10 Great Horror Movies Turning 20 In 2025
9. Saw II
2004’s Saw was a massive hit, due largely to it being a deliciously demented ride with an iconic score and an ingenious twist ending. It helped popularize the decade’s “torture porn” craze, too, so getting another one out ASAP was essential.
When Saw II arrived a year later, it kicked off the franchise’s initial gimmick of releasing a new entry every Halloween. Co-written by series co-creator Leigh Whannell, it surpassed its precursor at the box office and in terms of its grisly tone, terrifying traps, and big reveals.
Primarily, it contains the most unapologetically sadistic version of antagonist John Kramer (who proudly manipulates the police officers trying to save his newest victims, including the amusingly belligerent Eric Matthews). Kramer’s latest playthings may be forgettable, but the traps they encounter – especially the furnace and needle pit – are the stuff of nightmares.
Plus, Saw II blows viewers’ minds with three twists (that returning survivor Amanda Young is Kramer’s accomplice; that Matthews’ son – Daniel – has been safe in a safe all along; and that Matthews is left to die in the bathroom from the original Saw).
For those reasons, Saw II is easily the best Saw sequel and a highlight of 2000s horror.