This past week B-D stringer SpookyDan flew all the way to Toronto, Canada to take part in a press conference for both Lionsgate films Saw IV (clip madness) and Repo! The Genetic Opera, which were both helmed by horror fav Darren Lynn Bousman. Inside you can read all about the fourth film and how the twist needed to be massive, along with how this time it's more of a love story! Read on and check out SAW IV in theaters October 26.
SAW IV a gruesome love story?
By SpookyDan
After three massivly successful films in the franchise Saw IV aims to continue horrifying audiences with its horrific and gruesome twists and turn this October 26th!
The amazing creative team behind SAW IV (Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate) invited Bloody-Disgusting to come to Toronto and hang out with the filmmakers, do some video interviews, and take part of the press conference to talk about the film. As a hardcore horror fan, I go into sequels with a mixed bag of questions? Will this film jump the shark? Can it possibly top the original? Will it be a redo of the past films? I am happy to report that everyone involved with the making of SAW IV seems to have their disgusting hearts and minds in the right place when it comes to delivering a fresh approach to this franchise. And I for one can’t wait to see the latest entry in what has become the most highly anticipated horror franchise of the decade! So after a couple nights of partying and touring the town we got our chance to hear from the gang. Word is that SAW IV is secretly a love story!!??!!!
Director Darren Lynn Bousman talks to B-D a bit about the love story angle and how it was also used in the third film, “I kind of approached SAW 3 as a love story between Jigsaw and Amanda, but it was kind of looked down upon as a film done with gore for gore’s sake. With [SAW] 4 we went in trying to combine all of the best prior themes from the other films, and clearly focus on these things,” he continues, “If you go beneath the surface, these aren’t movies we make for the critics, which we hope to win an Academy award for. But at the same time there is a bigger moral message than a lot of films that do win. In any of the SAW films there is a moral underneath them. Take away the scenes of blood and you still have a movie, not just a bunch of teenagers getting naked and killed. On a lot of horror films, take away the scenes of blood and there’s nothing left.”
Promising to have an ending that will leave peoples jaws on the floor Bousman talked a little about the storyline and the traps, “The hardest contraption to make this time wasn’t even a trap, it was the final twist. It seriously is. The traps become easier and easier, because with our production designer David Hackl (who has been named as director of SAW V and SAW VI here on B-D) I can’t say enough good things about him, I mean he can take a simple microphone and turn it into a trap.” Bousman continues chatting about the twist ending, “The SAW films have become known for their twists and their ‘did we get you?’, and this entire movie is a lead up to a ‘did we get you?’ That was the hardest thing this year knowing it’s my last SAW film and I had to have a BIG ‘did we get you?’ So the entire movie was conceived around what we would do in the last twenty minutes. That was the hardest part, backtracking to the very first frame of the films and think about what the last frame of the movie is going to be, and how everything will work out.”
Primarily known for his work on the TV show Gilmore Girls, actor Scott Paterson explained how things are very different on this film than is his television past, ”The first thing he (director Bousman) does as you walk onto the set is to give you the framework of what is going on in the other SAW films. Since the storylines are happening concurrently through flashbacks and such, it’s a lot to take in. He really made it clear; what has happened, what will happen even into SAW 5 and 6 (!), and that is crucial for an actor.” HE also chatted a bit about what’s key for a film and the development of the characters, “One of the things I think is KEY for any film is, it’s got to be a love story. The thing that’s different about this film is that it’s a love where we get to find out about Jigsaw and Amanda. My favorite horror films all have it: obviously THE EXORCIST, that film doesn’t work unless the mother and daughter have that incredible relationship; MANHUNTER…same thing, Tom Noonan’s Character falling in love with Joan Allen is some of the most poignant moments I have ever seen,” he continues, “SAW IV has those moments, and I think that is what makes it special and different form the other SAW films. Coming on this set after seven years [on the Gilmore Girls] was a whole different experience. On this set it was horror on screen and fun off, and the other way around on the TV show. Darren let me improvise; it was like an athlete stretching his muscles. I had never been happier to be on a set! It’s pretty exciting to be a part of the most successful horror franchise in history.”
How many more of these things can they make and still keep entertaining? We all know that most franchise films run out of steam after a while. The guys behind Twisted Pictures are genuinely fans and don’t seem to want to crank out crappy product, in my opinion this is why these films still work and have lasting impact. Producer Oren Koules tells us, “We keep doing them because we keep coming up with fresh ideas and it’s exciting to find the challenging storylines that keep us going. I have to say we have a riot doing it. But in all honesty, we started as two guys who loved horror films, but not (loving) what Hollywood was putting out that. So we decided to put our money where our mouths were, and Tim Palen and the Lionsgate crew made sure that happened. We try to never sell out, and always to stay true to our core.”
Now it’s up to you loyal B-D readers to decide.
Check out SAW IV on October 26th in theaters everywhere, and prepare to scrape your jaw off the floor when we see the final act of the film! See you there. - SpookyDan
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After three massivly successful films in the franchise Saw IV aims to continue horrifying audiences with its horrific and gruesome twists and turn this October 26th! 
Promising to have an ending that will leave peoples jaws on the floor Bousman talked a little about the storyline and the traps, “The hardest contraption to make this time wasn’t even a trap, it was the final twist. It seriously is. The traps become easier and easier, because with our production designer David Hackl (who has been named as director of SAW V and SAW VI here on B-D) I can’t say enough good things about him, I mean he can take a simple microphone and turn it into a trap.” Bousman continues chatting about the twist ending, “The SAW films have become known for their twists and their ‘did we get you?’, and this entire movie is a lead up to a ‘did we get you?’ That was the hardest thing this year knowing it’s my last SAW film and I had to have a BIG ‘did we get you?’ So the entire movie was conceived around what we would do in the last twenty minutes. That was the hardest part, backtracking to the very first frame of the films and think about what the last frame of the movie is going to be, and how everything will work out.”
incredible relationship; MANHUNTER…same thing, Tom Noonan’s Character falling in love with Joan Allen is some of the most poignant moments I have ever seen,” he continues, “SAW IV has those moments, and I think that is what makes it special and different form the other SAW films. Coming on this set after seven years [on the Gilmore Girls] was a whole different experience. On this set it was horror on screen and fun off, and the other way around on the TV show. Darren let me improvise; it was like an athlete stretching his muscles. I had never been happier to be on a set! It’s pretty exciting to be a part of the most successful horror franchise in history.”
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