SAW

Devil's Advocates #1

by Ben Poole

Like all game changers within the horror genre, SAW was an independent success, a low-budget champion that flourished without the patronage of a big studio. Not bad for the most successful horror franchise ever, which has spawned subsidiary media and masses of merchandise, including a theme park rollercoaster ride. What is it about SAW that attracted such a following? In his contribution to the "Devil’s Advocates" series, Ben Poole considers the SAW phenomenon from all aspects of film and media studies � from its generic pedigree in both literature and film, to the visceral audience pleasures ("what would I do?") of the text, to the contrasting representations of men and women and the film’s implicit criticism of masculinity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this completely fascinating, and I’m very grateful to Bug for lending it to me. Made me want to seek out the rest of Whannell and Wan’s work.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's to writer Ben Poole's eternal credit that his Devil's Advocates entry really made me want to go and watch Saw again. Following six years of those movies, I had sworn off the Saw franchise for a long time. But no, Devil's Advocates: Saw had to go and make me want to give it a second (or third – maybe fourth) chance.

You can read Joel's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Sam Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting arguments. well written. must read for horror fans.

[Ally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest I didn't read this fully but it was not super interesting