10 Horror Movie Franchises That Wasted Their Perfect Ending

9. Master & Apprentice Fall - Saw III

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors Ending
Lionsgate

The Saw series is one that's spent nearly 16 years (and counting) trying to replicate the original villainous mastermind at the franchise's core.

While the franchise could have lived on after John Kramer passed away in 2006's Saw III, every film since then has unfortunately felt hamstrung by hammering home its Kramer-shaped hole and showcasing Jigsaw's apprentices rather than veering into fresh territory.

If looking back on this nine-entry series - with a tenth film currently planned for next year - there was a fantastic chance to put a bow on the property after Saw III.

That third offering featured some of the most intense trap sequences in the entire franchise, and featured the prospect of apprentice Amanda tinkering with Jigsaw's plans by removing the possibility of people being actually able to escape the respective traps they find themselves in. With both Kramer and Amanda offed by Jeff Denlon - one of the many to find themselves playing Jigsaw's games - Saw III wrapped up the majority of loose ends.

With a whiff of Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate fearing they'd make a mistake by killing off Jigsaw, the following six movies have all teased that Jigsaw is somehow still alive and working in the shadows, whilst also introducing a couple of other apprentices to the murderous mastermind.

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.