Sunday Scaries: Ranking the Directors in the ‘Saw’ Franchise

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! This time around, we’re returning to a favorite horror franchise around these parts for a fun little ranking…

Yes, I know, it’s common knowledge that I love Saw. Even just last week, I wrote here about the franchise, in the hopes that Saw XI still happens. The film series is my favorite horror one, ten films deep, with hopefully more to come. Today, I wanted to double back on Saw in the column, this time looking at the various directors that the movies have had.

Below, you can see my Saw director rankings. There have been five separate directors (well, technically six), though on two have helmed more than one installment. It hopefully makes for an interesting look at how has been behind the camera, to date. As always, consider this an invitation to share your own ranking once you get finished with mine. Don’t be shy there…

Here is my ranking of the Saw directors:

5. David Hackl (Saw V) – There’s nothing wrong with what David Hackl did with Saw V, to be sure. It’s just among the more forgettable titles, with direction to match. Everything he did there has been done better in prior installments, with better to come as well. So, Hackl ends up in this bottom spot, though without any malice, of course.

4. The Spierig Brothers (Jigsaw) – If anything, the Spierig Brothers (Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig) made Jigsaw look a little too antiseptic. The appeal of this franchise, visually, is it’s dark and grungy look. If you’re going to do something different, as you’ll see below, it needs to be interesting. Instead, here we got just a more generic studio look. The movie didn’t re-launch the franchise, it simply made it feel more like everything else in the genre. So, while it’s proficient, there’s a lack of personality on display.

3. James Wan (Saw) – Well, here we have easily our most talented director, only one at the start of his career. James Wan is a legitimate A-list filmmaker, making his debut with Saw. He’s responsible for so much of the franchise’s look and feel, so there’s definite credit there. However, he can’t be any higher due to some of the janky elements on display. Overall resume puts him at the top, though here, he’s right in the middle, with the best about to come.

2. Kevin Greutert (Saw VI, Saw 3D, and Saw X) – Two of the best Saw films and one of the least satisfying is how Kevin Greutert‘s resume lines up. If not for Saw 3D, which he was basically forced to do, contractually, he’d be at the top of this list, as Saw VI and Saw X are franchise highlights. Greutert will be at the helm for Saw XI if it happens, at least for now, and that’s very exciting. If he aces that one, he could certainly move into the top slot.

1. Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral) – The most frequent Saw director is ultimately the filmmaker with the most accomplishments in the series. So, it’s close, but Darren Lynn Bousman takes the top spot, due in no small part to Spiral being the best looking picture in the franchise. Saw II and Saw III proved the viability of the franchise, while completing the original story that Wan and Leigh Whannell came up with (and Bousman expanded on). Saw IV showed that a whole new story was possible, really pushing the fractured timeline of the series as well, while Spiral is its own unique beast. Moreover, Spiral is also the best looking in the series, which helps to give him the win here, in the end.

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!