If it's Halloween, it must be Saw. So says the maddeningly elliptical trailer for Saw IV, anyway. Now, it isn't considered particularly popular or PC to admit liking these movies — they tend to be glibly dismissed as “torture porn” by would-be aesthetes who can't be bothered to pay attention — but it's interesting to note that they're finally getting the “geek” treatment: Tonight, starting at 6 pm., theaters around the country will show all three previous Saw films back-to-back, then follow up with the newest installment at midnight.
Now, Saw may not have much in common with The Lord of the Rings, but one trait they do share is that most of the fans own extended cuts of the movies that are usually improvements on the theatrical version. In the case of the Saw sequels, that often means uncensored scenes of gore, though the first film actually underwent a whole new color-correction for the director's cut DVD, as well as some significant music changes. So will the fans turn out in droves to see the shorter versions all in a row?
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Find out for yourself — “Sawfest” is showing tonight at the Block in Orange and the Century 20 in Huntington Beach. But be forewarned — horror fans aren't your typical geeks, and there aren't many characters in Saw worth dressing up as, so it may not be as colorful a scene as your typical fantasy trilogy screening.
My review of the original SAW can be read here
My review of SAW II, here
Lionsgate stopped showing them to critics after that. But you'll know tomorrow if it's my film pick of the weekend or not.
