Every Saw Movie Ranked Worst To Best

4. Saw II

Saw III
Lionsgate

Given how the first Saw took over $100 million from a budget of barely $1 million, of course there was always going to be a sequel. And not just that, but a genuinely great follow-up to that initial introduction to the Jigsaw Killer.

The Saw series is one that's famed for its final act twists, with some of those being sheer genius and others being dull, nonsensical BS. Following the lead of its predecessor, Saw II had a magnificent conclusion.

With heroin addict Amanda Young having survived one of Jigsaw's games in the first film, she's brought back here and is one of eight people trapped in a torture-riddled house by John Kramer. Amongst those stuck with Amanda, is the son of Detective Matthews, a corrupt officer who was being punished by Jigsaw for his underhand ways.

Of course, the brilliant finale of Saw II reveals that Amanda is actually now an apprentice of Kramer's, having been taken under Jigsaw's wing after her previous survival. That revelation comes when Matthews awakens in that bathroom, locked in to die, as he plays back an audio tape of Amanda dropping this huge bombshell.

Saw II is also the film where we get to see Jigsaw's true motivation delved into. As in, Kramer details how a failed suicide attempt after his cancer diagnosis caused him to have a new appreciation for life; an appreciation he wanted to instil in others with his 'games'.

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 day job, 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. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.