9 Awesome Movies That Started Out As Short Films

9. Saw

A lot of people look back on Saw as the forebearer of the “torture porn” era, but there’s remarkably little onscreen gore in it; mostly, the violence is left up to the imagination.

The project came about when Australian filmmaking duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell wanted to make a low-budget thriller together, and decided a script about two men locked in a bathroom was the way to go. The script came together quickly after that, and they decided to fly to America to pitch it.

To help producers visualise the movie, the pair self-financed a short based on the Reverse Beartrap scene. Whannell played the unfortunate victim, and the scene plays out almost exactly the way it does in the final movie. The stylish short convinced producers Wan was a director to watch, so they gave him a small budget to make it. Whannell also got to play the lead role of Adam.

Considering their subsequent careers, they must consider that short to be the best five grand they’ve ever spent.