How lucky are we to have a new Scream and a new Saw film in the same year? I anticipated these films the most in 2023. A more personal story about Jigsaw takes place when a group of doctors scam him in Mexico in this prequel set between Saw 1 and 2. Let the games begin. Will this film dismember all fan expectations?

Directed by Kevin Greutert, returning after directing Parts 6 and 7, it’s full of quick camera movements, classic Saw editing style, and has that grimy feel fans have come to expect. At 2 hours long it takes its time to develop the plot and characters without cutting corners or over-explaining information. The gore effects exceed expectations. Once the horror elements start it doesn’t look back. It’s one of the most brutal Saw films so far with new innovative trap designs too. Each has its poetic justice like how the franchise started. The games are fair because the people have a chance to survive.

Written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, they return after writing Parts 8, and 9. The simple premise behind the plot explains why it works so well. The plot is solely focused on the events of this film while still offering up tasty Easter eggs from prior installments for Saw fans. Pig masks? Check. Billy the puppet? Check. The deep raspy Jigsaw voice on cassette tapes? Check. Tobin Bell? Check. New gruesome traps? Check. Iconic score? Check. Unexpected plot development? Check. Everything I love about Saw is in this film. It’s more humorous than the other films too, with dark comedy sprinkled throughout.

Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer aka Jigsaw, giving his best performance since Part 2. Similar to the second film, this puts Jigsaw front and centre. Some of the best scenes aren’t even the traps but rather it’s the conversations between Amanda and Jigsaw or with him talking to his victims about their sins explaining why they’ve been chosen for the games.

Shawnee Smith is back as Amanda Young. The dynamic between her and Jigsaw gets explored deeper as she struggles with being his apprentice. It also adds context to why she snaps in Part 3. She gives a poignant performance adding new dimensions to a well-established character without altering what’s already known.

Jorge Briseño plays Carlos, a young boy who befriends Jigsaw after he helps him fix his bicycle. It’s fascinating to see him use his engineering abilities outside of his twisted games. This shows another side of Jigsaw rarely seen, his soft spot for innocent children.

The relationship between Jigsaw and his victims is explored at a slower pace than usual. The traps don’t occur until halfway through it. These people include Synnøve Macody Lund playing Cecilia Pederson. She’s the standout as the first worthy adversary for Jigsaw in his games. The others are Steven Brand as Parker Sears, Renata Vaca plays Gabriela, Joshua Okamoto as Diego, Octavio Hinojosa plays Mateo, and Paulette Hernández as Valentina. They all unquestionably deserve to be there unlike some people in past entries. They all act off each other well as their true colours become more apparent.

It’s noteworthy that the Charlie Clouser score has been updated and has never sounded better.

Overall, after the disappointing last 3 installments, the franchise dismembered all my expectations by getting back to its roots. I usually don’t like prequels but it fits so well into the timeline. I love the attention to detail when it comes to continuity. On the contrary, it’s watchable if you haven’t seen the other nine films because it doesn’t get overwhelmingly complicated or tamper with what’s been previously established. Where Scream 6 failed this excels in all aspects. Be sure to stay for the after-credits scene. I highly recommend it. Is this my favorite horror movie this year? And remember, if you can’t cut it…then game over.

Grade: 9/10