On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 70/159 |
David Mumpower |
Little more than a compilation of pseudo-snuff films but the ending is grrrreat. |
When you find a formula for success, you stick with it until it stops working. At least, that always seems to be the mantra in Hollywood.
Lionsgate has certainly found their niche in the horror genre, most notably with the Saw films. The first film in the series premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, and Lionsgate acquired the distribution rights for a pittance. The film ended up with $55.1 million at the domestic box office, and easily cleared the way for a sequel with a mighty $4 million budget. That film made $87 million in North America after an awesome $31.7 million opening weekend. Needless to say, these films have thus far been a cash cow for the studio, taking advantage of a certain audience segment that really likes its films gory and over-the-top. It was a no-brainer that Lionsgate would once again shepherd a third film through the works as quickly as possible.
In the first movie, the story follows two men who are chained to pipes at opposite ends of a dirty utility room. They soon realize that they are the victims of the Jigsaw killer, a cruel murderer who devises detailed and elaborate situations that teach his victims to value their own lives by either making them hurt themselves or others to stay alive. The men must fight the clock and each other in order to outwit their captor.
For the sequel, Jigsaw continues his dirty work by locking eight or nine unlucky folks in a booby trapped shelter. If they can't find their way out, they will inhale too much lethal nerve gas and die. Trouble is, there are a multitude of traps along the way that are every bit as deadly.
Finally, with the arrival of Saw III, Jigsaw will take on an apprentice. He'll continue to try to "teach" those people who he feels are undeserving of life. It's certain to make the studio plenty of money, which will likely result in a Saw IV being scheduled for 2007. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
