When the first Saw film was released five years ago, even producer Mark Burg would have said you were crazy if you had foretold an array of sequels and now a theme park ride. It has been a crazy few years for the Saw team, developing what was an excellent idea into a franchise that has made over $550m at the box office and almost 24m copies on DVD.
Now open at Thorpe Park, just outside London, Saw – The Ride, hopes to capture the intensity and horror of the thrilling series, and it’s a moment Burg never expected; “I didn’t think we’d reach Saw 3, Saw 4, Saw 5, but to have a theme park ride built after the series just takes it to a new level”. Given the inspiration behind Saw, however, for the series to move out of the film spectre isn’t all too surprising.
The trademark of the Saw films is undoubtedly the traps used in the deadly games, and this remains one of the most entertaining parts of the franchise. “It’s kind of sick I guess,” jokes Burg, “but we have a lot of fun coming up with the traps used in the films. We normally go on the internet and start looking for methods of torture and research on serial killers, that gets a few ideas flowing but as we realise things have been done before, it’s getting harder and harder as the movies continue.”
While Burg and co. keep up their efforts, the Saw series will continue going on strong. “We have an outline and a great script for 6, and we kind of have in our mind where it’s going to go for 7,” explains Burg, but he doesn’t want to out live his welcome with the films, “we’re on the internet all the time and we look at the message boards and if and when people stop going to the movies that’s when we’ll stop. I don’t want to be the producer who’s made one too many movies.” But as there’ll always be horror fans, and if the Saw team can keep up the imagination, don’t be surprised to see Saw 10 a few years down the line.
Saw 5 is out now on DVD and Saw – The Ride is now open at Thorpe Park.