Make Your Choice pt. 8

A Ranking of all Saw Traps from films 1 through 8

“‘Cherish your life’ is the motto this whole organization is built on. Cherish your life…your life.”

Jigsaw (Saw 4)

John Kramer’s whole purpose in starting the Jigsaw Games was to test those who he felt did not cherish their lives or the lives of others. To Jigsaw, life is precious. His cancer diagnosis and near fatal car crash gave him a new view on life, specifically how he had wasted his. He feels that those who do not value life do not deserve it, and he decided to take it upon himself to test those he deems unworthy. If they survive, they are changed people and they go on to either help him or live (presumably) better lives. The point here is that Jigsaw does not necessarily want the people in his traps to die. Therefore this trap ranking will be based on three categories:

1. Survivability: can the person/people in the trap survive
2. Purpose: who is the trap meant for, are there people in the trap who’s fates are decided by someone else?
3. Execution: Is the concept of the trap cool? Does it work well with the person who is in the trap?

There are over fifty two traps in the entirety of the Saw franchise, so we will be getting started with the best trap as soon as possible.

1. The Bucket Room (Jigsaw)

This trap is not one I have discussed, but it deserves a place at the top. It was simple, yet it is a trap that exemplifies everything Jigsaw stands for. You must make an offering of blood to survive the room. It is simple, survivable and it gets Jigsaw’s message across.

2. Reverse Bear Trap (Saw)

This is a trap I have covered. If you don’t know about it by now, you can go read my blog on Amanda.

3. Shotgun Keys (Jigsaw)

I liked this trap because it was as much a mind game as it was a lesson for those in the trap. It was a game that could have been won if they had stopped to think in a less selfish way and learned what Jigsaw had wanted them to learn over the course of the rest of the game.

4. The Fatal Five’s Game/10 pints of sacrifice (Saw 5)

I decided to rate the game in Saw 5 as one trap because the reason it is so good is the lesson of the Game as a whole. It is a classic Jigsaw game and the traps all work very well together. That being said, I really liked 10 pints of sacrifice because it was just cool.

5. The Needle Pit (Saw 2)

This was a really cool trap, it was horrific and disgusting, but survivable. I also really liked how it showed us Amanda’s determination to survive, even though the trap wasn’t meant for her. It also shows that the traps are winnable as long as you have the guts to do whatever Jigsaw says.

6. The Spike Trap (Saw 4)

I love this trap because the victims life really was in her hands. She could have left herself and her abusive husband to die, or she could yank the metal rods out of their bodies, killing him and allowing her to live. The lady in this trap was super cool and she lived, so that was awesome.

7. The Venus Fly Trap (Saw 2)

This is a trap similar to Amanda’s reverse bear trap, but the key resided in the mans eye. This made the trap more difficult to escape, however it fit the man in the trap pretty well. And it was a cool trap.

8. Shotgun Carousel (Saw 6)

This trap was a really cool concept and it was really well executed, however the people who were in the trap didn’t really have the chance to choose whether they lived or died. Their fate was in the obnoxious insurance dude’s hands, so it’s put here based on how cool it was.

9. Pound of Flesh (Saw 6)

Just genuinely awesome and super cool and they both had a chance so it was good.

10. Amanda’s Test (Saw 3)

I love Amanda and everything to do with her. This was also a cool twist.

11. The Furnace (Saw 2)

A good combination of disgusting, clever and survivable, this trap was classic Jigsaw.

12. The Angel Trap (Saw 3)

As previously discussed this trap was cool, and it was classic Jigsaw except for the fact that Amanda made it so Kerry couldn’t escape.

13. The Razor Box (Saw 2)

This was another classic Jigsaw trap that was survivable, but the victim didn’t bother to read the tape or examine the trap in any detail. Her inability to look at all of the options presented to her lead to her death.

14. Horse Power Trap (Saw The Final Chapter)

This trap was one where a guy was glued to a car seat and he had to rip himself away from the seat to pull a lever that would stop the car before it killed his friends. This was also a classic Jigsaw trap, though it was also really disgusting and hard to watch.

15. Chain Hangers (Jigsaw)

This trap was descent. It was a trap for just one person and it was also a trap that could have been escaped if the victim had thought it through. That being said, it was kinda cool and not super boring.

These are not by any means all of the traps. The list will be continued in part 9…

“I see you as a strange mix of someone who is angry, yet apathetic. But mostly just pathetic.”

Jigsaw (Saw)