Modern-day horror icon James Wan is known for creating several franchises in the genre, with his first big movie being Saw in 2004. With a tiny budget, compelling storyline, and endless thrills, the film was a huge success, making a ton of money and pushing the boundaries on the extreme violence moviegoers are willing to watch. It was a no-brainer the movie would spawn a sequel, but I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted how big this franchise would get.
A whopping seven Saw movies were made in the span of seven years, providing gruesome scenes of torture and graphic deaths, along with unforgettable characters and storylines. The movies certainly suffered the longer they went on, and there are ups and downs throughout the series. There are things to love about the franchise, and definitely things to dislike. With most series that have gone on for this long, not every entry is good.
After the first seven movies, the franchise went on a seven-year break before returning in 2017. Since then, the series has continued to follow various perspectives in the universe, with the latest movie, Saw X, being a prequel about John Kramer/Jigsaw.
Whether you’re into it or not, the Saw movies popularized the “torture porn” subgenre and influenced countless movies to come. If you’re not a fan of extreme violence in horror movies, then Saw is not for you. But as the commercial success proves, there’s a huge audience for this subgenre who are always left wanting more.
Saw movies in order (and where to watch)
To avoid any confusion, here is the order of the Saw movies by release, along with where they are currently streaming if you want to watch them. At the time of this writing, there are several streaming services that offer the movies:
- Saw (2004) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, FuboTV
- Saw II (2005) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, FuboTV
- Saw III (2006) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, FuboTV
- Saw IV (2007) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, FuboTV
- Saw V (2008) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, FuboTV
- Saw VI (2009) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock
- Saw: The Final Chapter / Saw 3D (2010) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+
- Jigsaw (2017) – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and MGM+
- Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) – Streaming on Hulu
- Saw X (2023) – Exclusively in theaters as of Sept. 29, 2023
Now that Saw X is playing in theaters, we’re ranking all 10 entries in the series from worst to best. Let’s see if you agree!