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The screen alights in atoning hellfire. Your pupils dilate. Eyelids quiver but cannot stamp. Tears drain from your ducts. You are fastened to a chair; your eyes are pried open. As your vision adjusts to the dark you notice to your left, an empty calendar, to your right, a box of stale popcorn. The silver screen gives way to overwhelming early 2000’s thrasher music – nine separate films riddled with violent gore and tangled twists begin back-to-back. The game: Mark out the chronology of the Saw franchise on the calendar in popcorn grease, before your eyes dry out and you are rendered blind.

SAW X is the tenth film in the iconic splatter franchise, taking place sometime between SAW I and II. John Kramer, the Jigsaw killer, is slighted by a group of con artists and subsequently subjects them to his sadistic morality games.

The brainchild of Hollywood superstars James Wan (The Conjuring, Furious 7) and Leigh Whannel (Upgrade, The Invisible Man), Saw was a 2004 independent horror film that has evolved into a billion-dollar franchise. After coming to a diminishing end in 2010 at its seventh inning, the franchise leapt from its coffin in 2017 with two spinoffs (watching Jigsaw was the most fun I’ve ever had in a cinema).

It seems fitting that nearing its twenty-year anniversary, the Saw franchise devotes an entry singularly to John Kramer. Tobin Bell plays the iconic character with his usual stoicism, but by focusing on the man behind the machine, SAW X offers a shockingly human experience. Witnessing the method behind the madness, we begin to sympathise with Kramer, even going so far as to root for him and his cause. Alongside this solace, Kramer corners an adversary who may be more sinister than him!

Not only is SAW X shockingly capable, it also strides confidently into the upper echelons of the franchise best, dusting off the property while simultaneously paving the way for future instalments. It is both a welcome reintroduction and continuation of the world of Saw. It’s grim and gory, a staple of the franchise. The traps are vile, blood flows by the gallon. Once heads start to roll, it is impossible not to squirm in your seat or lose yourself in maniacal laughter. SAW X should be seen in a packed theatre with your close friends.

Slower and more character-driven, SAW X is not everything a cinephile dreams of, but it is a welcome change of pace to the franchise. With stronger writing and a keener eye behind the camera, the Saw franchise may just escape the trap of being labelled ‘torture porn’. Tenth time’s the charm, amirite?

Regular writers Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stohlberg are far from consistent, and won’t win any awards soon, but in SAW X they pay their dues. Franchise regular director, Kevin Greutert, winds the clock back to simpler days when Saw trailers flickered atop VHS stores. Cinematographer, Nick Matthews, has a fair amount of fun, experimenting with stylistic camera movements and framing. SAW X is shockingly endearing, the little horror franchise that could (and does. It even has an emotional arch!). You’ve got to admire the guts on this kid (and the guts it spills all over the floor).

By no means is SAW X a great film, but it is a damn fun one. Fiendishly savage, raucously entertaining and shockingly competent! If you’re a fan of the franchise, SAW X is everything you should expect (and once that theme song starts pumping and that twist begins to unwind, boy, I was hollering in my seat). For those new to the franchise,, despite being the tenth iteration, you shouldn’t feel too lost (you may feel some unease). I walked out of SAW X hungry for more and sick to my stomach.

This is a game you should play!

3.5 out of 5 stars