It’s been joked more times than anyone could count that nine-year old Kevin McCallister from the first two Home Alone movies is actually a young Jigsaw, the mastermind of the deadly traps in Saw. The theory makes tons of sense, since both are ingenious trapmasters who can turn ordinary households into death traps.
But what if they squared off? Which mastermind would come out on top and whose traps would do the most damage? Would Jigsaw lose when left home alone, or will Kevin fail a game?
KEVIN WINS: His Improvisation Skills
Both times he’s cornered by the Wet Bandits (Harry and Marv), Kevin maximizes his limited time and resources to turn the place he’s in into a death trap. Ignoring the fact that he’s a kid which makes his handling of heavy appliances and electronics impressive, Kevin is an expert when it comes to making traps on short notice.
With maybe an hours’ heads up at best and nothing but household items and toys, Kevin is able to rig his house into a sadistic funhouse in Home Alone. It’s more impressive in Lost In New York where Kevin first escapes a pissed off Tim Curry before besting the Bandits in the renovation site. Meanwhile, Jigsaw needs weeks of planning and metal/medical work just to trap one guy in murderous headgear.
JIGSAW WINS: He Owns The Long Game
On the flip side, Jigsaw is a master of thinking ten steps ahead. While Kevin can whip out an escape plan or handy contraption out of thin air, Jigsaw never has to worry about being caught unawares because he already planted twenty fail-safes and contingency plans a week before.
Nowhere is this clearer than the Saw sequels, where Jigsaw not only plays everyone like a fiddle because he can (somehow) predict people’s impulsive choices and emotional reactions perfectly, but planned his own death and what happens after. Jigsaw has such godlike foresight that he didn’t just predict dying in Saw III, but planned five sequels’ worth of shenanigans that would only play out after his passing.
KEVIN WINS: He’s More Creative
Jigsaw’s traps may be horrifying but there’s no variety. These rusty traps’ only purpose is to force an amputation or kill someone in a dingy warehouse. This extends to the bigger picture, as Jigsaw’s overall machinations – both long and short term – are variants of murder and/or injuring those in his way.
Kevin, meanwhile, doesn’t have to kidnap Harry and/or Marv to get his party started. Instead, he lures them into different locations and lets his traps – which he can adjust according to changing circumstances – do the rest. Kevin’s contraptions may not be as lethal or complex as a reverse bear trap, but at least he changes the killing fields’ scenery. It’s clear who’s having fun and who’s just doing a job.
JIGSAW WINS: He Doesn’t Accidentally Leave Survivors
As cunning as Kevin is, he commits one fatal error: he lets his prey escape. While he beat the same opponents twice, Kevin needlessly put himself at risk by leaving the Wet Bandits alive (or in one piece, at least) in Home Alone. When in New York, the thieves find Kevin by happenstance and things could’ve gone sideways if Kevin didn’t have luck on his side.
Meanwhile, Jigsaw doesn’t leave anyone alive unless he says so. By design, his traps are meant to maim at best and kill at worst, and he’s always waiting to convert a survivor or two into a devotee. Survivors who don’t join him are no big loss, since he probably predicted that in the fifteen iterations of the trap he ran in his head.
KEVIN WINS: He’s A One-Man Army
Given his age and failing health, it makes sense that Jigsaw would need apprentices. He may be the mastermind, but the heavy labor was taken care of by people younger and more agile than him. In contrast, Kevin is a lone kid who didn’t just outsmart adults but also got sadistic glee out of doing so.
Barring last ditch efforts like running to Old Man Marley’s place in Home Alone or the park where Pigeon Lady hangs out in Lost In New York, Kevin can manhandle enemies literally three times his size without touching them. Kevin is a pint-sized one-man army who’s scarily good at his job, while Jigsaw is at his best when sitting on a chair. If not for being a family-friendly Christmas movie, Kevin would have a bodycount by the time Lost In New York ends.
JIGSAW WINS: He Has A Cult
Jigsaw may be a serial killer but that didn’t stop him from inspiring a fan club. Comprised of former victims, copycats and even a cop, Jigsaw’s faithful will do anything and everything for their teacher (ignoring their own agendas, of course). It’s through this extra help that Jigsaw evades the law despite being a well-known serial killer.
In contrast, Kevin always fends for himself not by choice, but because his family keeps forgetting about him on the worst possible days. While Jigsaw can convince people to kill for him, Kevin couldn’t even get his family to respect him enough that they forgot about his existence twice.
KEVIN WINS: His Cuteness Factor
Kevin is the textbook example of a precocious movie kid, and he uses this to full effect. With nothing but wit and family movie logic on his side, Kevin lies his way through almost anything, deflecting concerned neighbors or convincing the Plaza Hotel staff to let him get the fanciest accommodations possible.
It’s not hard to see why people who should know better fall for Kevin’s charm, whereas Jigsaw is just a really old guy. To get others to do his bidding, Jigsaw either blackmails or sticks people in a deadly metalwork before gaslighting them into believing that sawing off a foot was for their own good.
JIGSAW WINS: He’s Replaceable
In Saw IV onwards, Jigsaw is more of a symbol than anything. He’s dead by the movie’s start, yet the victims of life-or-limb traps continue to pile up. This is because Jigsaw is replaceable, meaning that even if John Kramer or the apprentice currently calling the shots is arrested or killed, Jigsaw will never truly be gone. Stopping him is easier said than done.
Kevin is literally the only kid of his kind. If Harry somehow succeeded in maiming or at worst killing Kevin, there would be no more smarmy trapmaster to stop them. There were two other kids in the Home Alone sequels, but nobody talks about those.
KEVIN WINS: He’s A Child
Kevin’s biggest advantage is the most obvious: he’s a kid. He uses this to get the Wet Bandits to underestimate him and suffer the consequences. This also gives Kevin unexpected help, with adults and the authorities automatically taking his side despite him being a pint-sized Jigsaw.
Jigsaw would hand the victory to Kevin because he’s one of those self-righteous movie killers who thinks that sparing children somehow absolves him of having an adult bodycount in the double digits. The one time Jigsaw endangered a child was in Saw III, where he took Jeff’s daughter hostage but had a back-up plan to make sure she got out safely (see Saw V). Even if Kevin’s pranking him to death, Jigsaw wouldn’t be able to bring himself to pinch Kevin.
JIGSAW WINS: He Believes In Something
In a battle of attrition, Jigsaw wins because he’s fighting for something. In his twisted mind, people can only appreciate life more if they’re at death’s door, and this is something he wants to spread before he dies. This motivates Jigsaw to act as his health collapses and even when he’s dead; if push comes to shove, Jigsaw will die making sure his word is heard.
Meanwhile, Kevin protects his stuff. Minus whatever joy he may get from torturing Harry and Marv, Kevin’s goal is to make sure none of his family’s possessions are stolen. This doesn’t justify burglary and home invasion but when this materialism is compared to Jigsaw’s higher purpose, Kevin comes off as petty. Kevin’s things can be replaced if he fails, but Jigsaw’s demented life lessons aren’t easily repeated or replicated.