lacuna Coil	Lacuna Coil	4:15
3.	"Reckless Abandon"	It Dies Today, Jason Wood	It Dies Today	3:56
4.	"Your Soul Is Mine"	Mushroomhead	Mushroomhead	4:50
5.	"Warpath"	Rob Arnold, Matt DeVries, Andols Herrick, Mark Hunter, Jim LaMarca, Chris Spicuzza	Chimaira	4:18
6.	"Code of the Road"	John Calabrese, Dan Cornelius, Danko Jones	Danko Jones	2:58
Total length:				23:37

6 Lessons
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
7.	"Genocide" (Saw VI Remix)	Christopher Garza, Mark Heylmun, Alexandro Lopez, Mitchell Lucker	Suicide Silence	3:01
8.	"Ghost in the Mirror"	Kellen McGregor, Memphis May Fire, Matt Mullins	Memphis May Fire	3:53
9.	"The Countdown Begins"	William Bean, Brian Kemsley, Ryan O'Connor, Tim O'Connor, Erik Perkins	Outbreak	1:48
10.	"Still I Rise" (Saw VI Remix)	Jonathan Donais, Brian Fair, Paul Romanko	Shadows Fall	3:27
11.	"Dead Again"	Peter Steele	Type O Negative	4:16
12.	"Dark Horse"	Kurt Ballou, Jacob Bannon, Ben Koller, Nate Newman	Converge	2:55
Total length:				19:19

6 Choices
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
13.	"Cut Throat"	Mercedes Lander, Morgan Lander, Tara McLeod, Ivy Vujic	Kittie	2:56
14.	"Never Known"	Bon Harris, Douglas McCarthy	Nitzer Ebb	4:04
15.	"Roman Holiday"	Jordan Buckley, Keith Buckley, Josh Newton, Mike Novak, Andy Williams	Every Time I Die	2:51
16.	"The Sinatra"	My My Misfire	My My Misfire	3:20
17.	"Lethal Injection"	The Flood	The Flood	3:48
18.	"More Than a Sin"	Jimmy Craig, James Grant	James Brothers	3:59
Total length:				20:58

Bonus Digital Tracks
No.	Title	Artist	Length
19.	"We Own the Night"	The 69 Eyes	3:57
20.	"Watch Us Burn"	Ventana	4:00
21.	"Forgive & Forget"	Miss May I	3:32
Total length:			11:29

Release

Saw VI was released on October 22, 2009 in Australia and New Zealand, a day earlier than the Canada, United States, and United Kingdom release. Most of the film's stars attended the Lionsgate annual "red carpet" event for the film at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R rating without much content having to be edited. In Spain, the film was rated with a Película X rating for extreme violence, and restricted screenings to only eight adult theaterss in that region. Buena Vista, the film's foreign distributor, appealed the decision. After producers cut several of the "most violent scenes" to obtain a "not under 18" rating, it will be released in Spain on October 8, 2010.

Home media

The DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released in three editions on January 26, 2010: an "R-rated Theatrical Full Screen Edition", an "Unrated Director's Cut Widescreen Edition", and an "Unrated Director's cut Blu-ray Disc"—as well as a digital download. The release includes an additional scene after the credits roll, featurettes about Jigsaw, the traps, and the Halloween Horror Nights "Saw: Game Over" maze. Music videos by Memphis May Fire, Hatebreed, Mushroomhead, and Suicide Silence were included with all editions. The Director's Cut included two commentary tracks, one with director Kevin Greutert and writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and the other featuring producer Mark Burg and executive producers Peter Block and Jason Constantine. During its initial release, all three editions came in a "2-Movie Set", which was bundled with the first film with the original bonus features from the initial release. The film is now sold by itself without the original Saw. According to The Numbers.com, which only counts DVD sales in the United States, Saw VI placed number three its first week on the DVD sales chart, selling 220,107 units ($2,766,088) in the United States. In comparison, Saw V sold 515,095 units ($11,326,939) its first week. In the first three weeks Saw VI sold 443,710 units for $7,587,396.

Reception

Box office

Saw VI opened in 3,036 theaters on 4,000 screens and earned $6.9 million on its opening day, in second place behind Paranormal Activity which grossed $7.5 million that day during its second weekend of wide release. It grossed $14.1 million its opening weekend, which is the lowest of all the Saw films. It remained at number two behind Paranormal Activity which was playing on only 64% as many screens as Saw VI, but made 67% more money.

On Halloween weekend, it moved down to number six and made $5.2 million, a 63% decrease in ticket sales from the previous weekend. By its third weekend it declined in sales by 61% and was removed from 945 theaters. It fell into 11th place with $2 million. By its fourth weekend, ticket sales declined by 78% and the film was pulled from 1,314 theaters; it made $449,512. On its fifth and final weekend it made $91,875, an 80% decrease, and it was pulled from an additional 599 theaters. It was being shown in 178 theaters by the end of its run. The film closed out of theaters on November 24, 2009, after only 35 days.

Saw VI began its international run in tenth place with $4.7 million on 946 screens in 11 markets. It opened in the United Kingdom in second place behind Up, grossing $2.6 million on 375 screens. In Australia, it opened at fourth place with earnings of $846,000 on 164 screens. In its second week it came in eighth place with $4.4 million on 1,229 screens in 20 markets for a total of $11.8 million. The film opened in third place in Russia with $1.1 million on 273 screens while it fell to fourth place in the United Kingdom with $1.5 million on 381 screens over the weekend for a total of $6.1 million. Saw VI was released in Spain on October 8, 2010 and grossed $1.2 million on its opening weekend in 211 theaters. The film has come to gross $27.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $40.5 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $68.2 million; making it the lowest-grossing film of the series.

Release date (United States)	Budget (estimated)	Box office revenue
		United States/Canada	Other markets	Worldwide
October 23, 2009	$11,000,000	$27,693,292	$40,540,337	$68,233,629

Critical response

Saw VI was not screened in advance for critics. The film received mixed reviews from film critics, and garnered the second best critical reception out of the series, after Saw (2004). Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 36% of 69 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.2 out of 10, and the critical consensus "It won't earn the franchise many new fans, but Saw VI is a surprising step up for what has become an intricately grisly annual tradition." Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to reviews from film critics, gives the film a rating score of 30, based on 12 reviews. CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "C" on an A+ to F scale.

Although Tobin Bell's character was killed in Saw III, his Jigsaw persona sustains a crucial part in every sequel.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said that "Saw VI is the thinnest, draggiest, and most tediously preachy of the Saw films. It's the first one that's more or less consumed by backstory—which is to say, it's one of those hollow franchise placeholders in which far too many fragments from the previous sequels keep popping up in flashbacks." He said, "If your goal is to do a quick study for a round of Saw Trivial Pursuit, then this may be the movie for you. If you're looking to be jolted into fear or queasy laughter, skip this sequel and hope that the producers get their sick act together next time." Rob Nelson of Variety wrote, "Squeezing another pint of blood from its torture-porn corpus, Lionsgate slays again with Saw VI, a film so frighteningly familiar it could well be called 'Saw It Already'. At least the requisite moralism is more playful than pious in this edition", but added, "Presumably owing to director Kevin Greutert's work as editor of all five previous Saw pics, the film's juggling of chronology is the franchise's best...." Christopher Monfette of IGN Movies rated Saw VI three out of five and wrote that "while Saw VI certainly offers a redemption for the series and the promise of a coming power struggle for Jigsaw's legacy, Saw VII will no doubt mark the time to either shake things up or watch this franchise get the ax".

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said, "If this is torture porn, it's as if it was designed to be enjoyed by Michael Moore." He closed his review saying, "As usual, what gives the film whatever interest it has -- beyond satisfying the rapacious appetites of gore aficionados -- is the moral element attached to the various Rube Goldberg-style set pieces. Here, it's exemplified by a well-staged sequence in which a man must choose who lives or dies during a particularly lethal variation of musical chairs." Roger Moore of Orlando Sentinel gave the film two out of five stars. He said the script "has a more lyrical bent, and a more satiric bite, than any of the other Saw sequels" and called the acting "perfunctory on most fronts". Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, writing "But, really, do reformers and victims of callous health insurers really want a guy with a penchant for elaborately constructed death panels of his own to be their advocate? Elsewhere, the usual critiques apply: terrible acting, zero suspense, laughable logic and the promise of another one next year. How can we get this policy canceled?" Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press gave the film a negative review. He was displeased that the film offered nothing new saying, "The first three Saw movies had some intriguing ideas and an unusual way of presenting them, but the three most recent films have barely bothered to come up with anything fresh." Kim Newman of Empire gave the film three out of five, stating "Saw VI gets back to Saw basics in gripping, gruesome manner."

Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe gave the film a two and half out of four stars saying, "Who knew that the franchise's creators would eventually find a plot twist that made sense? Who knew they'd realize that Tobin Bell's righteous killer had current-events value? Given our cable-news climate, it's not beyond imagining that John Kramer could have his own populist TV show: 'Jigsaw's Death Panel'?". Blake French of AMC Filmcritic gave the film three and a half out of five, writing, "Director Kevin Greutert hasn't helmed a lot of films in the past, but he did edit all of the previous Saws. As it turns out, his mastered craft lends well to directing. He spins a taut, tight, concise web of terror and surprise. The best entry in the series since Saw II." Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting gave the film seven out of ten and wrote "Saw VI is faithful to the franchise and the twist/finale are 100% satisfying. Saw fans will walk out of the theater with their fists in the air with the feeling that they've reclaimed their beloved franchise." Marc Savlov of Austin Chronicle gave the film one and half out of five stars, saying "Enshrouding the whole gooey mess in the already blood-spattered surgical garb of the ongoing health care debate is a crafty move on the screenwriters' part, but once you get past that pseudo-ironic touch, this Saw is no more or less disturbing than any other in the series".

See also

• 2009 in film

References

• Top 8 band saw ( November 2015)

External links

• Lionsgate page
• Saw VI at IMDb
• Saw VI at Box Office Mojo
• Saw VI at Rotten Tomatoes
• Saw VI at Metacritic
• Saw 6 at Facebook