1. Saw
There’s no way around it — I absolutely love the first Saw movie. It’s so iconic at this point! Directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the 2004 movie launched an entire universe of puzzles, traps, and torture. The first entry in the series greatly impacted the horror genre and it’s one I can rewatch at any time.
The first Saw follows two men who wake up in a mysterious, run-down bathroom in chains. As they get to know each other while figuring out where they are and how they can get out, we learn about their past and what kind of people they are. Dr. Lawrence Gordon is an oncologist who had an affair soon before he was abducted, while Adam is a photographer who was paid to spy on Gordon. The two men were taken by a serial killer nicknamed Jigsaw, and as they uncover his lethal games, they realize why they were targeted in the first place.
Arguably the best scene in the whole Saw franchise comes at the end of the first movie, where the presumed dead person in the bathroom wakes up to be Jigsaw himself. The suspense, awesome theme music, and surprising plot twist make this movie a standout. While the film is undeniably gory and disturbing, the franchise becomes a bit gratuitous in later sequels.
There’s no wonder Saw started a whole franchise of movies, given its extremely low budget of about $1.2 million and high return of over $100 million worldwide at the box office. As twisted as it is, people obviously love this stuff. Myself included!