Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy.  However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood.

SAW VI
Director: Kevin Greutert
Screenplay: Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan
Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy.  However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood.
Making his feature film directorial debut is longtime SAW franchise editor Kevin Greutert.   Says Greutert, "Coming on board for the first time as director, I really wanted SAW VI to be one man's journey, and I thought the best approach to that end would be to introduce a new character into the series.  I love all of our other characters but we know their stories intimately. Plus it's hard to surprise the audience at this point.  They are a savvy bunch.  So what I want is for the film to be an emotional journey that the audience will be compelled to follow independently as a story rather than 'what's the next trap going to be?'  And I think when SAW works best: when it's about a person going through a series of life challenges.  That's absolutely William's story…with Jigsaw playing a number of mind games.  He was saving the best for last."

WHAT THE SAW?
As intricate as one of Jigsaw's games, the SAW films reveal their twisting plots gradually. The series itself resembles an even larger jigsaw puzzle, with each new film linking up in some way with its predecessor. With SAW VI arriving in theatres for Halloween 2009, let's take a look at the pieces thus far. To paraphrase Jigsaw's victims:  where are we?  Read more about the six Saw films

ABOUT THE SAW FRANCHISE
"What the fuck is going on?  Where am I?"
Those words, uttered two minutes into 2004's SAW, express the primal emotions - the hopeless confusion, the awful sense of powerlessness and sheer, panic-stricken terror - that lie at the heart of Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures' SAW franchise; emotions that are a key to its phenomenal success. The SAW films follow the machinations of Jigsaw, a terminally ill cancer patient with an exacting moral agenda and a genius for gruesome games of survival, "played" with those he believes have ceased to value and appreciate the gift of life. Ratcheting up tension and invention with each successive film, the SAW franchise has touched a chord while jangling millions of nerves worldwide. It has picked up the baton from classic horror series such as HALLOWEEN and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET to become a cultural touchstone, as well as the most profitable horror franchise, both theatrically and on DVD, in movie history. To date, the five SAW titles have taken in over $665 million in worldwide theatrical box office and DVD sales have exceeded 28 million units. The franchise has helped make Lionsgate the leading studio for horror today, with #1 rankings in box office and DVD consumer spending.
SAW made its world premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Festival's popular "Park City at Midnight" program. Festival Director Geoffrey Gilmore, who programs the annual event, recalls that he was impressed by the first-time filmmakers' command of both form and theme. "SAW grabbed the viewer from the first frame; it was bold, cleverly constructed and flat-out terrifying," he comments. "But what really set SAW apart was its moral seriousness. This movie didn't just want to scare you, it wanted to make you think about what you would do to stay alive. In today's world, that is not a trivial thing to contemplate -- either as an individual or as a member of society."
As the SAW series has continued, the films have tunneled further into Jigsaw's beliefs and worldview. Says Leigh Whannell, who created the original story with director James Wan and wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for SAW, SAW II and SAW III, "Jigsaw's cancer has led him to think very hard about what it means to be alive and how close we are to death at any given time. But he's not someone who stops with a simple 'carpe diem' and a trip to Europe. The concept of life's value becomes a springboard to look at other personal moral choices, like forgiveness versus retribution. Jigsaw keeps digging into these issues, which become grist for his games. And as twisted as the games are, his intention is to help people. Between his philosophical bent and his sick take on altruism, I like to think Jigsaw is somewhat unique in the horror universe." 
The SAW franchise has been part of a wave of horror films that have drawn favorable comparisons to the independent horror cinema of the 1970s, a connection highlighted in a Summer 2007 series at New York's Museum of the Moving Image, entitled "It's Only a Movie: Horror Films from the 1970s and Today." The six-weekend retrospective drew a thru-line between films like Wes Craven's LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) and Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974), which shocked audiences of their day with envelope-pushing gore and disturbing explorations of human behavior; and the films of the SAW age, including Darren Lynn Bousman's SAW II, which contain images and stories that have left today's viewers just as stunned and terrified -- and eager for more -- as the moviegoers of the 1970s. "It's Only a Movie" presented double features that paired films from each era, with SAW II sharing a bill with Stanley Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.
Announcing the series in June 2007, the Museum's Chief Curator, David Schwartz said, "These movies are of considerable aesthetic and cultural interest, clearly reflecting the fears of contemporary lives…. Of course we are aware that these films contain disturbing, often shocking images, but they are powerful precisely because they tap into our deepest anxieties."
Assistant Curator Livia Bloom also weighed in. "The filmmakers in this series use the horror genre as a commercial framework to make smart, often subversive films. Their work examines deep psychological concerns, and comments on social and political issues of the day." Bloom noted that in SAW's "startling scenes of torture," she found "reflections of a life during a time of war and turmoil."
The thematic and stylistic consistency of the SAW series owes much to the stewardship and participation of a core team, including SAW originators James Wan and Leigh Whannell; writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman, who joined the team with SAW II; producers Oren Koules, Mark Burg and the late Gregg Hoffman; and executive producers Stacey Testro, Peter Block and Jason Constantine. The key creative team has been with the series from the start, and includes director of photography David A. Armstrong; production designer David Hackl; editor and current director Kevin Greutert; and composer Charlie Clouser, a onetime member of the band Nine Inch Nails.
Another critical member of the SAW team is actor Tobin Bell, who has portrayed Jigsaw throughout the franchise. In his September 7, 2007 essay on contemporary horror movies in the L.A. Weekly, critic Luke Thomson wrote, "Tobin Bell's performance as Jigsaw is a wonder; he's the best 'real-world' horror antihero since Anthony Hopkins first played Hannibal Lecter."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

KEVIN GREUTERT (Director) is a native of Pasadena, California.  He received a production degree at USC Film School and rose through the ranks of film editing on such projects as TITANIC, ARMAGEDDON, and INSPECTOR GADGET.  He was brought into the SAW family through the merits of his work on the Disney comedy GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE II, and edited all five films of the horror series before directing SAW VI.  He also edited the Brendan Fraser/Mos Def drama JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT, as well as THE STRANGERS, with Liv Tyler.  In his meager allotment of spare time he writes, directs his own films, performs music, and travels.

PATRICK MELTON (Screenwriter) hails from Evanston, Illinois and attended the University of Iowa, where he met his writing partner, Marcus Dunstan.  After moving to Los Angeles and working for various film companies, Patrick attended Loyola Marymount University, where he received his MFA in Screenwriting.  In 2004, Patrick won the filmmaking contest Project Greenlight for the script he co-wrote with Marcus Dunstan titled FEAST.  Since then, Patrick and Marcus have become household names in the horror genre with such films as SAW IV, SAW V, and the two FEAST sequels.  Additionally, they provided rewrites for the successful MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D and the upcoming HELLRAISER and PIRANHA 3D remakes.  This past summer marked the directorial debut for Marcus with THE COLLECTOR, a horror/thriller he co-wrote with Patrick. 

MARCUS DUNSTAN (Screenwriter) hails from Macomb, IL and attended the University of Iowa, where he met his writing partner, Patrick Melton. After moving to North Hollywood in January of 1999, Marcus attempted to stay in shape by jogging in a nearby park. He found a gun in that park, ran back to his apartment and shortly thereafter gained 50 pounds. Odd job after odd job followed as Mr. Dunstan watched his youth dim under the mocking gaze of his Communications Degree.  A fateful call from Patrick Melton began with "what if we took a shot at writing a horror film?" That script became FEAST, which was selected by Project Greenlight and released by Dimension Films.  The success of FEAST led to the creation of two sequels that so offended one viewer, Dunstan was asked not to reproduce.  In 2007, Marcus co-wrote SAW IV with Patrick Melton, during which time, Dunstan, fearing kidney stones, endured an ultrasound only to discover that his jeans were so friggin' tight they had pinched a nerve under his ribcage.  With shame intact, Marcus co-wrote SAW V and this fall's SAW VI for director Kevin Greutert.  In theaters this summer is Dunstan's directorial debut, THE COLLECTOR, which was based, once again, on a script co-written by Dunstan and his college bud, Patrick Melton.

ABOUT THE CAST
Whether you know him as 'Jigsaw' in the wildly successful SAW movies, 'Nordic' in THE FIRM or even 'Ted Kaczynski' in UNABOMBER --THE REAL STORY, TOBIN BELL (Jigsaw) has displayed an uncanny - and occasionally chilling - ability to burrow deep into a character's psyche.  Tobin's longevity and chameleon-like ability to assume any role has placed him in the upper echelon of consummate professional actors.  His success as the star of the SAW movies is a fitting reward for almost 30 years spent appearing in movies and television shows, mainly in character roles.
Starting with the role of FBI agent 'Ernest Stokes' in MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988), Tobin Bell has played a long line of interesting characters on both sides of the law: JFK conspirator 'David Ferrie' in RUBY; 'Mendoza' in IN THE LINE OF FIRE; the riveting 'Nordic' in THE FIRM; gunfighter 'Dog Kelly' in THE QUICK AND THE DEAD; 'Lucian Morano' in SERIAL KILLER; a parole officer in GOODFELLAS; the voice of 'Zaragosa' in DreamWorks's ROAD TO EL DORADO; as well as roles in OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, HBO's THE FOURTH FLOOR, GOOD NEIGHBOR, BLACK MASK 2, LOOSE CANNONS, MALICE and POWERPLAY.
Tobin is a familiar face to viewers of TV movies and dramas (though comedy fans will recognize him as 'Ron' from "Seinfeld").  Tobin has been a prominent guest star on some of the most critically acclaimed and popular dramas of the last decade: as attorney 'Nathan Volk' on the NBC drama "Revelations," with Bill Pullman, Natasha McElone and John Rhys-Davies; as 'Peter Kingsley' in five episodes of "24;" as 'Agent Dreyer' on "Alias;" and as 'Karl Storm' in one of the fans' favorite episodes of "Walker: Texas Ranger."  Tobin has also appeared on "The West Wing," "The Guardian," "The Sopranos," "Charmed," "Once and Again," "X-Files," "Stargate," "Silk Stalkings," "ER," "La Femme Nikita," "NYPD Blue," "Murder One," and "Chicago Hope." His resume also includes the television movies-of-the-week ONE HOT SUMMER NIGHT, BABYSITTER'S SEDUCTION, MORTAL FEAR and DEEP RED.
Tobin comes by some of his acting skill naturally; his mother is the British actress Eileen Bell.  But Tobin also learned from the best, studying with Lee Strasberg and Ellen Burstyn at the New York's Actor Studio and with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.  On the New York stage Tobin has appeared at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the New York Public Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, and Playwright's Horizons.
Tobin was born in New York City and raised in Weymouth, Mass.  As befits the star of "thinking men's horror movies," Tobin is a graduate of Boston University, with a master's degree in Environmental Education from Montclair State College.  Hobbies include playing the guitar, taking wildlife photographs and making frequent climbing trips to the Presidential Range of New Hampshire's White Mountains.  Also a writer, Tobin has completed several screenplays and stage plays.  He is married, with two children, and splits his time between homes in New York and Los Angeles.

COSTAS MANDYLOR (Hoffman), born in Melbourne, Australia of Greek ancestry, began his career as a soccer star in Greece and Australia.  When his professional soccer career was cut short following stress fractures to his shins, he packed up and moved to Hollywood.  He has since become an acclaimed actor in the States.
He became an "overnight" success when cast in THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT, a Holocaust drama filmed in Auschwitz.  Oliver Stone gave him a small role in 1991's THE DOORS, but it was MOBSTERS, from the same year, that gave him his first starring role.
Costas had a very successful and well-known television career as 'Kenny Lacos,' the impulsive and lovable Deputy in the David E. Kelley drama "Picket Fences" and next put his Mediterranean good looks to good use as 'Alphonse Royo' in the Dick Wolf drama series "Players."  Costas has been described as one of the most "beautiful" people in the world (People Magazine 1991) and "one of the most exotic faces on television today."  Other notable small screen appearances include "Sex and the City," "Andromeda," "Charmed," "7th Heaven" and "Fastlane."
After "Players" in 1997 came a number of television films and larger projects.  He had a small role in Sean Penn's THE PLEDGE and ABOVE AND BEYOND with Alexandra Paul.  He more recently lent his voice to the role of 'Hondshew' in 2007's BEOWULF starring Angelina Jolie.  He continues acting on television, including the Hallmark Channel's JUST DESSERTS opposite Lauren Holly and in numerous independent movies and a starring role in David E. Kelley's short-lived show, "Wedding Bells."  His next widely recognized role came as Detective Hoffman in the SAW horror franchise.

READ AN INTERVIEW WITH CREATOR AND SCREENWRITER  LEIGH WHANNELL

SAW

SAW II

SAW III

SAW IV

SAW V

SAW 7 IN 3D

THE ART OF SEQUELS

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