What is a scary movie? Is it the simple idea of maniac stalking baby sitters on Halloween night, or the abstract story about the satanic possession of a young girl? Cleverly crafted horror movies have forever invaded the minds of film-goers everywhere. Sadly, many horror films of today have dishonored the classics of the past.
The sequels of the Saw franchise rest at the top of the bloody heap of movies doing everything horror movies shouldn’t do. In order to fully deconstruct what makes the latest installment, “Saw IV,” so disastrous we must peel away all the disgusting qualities – like most of movie’s characters lose their face. It’s not just how disgusting the movie is, but also how childishly it is put together.
Following immediately after the events of the equally forgettable “Saw III,” “Saw IV” blunderingly tells the impossible story of how the work of the infamous Jigsaw killer lives on after his death. The story of “Saw IV” is told no differently than “Saw III.” If they are not already deceived by the false entertainment of bloodshed, the audience should be baffled by the asinine out-of-character actions muddling the believability of the film’s finale.
It didn’t help that the movie borrowed its main twist from the mold of one of its very own predecessors. While analyzing the skeleton of “Saw IV” we simply see a slew of nameless actors reciting moronic lines describing the ridiculous philosophy of a concept only glorified by preposterous twists and far-fetched situations.
“Saw IV” may quite possibly be one of the worst and most pointlessly forgettable movies ever made. That statement isn’t meant to be taken simply on the level of horror movies. Sure, “Saw IV” is made obnoxiously disgusting because of its mindless use of dismembered bodies and repugnantly distasteful death scenes, but the main problems lie simply within its craft.
It is obvious neither director Darren Lynn Bousman or the producers have any care for how good their films are. The only thing terrifying about this film is the fact it is being wrongly considered entertainment. Do yourself a favor and invest your entertainment in elite horror films of the past. As far as the Saw sequels have determined it, horror movies have a long way to come once again.
Letter Grade: F
Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout, and for language.
Runtime: 95 min.
Starring Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, and Lyrig Bent
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
