In anticipation of this summer's big screen reboot, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, fans can watch James Wan's original Saw short film online. While Wan is now a big time blockbuster director thanks to hits like Furious 7 and Aquaman, he made his name in the world of horror. In the process, Wan creatively birthed no less than three enduring horror franchises. First, in 2004, came Saw, which is soon to gets its ninth installment. Then, in 2010, Insidious arrived, and a fifth film is said to be on the way. Biggest of all was 2013's The Conjuring, which launched its own cinematic universe.
Saw had the honor of dominating nearly the entire decade of the 2000s, releasing a new film every year following 2004, with most being box office smashes. So scared were other studios of facing the latest Saw sequel that they would avoid releasing their horror films in October, as Saw was thought to have "claimed" that period. There was even a marketing slogan, "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw."
That won't be the case with Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which hits theaters in May. It remains to be seen how Chris Rock's reboot will tie into the other films, but fans can't wait to find out. For now, why not watch Wan's original Saw short film, which led to the first movie? Check it out below.
Watch The Original Saw Short Film
Unlike some instances, such as Lights Out, where a successful short film led to a feature based on it, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell wrote the script for a Saw feature first. However, being unknown and untested filmmakers from Australia, they needed a way to catch the attention of potential financiers. Thus, they took a scene from their Saw script and made it into a short film that would serve to offer a preview of their intentions. Then they sent the above short film to Lionsgate.
Luckily, Lionsgate producers Oren Koules, Mark Burg, and Greg Hoffman were all very impressed with Wan and Whannell's Saw short, and agreed to make the feature-length version. That was obviously a smart move, as Saw would become one of the biggest horror franchises in recent memory. It's clear from watching the short the potential Saw had, already introducing iconic elements like the reverse bear trap, the structure of Jigsaw's games, and Billy the Puppet, who amusingly wears a hat in this early incarnation. Whannell himself also stars in the short, and would play a leading role in the feature film.
