10 Horror Franchises That Spectacularly Bounced Back

3. Saw

Chucky Tiffany Valentine Nica Pierce
Twisted Pictures

Was anyone particularly clamouring for a tenth Saw movie? And not just that, but a film which brought back a character who technically was killed off in the third entry all the way back in 2006?

Limping to cinemas with minimal fuss last Halloween season, Saw X remarkably crafted one of the best outings of the entire Saw franchise. Legitimately, that tenth picture is in the conversation with Saw and Saw III as being the greatest of the bunch.

Taking place between Saw and Saw II - meaning its was both a sequel and a prequel - Saw X picked things up with Tobin Bell's John Kramer as he desperately hunts down an experimental procedure which purportedly will cure him of his terminal cancer. Once that treatment is revealed to be a scam, Kramer goes full-on Jigsaw as he punishes those who'd played a role in duping him.

While Saw VI has its share of fans, the property had struggled quality-wise since Saw IV, with gore and twists-for-the-sake-of-twists taking precedent over well crafted, tight storytelling. Of course, the relatively low costs of making a Saw movie meant a hefty profit was easily achievable regardless of how good the final product was, but with Saw X, we got a more delicate, sombre tale anchored by a phenomenal Tobin Bell. And yes, obviously the intense, brutal violence of the franchise was there when called for.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.