When Saw (2004) first came out, I thought it looked interesting, but I decided to wait for the DVD. As it turned out, the film was much better than I expected, so I knew they were going to make a sequel. But, did I imagine that 5 years later Saw VI would be making it’s way to theaters (with 2 more films rumored to be in the works)? Um, no.

For those of us who have been following the series, it hasn’t all been good – Saw II (2005), for example, was incredibly disappointing. Still, it turned out to have a much more pivotal role in the series than originally thought, and the continuation of it’s story in Saw IV. With that 4th film, the series suddenly developed lots of new and interesting overlaps, and really revitalized the series.

Then came Saw V (2008) – and that film turned out to be nothing but flashbacks from previous films, making it seem like so much filler more than anything else. In other words, the definition of a time-waster between ideas.

Now this 6th film tries to continue the series with Costas Mandylor as the new bad guy, and really, I’m not looking forward to it. After the inventiveness of the original Jigsaw – not to mention the creepy-yet-frail performances by Tobin Bell – Costas’ Hoffmann has seemed like nothing but a wannabe from his first introduction.

The series really should have ended after the death of Jigsaw and his apprentice. Sure, they were able to stretch that out a bit (since Saw III (2006) and Saw IV (2007) took place at the same time), but that really should have ended the series. Go out on a high note, you know?

Instead, we’re subjected to more and more of Hoffman – i.e. Jigsaw’s inferior copy – and his less interesting antics, making these later films seem to be on a par with mindless slasher flicks. While those are occassionally fun, it’s hard to watch what used to be a truly intelligent horror series degenerate into this.

Needless to say, we’ll wait for the DVD for this one. Well, at least I will: Heather stopped watching these at Saw III (2006).