Jeff Loves Horror

  Plot Synopsis: Detective Hoffman seeks revenge on Jill Tuck, who searches for protection from an internal affairs agent. Meanwhile, a man named Bobby Dagen is placed into a trap because he lied about being a Jigsaw survivor just so he could profit off of it.  Positives:  I like the scene with the car trap. It's one of the few times where I don't mind the effects too much. It's also kind of fun for me as a Linkin Park fan because the guy glued to the car seat is played by Chester Bennington, the band's late lead singer. It's also one of the very few scenes in the movie that actually makes sense to me from a story standpoint. I will also give credit to the silent circle trap. It's a difficult scene for me to watch in a good way.  Mixed Aspects:  I hate to say this, but my first mixed aspect is John Kramer. I'm happy to see him in the movie, and as usual, it feels like Tobin Bell is acting circles around the rest of the cast. My problem is that he's prett...

  Plot Synopsis:  Insurance agent William Easton finds himself trapped in a game based on the actions he takes because he perceived as choosing whether people live or die. Meanwhile, Hoffman finds the heat starting to close in on him.  Positives:  As usual, I always have to highlight Tobin Bell's performance. I am glad the flashbacks have been used to keep John Kramer (and as an extension Tobin Bell) around. Another element this movie adds that I like is the idea that Jill has been more involved in John's games than the previous movies might have led on. This is probably the most I have liked the traps and the trap plot since Saw III. Of course, my personal favorite trap in this film is the shotgun carousel. I will also say that, for me, the plot twists in this movie are quite a bit better than the twists in the previous movie.  Mixed Aspects:  While I do enjoy the trap plot of Saw VI, I will also admit that it doesn't really have much of anything to do wit...

  Plot Synopsis: Now that Detective Hoffman has been revealed as the last man standing, he and Agent Strahm engage in a battle of wits and wills. Meanwhile, a group of people must work together to survive yet another grisly game.  Positives: My first positive is that this is the movie with my favorite trap of the entire franchise, the pendulum trap. Of course, Tobin Bell as John Kramer will always be a positive in my book. I actually like the flashbacks that flesh out his relationship with Hoffman. I also like that they stuck with Agent Strahm for the majority of this movie.  Mixed Aspects: The biggest thing I have mixed feelings about in this movie is Hoffman as a character. As I already said, I like the moments between him and John Kramer. However, looking at Hoffman on his own, I don't really care about him one way or the other. The effects are also a bit of a mixed bag. Most of them look okay. There is one effect near the beginning where a character is decapitated, an...

Plot Synopsis: SWAT officer Rigg finds himself in a game to teach him a lesson in understanding patience as well as learning that he can't save everyone.  Negatives: I want to start off with my negatives for this movie because one of them actually ties into something I said in my  Saw III review. I mentioned that I kind of think a couple of the characters killed off in that movie shouldn't have been. The main one for me is Amanda. She's honestly more interesting than the third apprentice revealed at the end of this movie. Speaking of the twist, so far, I think Saw IV has the weakest twists so far. This also the first movie in the franchise that feels convoluted just for the sake of it. I should also say that I will touch on the characters more in another section of my review. This is probably the movie in the franchise at this point where it starts to feel like things happen just because the script says so, even if I can't say this is the most egregious example My final...

  Plot Synopsis:  As John Kramer is on his deathbed, he and his apprentice Amanda kidnap a doctor and task her with keeping him alive. Meanwhile, grieving father Jeff is put through a game where he has life and death in his hands as he confronts the people who had varying levels of responsibility in son's death.  Positives:  Once again, this is a film that seems to understand that Jigsaw and Amanda are the characters that should be at the center of the film. They are the best parts of these movies without a doubt in my mind. Adding on to that, I also kind of like the idea that this movie actually shows some of the cracks in Jigsaw and Amanda's sanity, which actually makes them more frightening than I think they have ever been. Something I haven't talked about too much when reviewing these movies as of yet is the traps. This movie has one of my personal favorite traps in the entire franchise.   Mixed Aspects:  The main thing I have mixed feelings about ...

Plot Synopsis: Detective Eric Matthews is forced into a twisted game by the Jigsaw Killer. Meanwhile, Matthews' son Daniel is forced to play a game of his own when he wakes up in a house with a group of strangers, who must all work to find an antidote for poison they are breathing in.  Positives: One area where I think this movie legitimately improves on its predecessor is in the acting. Ok, nobody's winning an Oscar, but it's a lot better in this movie. Perhaps this movie's biggest positive is the fact that we now have Jigsaw front and center. It helps that Tobin Bell is pretty consistently the best part of the Saw movies. I also like that this movie actually goes into Jigsaw's backstory. We actually have a look into why he is the way he is. I also think the movie's main twist is pretty damn good as well. I didn't really think about it before. But, watching it again, it is interesting to see just how well it was hinted at throughout the movie. There are oth...

Basic Plot:  Two men wake up to find themselves chained up inside a bathroom by a sadistic serial killer. From there, they are forced to play the killer's game in an effort to survive. Positives:  First off, I really like the story this movie offers. At the time Saw came out in 2004, this was something that felt kind of refreshing. There's a solid mystery to the film as the two protagonists are forced to figure their way out of their situation. Going off of that, I also quite like how as the movie goes on, we learn that while neither one of them is purely evil, neither one is entirely worth rooting for either. The movie does a good job at throwing in some solid red herrings. They really make you hate this one particular character, and actually cheer at the idea of his death. For a movie with a relatively low budget, I actually think director James Wan does a pretty good job showing his talent. In a way, I also kind of like how restrained this first movie feels (especially in c...