10 Insulting Ways Characters Were Killed Off Between Horror Movies
5. Detective Tapp’s Fate Is Saved For a Video Game – Saw V
Detective David Tapp’s unhinged and personal quest to capture Jigsaw in 2004's Saw is quite compelling. Near the climax, Jigsaw’s accomplice – Zep – shoots Tapp and leaves him to die in the sewers on the way to the bathroom where main protagonists Adam Stanheight and Dr. Gordon are being held captive.
Yet, it isn’t until 2008’s Saw V that Tapp is officially declared deceased, as he's honored alongside other officers who lost their lives in their years-long pursuit of Jigsaw.
So, was it Zep’s gunshot that did him in? You’d be forgiven for connecting the few cinematic dots you’ve been given and thinking that it was, but you’d be mistaken, and 2009’s Saw: The Video Game is where his downfall is truly explored.
Actually, Tapp is the central character of the title, and he’s put through his own batch of tortuous tests. Ultimately, he’s forced to chase Jigsaw through one of two doors – labeled “Freedom” and “Truth” – and both options lead to grim finales.
Technically, he survives the “Truth” outcome (albeit confined to a mental institution), but it’s the “Freedom” one that’s made canon by both Saw V and 2010’s Saw II: Flesh & Blood video game. In it, Tapp escapes and is celebrated for his actions but later kills himself over the guilt of letting Jigsaw get away.
How underwhelming.