While the franchise started out as a humbled - budget repulsion movie , it takes a lot to have theSawmovies explained from the increasingly complicated timeline . Despite the enfranchisement ’s popularity , it hit a point where some critics complain that the further along the series advance , the harder it was to keep up without having ascertain every entry in it , rather recently . Whether that was a big return is debatable , Sawdefinitely essay its best to tie everything together for most of its outpouring in a way that other horror series did n’t always try .

For the first eight movies , the serial all followed one relatively consistentSawplot point concentrate around John " Jigsaw " Kramer . However , the spinoff 9th installmentSpiraltook place year later with a copycat Orcinus orca of sorts.2023’sSaw Xpulls off the shocking move of bring in Jigsaw back into the fold despite the fact that he died right smart back inSaw III . give way his death , the motion picture that followed mean the series used a short ton of flashback that can make things confusing for even the most focused of viewers .

Before Saw (2004)

Jigsaw’s Origins Date Back To 1994

Much of what unfold in theSawmovies ties directly back to events that happened prior to 2004’sSaw . Before becoming Jigsaw , John was a successful civic engineer , while his married woman Jill opened and campaign the Homeward Bound Clinic . With a son on the way of life , John and Jill were happy , until an addict named Cecil Adams fleece the clinic in 1994 , causing Jill to miss the baby .

This charge John into suicidal imprint , starting the spiraling downward of his life sentence . He developed brain cancer and due to a error by succeeding apprentice Logan Nelson , and afterwards a demurrer of care by insurance executive William Easton , was declared terminal . Amanda Young , another patient at Homeward Bound — who , unbeknownst to John , had talked Cecil into robbing the place — is abducted by John , and forced to pass a test imply the infamous reverse bear sand trap . She succeeds , emerges with a raw admiration for sprightliness , and joins John ’s campaign .

Many of the events ofJigsawalso take office beforeSaw XandSaw , though the present timeline of the 2017 movie is set year after , long after John Kramer ’s death .

Three characters from the Saw franchise

During the same pre - Sawperiod , Detective Mark Hoffman set about to frame Jigsaw for the murder of his sister ’s grampus , lead John to reveal himself andblackmail Hoffman into becoming another apprentice . Detective David Tapp subsequently gets drawn into the Jigsaw investigating , and after the death of his partner via a booby maw , becomes obsessed with taking Jigsaw down . To attempt and throw Tapp off , Hoffman and John attack to entrap Dr. Lawrence Gordon for the criminal offence .

Saw (2004)

The First Movie Takes Place In 2001

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encounter is the first installation in the horror franchise directed by James Wan . free in 2004 , the moving picture follow two humans who arouse fetter in a abandoned ship bathroom , discovering they are part of a sadistic game orchestrate by the oracular Jigsaw , requiring them to observe cryptic instructions to survive .

2004’sSawsees John Kramer ’s first major biz lead off in 2001 , almost a decade after the accident that set him on the dingy path to becoming the Jigsaw Killer . Dr. Lawrence Gordon and photographer Adam Stanheight are kidnap by John and Amanda and snare inside a loathly bath . Adam had been engage to surveil Gordon previously by Detective Tapp , who ’s red-hot on Jigsaw ’s lead . Also roped in is Zep Hindle , an neat who had worked at the infirmary where John was treated .

Jigsaw demands Gordon pop Adam , or his kidnap wife and girl will pall . Gordon fails , but Tapp arrives and his family survives . Tapp pursues Zep but gets shot , then Zep is killed by Adam . Finally , the masterstroke come , as John reveal he was the " dead trunk " in the way with them the whole time , long after Gordon saw off his own foot to attempt and turn tail , and leaves the two men to die .

Collage of Adam, John Kramer, and Dr. Gordon in Saw

The 2001 date of the firstSawmovie is mainly shew by the date on the cellular telephone reading 09/10/01 . However , there are some fans who simply believe John had n’t change the date on the phone , and that the motion picture hire blank space during the release year of 2004 .

After the events of the firstSawmovie , flashbacks afterwards on in the franchise reveal that John return and nurse Dr. Gordon back to wellness , who then becomes another learner — albeit one unidentified toJigsaw apprentices Amanda Youngand Mark Hoffman . Additionally , Amanda belt down Adam , without severalise John , ask her first step towards becoming ( in John ’s eyes ) an out - and - out successive killer .

The Saw franchise is ill-famed for its barbarous and gruesome kills , but some of the motion-picture show redeem a much high destruction tally than others .

Every saw trap in all movies

Several characters who seem in futureSawmovies also have some cardinal consequence during this period . Detective Eric Matthews is investigated by internal affairs for abusing suspect and becomes the next major Jigsaw test subject , due to that and his tendency to lie under oath and put away innocent people . Bobby Dagen , the lead fiber ofSaw 7 , begins his own lies about surviving Jigsaw around this prison term too , while William Easton denies life - saving care to Harold Abbott , whose family would eventually decide to belt down him to endSaw 6 .

Saw X (2023)

Takes Place Shortly Before The Events Of Saw (With Some Overlap)

Saw X is set between adage and Saw II , following John Kramer as he seeks an observational Crab treatment in Mexico . Discovering a fraudulent functioning place vulnerable individuals , Kramer resumes his role as the infamous successive killer whale , using his lethal ingenuity to exact retaliation on the con creative person .

The latest installment in the franchise is 2023’sSaw X , and it marks a return to the series ' roots . WhereJigsawandSpiralare the two installments to either barely feature John Kramer or not admit him at all , Saw Xputs him back in the cutting edge . see Xis a prequel set between 2004’sSawand 2005’sSaw 2.It display one of John ’s early games , with him taking revenge on several Dr. who have been fly the coop a fraudulent medical center in Mexico .

Ten panel - filled Saw moving picture have been made to date , full of torturous traps galore , and here ’s how the entire franchise wad up , worst to best .

Blended image of characters in the Saw movie franchise

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The final import ofSaw Xalso show John setting up the hole for Dr. Gordon and Adam Stanheight with the assistance of Hoffman . Amanda also boast heavily inSaw X , and it present the first time she helped John fix up and fulfill his test and traps . The most recentSawmovie is bear witness to take position shortly before the events ofSawin the timeline , which places it just about in 2001 .

Saw 2 (2005)

The Second Saw Movie Takes Place In 2002

Saw II is the follow - up to James Wan and Leigh Whannell ’s 2004 body revulsion film , Saw . In the subsequence , a grouping of ex - convict are kidnapped by Jigsaw and must work together to find an counterpoison to a toxin that is scheduled to kill them all in two hour . Darren Lynn Bousman took over direct duties for proverb II after Wan head the master copy .

While no specific date are given , it’swidely take on thatSaw IItakes place around a year afterSawin the timeline , think of that it ’s pose in 2002.John ’s next big examination occur with Eric Matthews , who ’s forced to watch as his teenage son and a gang of people he wrongfully locked up face their own tryout inside an give up theater .

It turns out the footage being shown to Eric was pre - recorded , and his Logos was being kept inside a actual safe in the same room the whole time . After beating John to a bloody mush , Eric is depart locked inside the bathroom from the firstSawby Amanda , who participate in the game under the pretext of a victim .

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Saw is the first installment in the horror franchise directed by James Wan. Released in 2004, the film follows two men who awake shackled in a derelict bathroom, discovering they are part of a sadistic game orchestrated by the enigmatic Jigsaw, requiring them to follow cryptic instructions to survive.

It ’s betweenSaw 2andSaw 3and4that John ’s health chop-chop deteriorates too .

There are also several cardinal events that , through flashback , have been revealed to have occurred after the events ofSaw 2 in the six months between it andSaw3and4.Immediately after the event ofSaw 2,Eric manages to break away the lav but is badly injured in the appendage . He gets in a flaming fight with Amanda , who leaves him for dead , but Hoffman patches Eric up . Eric is keep locked aside for months , while Detective Hoffman pretends to be look into the Jigsaw instance and Jill Tuck .

It ’s also during this period that Dr. Gordon and John quality mental capacity sawbones Dr. Lynn Denlon for his next big biz , which would revolve around her and her husband Jeff , whose son had been killed by a drunk driver . John also wedge his wretched X - lawyer Art Blank into table service , whileAmanda begins design unavoidable traps , run against John ’s twisted ethical motive . It ’s betweenSaw 2andSaw 3and4that John ’s wellness rapidly deteriorates too .

Headshot Of Cary Elwes In The The John Ritter Foundation For Aortic Health’s ‘Event

Saw 3 (2006) & Saw 4 (2007)

Both Take Place In Late 2002, Six Months After Saw 2

Saw III is the third cinema in the revulsion mystery - thiller franchise directed by Darren Lynn Bousman . Set after the event of the 2nd film , Saw III follows John Kramer continuing to place victims in deadly yap to examine them . The film also bounce back and off between detectives attempting to receive the Jigsaw slayer while following a man named Jeff who must solve a series of secret plan and forgive those who wronged him to survive .

see 3andSaw 4 ’s events need to be grouped together for lucidity ’s interest , as the two films take stead at the same time . Once more , there ’s little to place both movies in a specific class , but it ’s beenconfirmed they take place six calendar month afterSaw 2,meaning they hap in late 2002 in theSawtimeline . John is come on death in this sentence period and knows he wo n’t be live much longer . For her part , Jill beg him to give up his crusade , but he reject .

There are several patch holes in theSawtimeline , one of which necessitate John ’s last . WhileSaw 3andSaw 4must take place in 2002 by the dealership ’s established timeline up until that point , a undertaker ’s tag on John Kramer ’s corpse lists his death as come about in 2006 .

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This is also the point that the relationships between John ’s apprentices start to get out down , with Amanda and Hoffman at betting odds . Hoffman is angling to get Amanda out of the way , and he uses his cognition of her involvement with John ’s boy ’s death to reach that .

The Saw franchise contains 62 brutal traps . How do each of these highly originative and highly gory Jigsaw tests rank against one another ?

While Lynn and Jeff Denlon are being tested , police police officer Daniel Rigg is taking part in his own series of trial , orchestrate by Hoffman , and involve Eric Matthews . Rigg is then compose for the Jigsaw killings . Lynn and Jeff are both ultimately killed , the latter by FBI Agent Peter Straham in a misunderstanding afterJeff had just make Jigsaw ’s death . Amanda also died , as did Eric and Rigg , leave Hoffman to take over as the new Jigsaw .

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Saw X is set between Saw and Saw II, following John Kramer as he seeks an experimental cancer treatment in Mexico. Discovering a fraudulent operation targeting vulnerable individuals, Kramer resumes his role as the infamous serial killer, using his lethal ingenuity to exact revenge on the con artists.

Saw 5 (2008)

The Next Saw Movie Takes Place In 2003

ascertain vanadium is the fifth film in the long - break away repulsion mystery - thriller franchise . It was directed by David Hackl and released in 2008 . Continuing to follow the trail of slaughter will by the departed Jigsaw Killer and his apprentice , FBI Agent Peter Strahm is catch and survive a lying in wait meant to allow for him for bushed . However , Strahm begin to close in on the likely killer from within - and colleague Detective Mark Hoffman is the prize suspect .

Saw Vstarts shortly after the upshot ofSaw IIIandSaw IV , withthe consensus that they must therefore be set in 2003 in theSawtimeline . Agent Strahm is attacked from behind and placed in a Water Cube cakehole by Hoffman , but manages to escape via improvised tracheotomy with a pen . Hoffman " saves " Jeff and Lynn ’s kidnapped girl Corbett , and becomes a hero in the pressing , but Strahm chop-chop becomes shady of him . John leaves behind a posthumous magnetic tape that informs Hoffman of what ’s to come .

The central examination and its subjects are n’t really the story inSaw 5 , as the focal point is on Hoffman ’s attempts to stay ahead of Strahm and his spouse Agent Perez , who misrepresent her death for attempt and trip Hoffman up . Strahm catches up to Hoffman , but the latter fuck off the last gag , as Strahm fail a rather simple run and gets crushed to death .

Headshot Of Tobin Bell

Saw 6 (2009)

The Sixth Saw Movie Is Also Set In 2003

Very slight time passes betweenSaw VandSaw VI , entail that it ’s highly likely both took piazza in 2003 in theSawtimeline . adage 6 ’s central game tests William Easton , who ’s forced to calculate with his company ’s history of denying living - saving tutelage and always picking money over man . Meanwhile , Hoffman utilize Strahm ’s severed hand to try and frame him for the Jigsaw murders .

Perez and her FBI boss Erickson eventually pick up him red - handed , but Hoffman kills everyone in the room and then burn it to ruin the evidence . strange to him though , John had instructed Jill to point Hoffman in theSawreverse bear trapas his own mental testing and had also need Dr. Gordon to act in case anything were to happen to Jill . Hoffman survives to fructify up the next movie .

Saw 7 (2010)

The Movie Also Known As Saw 3D Takes Place In 2004

meet 3D , turn in 2010 , continues the horror franchise by focusing on a group of Jigsaw survivor who come together under the guidance of ego - avail guru Bobby Dagen . However , Dagen ’s hidden yesteryear creates refreshful trials , perpetuating the legacy of Jigsaw ’s torturous games .

Once more , there ’s not much clock time that passes betweenSaw VII(also known asSaw 3D)andSaw VI , meaning that the 7thSawfilm in all probability occurs in early 2004 , or late 2003 at the earliest . After patch himself up , Hoffman aim Jill , but not before she search help from internal affairs pig Mark Gibson , who had seen Hoffman shoot a man years prior . Sadly , police auspices does n’t end up being enough .

The central plot sees self - help guru and purported Jigsaw survivor Bobby Dagen put through a series of tests due to his ongoing prevarication . Malvina Hoffman massacre a bunch of bull , using Dagen ’s game as a ploy to get Gibson by from the police force post and get himself in , before stamp out Jill with the Reverse Bear Trap . The gag is on Hoffman though , as Gordon abducts him and leaves him to die in the originalSawbathroom .

Headshot Of Shawnee Smith In The FXX Network Launch Party

Jigsaw (2017)

Set In 2010 (Although This Is A Point Of Contention In The Fanbase)

fretsaw : release in 2017 , Jigsaw is a continuation of the Saw dealership , where law enforcement officials are amaze as they pursue the secret orchestrator of a serial publication of grim murders . Despite evidence that suggests the culprit is the long - dead John Kramer , a notorious genius , the probe reveals a novel deadly game is underway .

2017’sJigsaw , the eighthSawmovie , is where the timeline contract incredibly complicated and has run to some serious plot holes with the chronology . Jigsawtakes office eight years after John ’s dying , although it features yet anothercharacter who turn out to be working for Jigsaw . The key game seen onscreen inJigsaw , guide by previously unknown learner Logan Nelson , really occurred sometime before the firstSawmovie .

The " present day " timeline of the movie is set in 2010 — in possibility , at least , if the sound - date timeline give in 2004’sSawis succeed . If viewer believe John ’s death go on in 2006 rather than 2002 , as per the morticians ' tag , then it ’s arrange around 2014.Regardless of the specific twelvemonth , in the present - daylight event ofJigsaw , an Old Logan frames a corrupt cop discover Detective Hallorann for the raw killings , as retaliation for Hallorann permit a Orcinus orca go complimentary that by and by murdered Logan ’s wife . in the end , Nelson is never name again .

Saw 2 2005 Movie Poster

Saw II is the follow-up to James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s 2004 body horror film, Saw. In the sequel, a group of ex-convicts are kidnapped by Jigsaw and must work together to find an antidote to a toxin that is scheduled to kill them all in two hours. Darren Lynn Bousman took over directing duties for Saw II after Wan directed the original.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Set An Unspecified Length Of Time After John Kramer’s Death

The ninth installment and twist - off of the Saw enfranchisement , Spiral : From the Book of Saw , star Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks , a constabulary police officer investigating what he believe to be a Jigsaw copycat Orcinus orca . As the fount unravels , Banks realise that the truth might be nigh to home than he would have cerebrate as the bequest of subversion in his embattled constabulary section begins to look a enumeration .

Spiralis set in the same area , an unreadable phone number of years after the events of Jigsaw . Outside the unexampled killer William Schenk lifting some of John ’s method , there ’s no other direct connexion between the two characters or the priorSawstories . It ’s reveal that age beforeSpiral , protagonist Detective Zeke Banks witnessed his partner Peter Dunleavy bump off a witness .

Zeke break Dunleavy , making him a pariah in the overall corrupt power . Dunleavy ’s dupe , a gentleman’s gentleman key Emmerson , was actually William ’s father , and William take up Jigsaw ’s mantle as an adult to cleanse up the police force department . His ending goal was to enlist Zeke as an accomplice after testing him , but Zeke refused , and his former corrupted primary father decease as a upshot .

Headshot Of Donnie Wahlberg

When Will Saw XI Be Set?

The Latest Sequel Is Expected In 2025

Saw Xmay be the most recentSawmovie , but it ’s not the end of the franchise . go steady 11is confirmed and is presently in development , though nothing has been revealed about the write up yet , including where it will fit into the widerSawtimeline . However , given the winner ofSaw Xas a prequel , it seems likely thatSaw XIwill accompany the same route . Tobin Bell as John Kramer has been a key part of the draw of theSawmovies , and those that do n’t hard feature him have , historically , been far less successful .

Should it be a prequel , thenSaw XIwill likely take position after the events of 2004’sSaw , given that the final shots ofSaw Xwere of the first Jigsaw tryout audiences were preface to being set up . see to it XIbeing a prequel would also present an opportunity to wreak Logan Nelson fromJigsawfurther into the fold , explaining his place in the widerSawcanon more thoroughly .

Where Potential Saw Spinoffs Would Land On The Timeline

With the success ofSaw Xin 2023 , the long - run revulsion movie dealership will go forward to have a future with some entice possible spinoffs on the fashion . After the reference of Mark Hoffman made his return in the post - credit scene ofSaw X , producers suggest their plans to have the franchise continue with a movie concenter on Hoffman ( viaDexterto ) . They also confirmed that oneSaw Xcharacter was kept alive for the futurity with Cecilia put up as a likely give back foe ( viaSlashfilm ) .

If this is the direction the enfranchisement is heading in , there are some questions about how it will affect the timeline . Hoffman ’s destiny in theSawfranchise , like Cecilia ’s , was left in enquiry as he was lock inSaw ’s iconic cellar prison to presumably break . This would suggest that his reappearance would have to be a prequel taking plaza before in the timeline , and with Cecilia peradventure come back , it would take place after the case ofSaw X.

However , it would seem unusual to make a prequel about Hoffman as so much of the character ’s backstory has already been research in flashback . rather , it could be revealed thatboth Hoffman and Cecilia escaped being left to die and the upshot could take place at the remainder of theSawtimeline . With both John Kramer and Amanda dead , Cecilia could come looking to exact retaliation on the piece who take on up the Jigsaw mantle in their absence seizure .

Saw 3 2006 Movie Poster

Saw III is the third film in the horror mystery-thiller franchise directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Set after the events of the second film, Saw III follows John Kramer continuing to place victims in deadly traps to test them. The film also bounces back and forth between detectives attempting to find the Jigsaw killer while following a man named Jeff who must solve a series of games and forgive those who wronged him to survive.

The Saw plastic film enfranchisement is an anthology of horror films centered around the Jigsaw Killer , a mastermind who craft luxuriant trap to test his victims ' will to live . victim , often morally flawed , are force into ghastly games where they must inflict severe pain on themselves or others to survive .

Saw 5 Movie Poster

Saw V is the fifth film in the long-running horror mystery-thriller franchise. It was directed by David Hackl and released in 2008. Continuing to follow the trail of carnage left by the deceased Jigsaw Killer and his apprentices, FBI Agent Peter Strahm is caught and survives a trap meant to leave him for dead. However, Strahm begins to close in on the potential killer from within - and colleague Detective Mark Hoffman is the prime suspect.

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Saw 3D, released in 2010, continues the horror franchise by focusing on a group of Jigsaw survivors who come together under the guidance of self-help guru Bobby Dagen. However, Dagen’s hidden past creates fresh trials, perpetuating the legacy of Jigsaw’s torturous games.

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Jigsaw: Released in 2017, Jigsaw is a continuation of the Saw franchise, where law enforcement officials are perplexed as they pursue the mysterious orchestrator of a series of gruesome murders. Despite evidence that suggests the culprit is the long-dead John Kramer, a notorious mastermind, the investigation reveals a new deadly game is underway.

Spiral From the Book of Saw Movie Poster

The ninth installment and spin-off of the Saw franchise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, stars Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks, a police officer investigating what he believes to be a Jigsaw copycat killer. As the case unravels, Banks realizes that the truth might be closer to home than he would have thought as the legacy of corruption in his embattled police department begins to face a reckoning.

Headshot Of Chris Rock

Samuel L. Jackson headshot

Saw 2004 Film Poster

The Saw film franchise is an anthology of horror films centered around the Jigsaw Killer, a mastermind who crafts elaborate traps to test his victims’ will to live. Victims, often morally flawed, are forced into gruesome games where they must inflict severe pain on themselves or others to survive.

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