In Susan Sontag's canonical essay "Notes on 'Camp,'" she wrote, "Camp is art that proposes itself seriously, but cannot be taken altogether seriously because it is 'too much.'" As home to the most extreme brutal imagery that mainstream cinema allows, the Saw series (and torture porn in general) would seem to offer the most opportunity for camp value: it is necessarily too much. That value has always been there, ever since Cary Elwes wailed his melodramatic, "Nooooooo!" with his arm outstretched in the series' first entry, but time has done a lot to wear away the Saw's shock value (you've seen one head in a vise, you've seen them all) and cultivate the humor behind the suffering (Sontag again: "Thus, things are camp, not when they become old--but when we become less involved in them, and can enjoy, instead of be frustrated by, the failure of the attempt"). Just five years after their emergence, the Saw series and torture porn are wheezing their last gasps, aging not gracefully but sillily. As the most recent entry, Saw VI is the most enjoyable yet - it's really quite delightful once you get past the disembowelment and self-amputation.
Or even if you don't. Look at her goddamn arm! Look at it!
Also...
...is that an orange in her sleeve or is she regenerating a third arm? Like, what?
That's Tanedra Howard, btw, winner of VH1's horror-chick reality competition, Scream Queens, which found its contestants fellating fruit and romping with cockroaches. The featured role in this film was among her prizes, proving that camp begets camp. She was the best actor on that show, and she's the best actor here, and that is saying very little.
Saw VI has particular gravitas, as it attempts to incorporate social commentary into its stew of sleaze. In addition to eviscerating bodies, it tears apart healthcare, as it is an insurance exec who is put through the not-so-funhouse of torture this time around. In a series of what can best be described as attractions, character William Easton must examine his company's inherent values when he is forced to choose which person should live after being described their lifestyle choices (does he let the menopausal mom live or the 25-year-old who's basically alone in the world?). In theory, the point is that it's a lot easier to make those decisions behind the safety of a corporate desk, and that what's good for an insurance company is not what's good for society. In practice, the point is that nobody fucking turns to Saw to learn about corporate evils or the right way to be. Who died and made Saw Michael Moore?
(My favorite Jigsaw pre-death monologue takes on subprime mortgages: "Hello. I want to play a game. The devices on your heads are symbolic of the shackles that you place upon others. You recklessly loan people money, knowing their financial limitations, counting on repossessing more than they could ever pay back. You are predators!”)
But then, misguided ambition is part of Saw VI's charm, too. Again, Sontag applies: "Pure Camp is always naive. Camp which knows itself to be Camp ('camping') is usually less satisfying." Saw VI's naivete can be summed up in this quote: "These people have no respect for the lives that they’re destroying." Those are the words of Jigsaw, a serial killer.
Along the way, we meet gay porn star François Sagat:
And also, Eddie Winslow...
...(all I can think of when I see him at this point is anal beads).
There are flashbacks to flashbacks...
...just in case you doubt Saw's commitment to taking itself seriously. Flashbacks with never-before-seen plot developments have been a hallmark the series, suggesting that no single movie is enough to contain its own story. The tales are far too layered and complex for that. Saw VI, for example, is still explaining events that happened in Saw III, because admit it: you were wondering what Amanda was doing when drug addict Cecil Adams robbed Jigsaw's wife Jill's clinic, opening a door on her pregnant womb and killing the already named (!) baby Gideon in the process. This shit is a soap opera, hold the soap.
Also, the forensics voice expert (or whatever), at one point claims, "We can turn this algorithm upside down!"
I'm pretty sure that's not what you do with algorithms.
Also, there are imported cockroaches:
Expensive taste in torture, huh?
Also...
..."Piranha."
Also:
Hot, frizzy and sympathetic.
Also...
That pig is totally rolling its eyes at everyone involved in this farce, which redefines "painfully funny" quite wonderfully. Really, it's fine family fun.
For the record, I was rooting for the runner-up on Scream Queens. Michelle I think?
Posted by: Vanessa M | February 05, 2010 at 01:52 PM
I lost interest in the Saw series when I thought that 3 was a joke. This is just confusing, now.
Posted by: Melvin and Zoey at Mouchois | February 05, 2010 at 02:53 PM
I made it through exactly ONE of these films, and just barely. It really had nothing at all to do with the gore and violence and everything to do with the fact that it was too predictable, too formulaic, and I could already tell it was never going to end. Somebody wake me up when a good horror movie comes out where you can't point out the killer the first time they show him on the screen.
Posted by: Chaely | February 05, 2010 at 03:37 PM
Francois Sagat in a movie where he's not naked? WTF? Who would want to watch that? That would just place too much attention on that god awful head tattoo he has!
Posted by: matt | February 05, 2010 at 03:39 PM
I watched Scream Queens and I LOVED Tanedra...but looking back I'm almost convinced that the show was fake and nothing but publicity for the movie.
Posted by: samanthalouise | February 05, 2010 at 04:00 PM
Rich, I love you, love your reviews, but I have to say you fucked up royally on this one. Saw VI was the absolute unravelling of the entire Jigsaw mythos. The fact that the other movies were twisted via thousands of flashbacks into a story which paints John Kramer as a normal vengeful type serial killer who is merely seeking retribution for being wronged completely eradicates the original, much scarier Kramer who is a mad, invalid engineering genius building traps to "help" people help themselves. It's just another gore fest now. The best horror villain to pop up in the last 20 years has been disembowelled and turned into baby food by sub-par writers seeking to milk a franchise. Please. This movie fucking sucked.
Posted by: Nightbiscuit | February 05, 2010 at 04:13 PM
That amputee scene is reminiscent of how well the actor in the "Master of the Flying Guillotine vs. The One Armed Boxer" hides non-arm in his clothes.
Posted by: nocklebeast | February 05, 2010 at 07:04 PM
Speaking of camp in horror movies, have you ever seen "Feed", Rich? I just watched it tonight, and found it to feature a wonderful blend of sheer ridiculousness and fuck-upedness. Not to mention the clever script, exquisite acting and top-notch production values! I feel that it is a film you would enjoy. (And I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445965/
Posted by: Elaine | February 06, 2010 at 01:58 AM
I just read the Sontag essay to which you refer like two weeks ago, which is strange. Love that you referenced here. You better be learned.
Oh, Francois...
Posted by: SimonWeston | February 09, 2010 at 11:45 AM
"Hot, frizzy, and sympathetic" woman totally reminds me of the foreign porn peddler in Videodrome, but without the creepy cougaresque sex appeal.
Posted by: Aaron | February 22, 2010 at 03:53 PM
It is very cruel and impossible to see for many people
Posted by: Clenbuterol | October 20, 2010 at 10:21 AM
I did not feel too comfortable watching and liking Saw anyway. Now you are making me feel that there is something seriously wrong with me.
Posted by: auto insurance quotes | March 31, 2011 at 07:28 AM
Some of my friend said me about this movie,"Enshrouding the whole gooey mess in the already blood-spattered surgical garb of the ongoing health care debate is a crafty move on the screenwriters’ part, this Saw is no more or less disturbing than any other in the series"!!!!2d2d
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I think you will actually find quite a few adults (even baby boomers) who were celebratory as well. It seems that you are dismissing this a youth/college-student phenomenon, when really it just wasn't. I am not of those who were thoroughly disgusted with the celebration.
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It is pity that in the second gif pic. It looks like she is hidden her arm into her clothes. Probably it was a huge mistake.
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