The Saw horror franchise is known for its intensely graphic depictions of torture devices and games where victims must mutilate themselves to survive. What began in 2004 as a low-budget but high-concept thriller about two men chained in a grungy bathroom quickly exploded into a twisting, turning, time-jumping saga spanning nine core films, plus additional spinoffs.
At the dark heart of it all is John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, a terminal cancer patient who puts flawed individuals through sadistic tests to teach them to appreciate life. But the timeline of Kramer and his various apprentices is far from linear. Through endless flashbacks and flashforwards, the films reveal Kramer’s origin story as well as various disciples who take up his mantel, even after his death in Saw III.
This means that the franchise timeline is convoluted, to say the least. The films criss-cross over one another, with installments like Saw IV and Jigsaw containing scenes that take place before, during, and after the events of the original Saw. Important details about Kramer’s past and his evolving team of followers are continually filled in throughout the series.
For newcomers, this tangled continuity can make it challenging to know where to start and how to approach watching these movies in an order that makes sense. But fear not! With the right guide, anyone can navigate the twisted world of Saw’s mythology. We’ll explain both chronological and release date orders so viewers can choose the approach that works best for them.
Strap in and prepare to go on achronological rollercoaster to discover how every piece of the Saw universe fits together. It may get gory, but our detailed timeline will help you appreciate how this franchise constructed such an elaborate narrative puzzle through out-of-order storytelling. Let the games begin!
The Saw Movies in Chronological Order
While watching the films in the order they were released can provide the most straightforward viewing experience, viewing the Saw movies chronologically reveals the intricate way the storyline weaves back and forth in time. This section will provide an in-depth timeline that pieces together the fractured narrative by when each key event happens in relation to the others.
We’ll start by exploring the flashbacks in Saw IV that reveal John Kramer’s life before becoming Jigsaw, including his marriage to Jill and the loss of their baby. From there, we follow the progression of Kramer recruiting disciples like Amanda Young and Hoffman while setting up many of the games seen in subsequent films.
This chronological order highlights important details about what motivates Kramer and how his apprentices evolve after his death. It also clarifies relationships between characters that can seem confusing if watched in release order. Adopting a chronological viewing aligns puzzle pieces like Jill and Hoffman’s bitter rivalry.
Watching the saga this way intricately weaves together the convoluted timeline so the evolution of Jigsaw and his twisted legacy makes sense. For devoted fans, it is the optimum way to appreciate how all the movies interconnect as the madness unfolds. Newcomers should beware abundant spoilers, however, and may prefer release order first.
Saw IV
Saw IV provides critical backstory on John Kramer that explains how and why he became the Jigsaw killer. Through extensive flashbacks, we learn that Kramer was once a successful civil engineer happily married to his wife Jill and excited to become a first-time father. But tragedy strikes when a junkie named Cecil causes Jill to miscarry during an attempted robbery at the drug clinic she runs.
This devastating loss of their child sends John into a depression that alienates Jill, ultimately leading to their divorce. Later, after being diagnosed with cancer and attempting suicide, Kramer undergoes a new appreciation for life that inspires his deadly philosophy around teaching others the same lesson.
We first meet Detective Mark Hoffman in Saw IV as well. He is tasked with investigating the Jigsaw murders but is revealed to have his own dark past and connection to Kramer. Hoffman lost his sister to a brutal murder, so he killed her attacker and staged it to look like a Jigsaw trap. This blackmail material is later used by Kramer to recruit Hoffman as his main accomplice.
Through interwoven scenes, we also see Hoffman carrying on Kramer’s work after his death while trying to trap Agent Peter Strahm who is hot on his trail. This occurs concurrently with the events of Saw III showing how the movies crisscross.
Ultimately, Saw IV contains the most pivotal information about what made John Kramer into the monster known as Jigsaw. Without this backstory about his shattered family hopes and brush with death, the motivation behind his unthinkable games would remain a mystery. Saw IV sets the foundation for the rest of the convoluted timeline.
Saw
As the film that started it all, the original Saw provides the central framework that the rest of the franchise expands upon. With its unique high-concept premise and shocking twist ending, Saw delivered a compelling and grisly thriller that no one saw coming.
The film introduces audiences to John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, although his identity remains concealed for most of the runtime. The story follows two men, Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam Stanheight, who wake up chained inside a decrepit bathroom. Lying between them is a dead body holding a revolver and a tape recorder that explains the rules of Jigsaw’s game.
They must follow his instructions and confess their sins to survive. As the two desperately try to beat Jigsaw’s twisted time limit, Kramer monitors their every move while remaining unseen.
We witness some of Jigsaw’s earliest machinations targeting immoral people to make them truly appreciate their lives. The film builds tension through Lawrence and Adam’s attempts to escape their shackles as the clock ticks down.
In the iconic finale, Lawrence saws off his own foot to save his family being held hostage. Then in the final moments, the corpse between them stands up, revealing himself as John Kramer. His work is just beginning.
Saw became a sleeper hit and horror classic thanks to its clever hooks and uniquely brutal sensibilities. It launched a new subgenre of psychological torture films and turned Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw into an instant icon of terror. The rest of the convoluted Saw mythology sprung from this first shocking game.
Saw X
The newest installment Saw X helps fill in the timeline gap between the first two films in the franchise. Set just weeks after the events of the original Saw, the film finds John Kramer reeling from his cancer diagnosis and desperate for a cure.
This leads him to a member of his support group who claims her uncle in Mexico can provide an experimental treatment. But when Kramer and his accomplice Amanda Young travel for the procedure, they realize the “miracle cure” is merely a scam operation.
With his illness progressing, Kramer puts his brilliant but twisted mind to work devising poetic justice for those behind the sham treatment. Teaming up once more with Amanda, whose own redemption story began as a survivor of Kramer’s traps, Jigsaw constructs an elaborate new game to teach these swindlers a lesson.
Saw X adds context about Kramer’s relationships with both Amanda and Detective Mark Hoffman in the early stages of his schemes. We see him mentoring Amanda while also relying on Hoffman’s dirty cop connections, foreshadowing tensions to come.
The film also links thematically to later installments related to corrupt institutions and healthcare fraud. Kramer’s personal experience being denied life-saving treatment adds insight into the victims he chooses and why “curing” others becomes his life’s work.
For fans, Saw X is a satisfying prequel that anchors Jigsaw’s vengeance in this personal pain and betrayal. It adds an important chapter in the evolution of this iconic horror villain that future movies built upon.
Saw II
With Jigsaw now established as a new face of horror, Saw II expanded the burgeoning franchise into a more intricate web of interwoven characters and timelines.
A year after the events of the original, Detective Eric Matthews interrogates a weakened Jigsaw, aka John Kramer, believing his son is trapped in the madman’s latest game. Events cut back and forth between their tense confrontation and the nerve-wracking game itself unfolding in a house full of traps.
Among the eight victims are Daniel, Eric’s son, and Amanda Young, whose status as a survivor of Jigsaw’s traps is revealed to be part of her role as Kramer’s new secret apprentice. The group must inflict pain and extract syringes from inside their bodies to unlock an antidote to poison gas filling the house.
Saw II ends with a pair of shocking twists. Eric is led to believe his son is dead, but later finds Daniel alive in a safe – yet his outburst triggers a trap that leaves Eric chained in the bathroom from the original Saw. Meanwhile, Amanda survives the massacre, cementing her place as Jigsaw’s protege.
Where the first Saw was contained to a single setting, the sequel expanded into more polished production design and action set pieces while upping the ante on visceral gore. It also began seamlessly interweaving the past and present of the Jigsaw timeline in a way that would become a signature of the serialized franchise.
Saw II successfully built upon the first film’s killer ending by adding new dimensions to Tobin Bell’s villain and launching the overarching story of his twisted legacy living on after his eventual death.
Saw III
Saw III delivers both the on-screen death of Jigsaw and critical backstory about his apprentices through trademark flashbacks. The film takes place six months after Saw II with Kramer dying from his cancer.
This sets the stage for an emotionally charged “final game” focused on Jeff, a man whose son was killed by a drunk driver. Jeff must undergo a series of tests set up by Amanda Young to determine if he can let go of vengeance and forgive those who wronged him.
Intercut are scenes depicting Amanda’s troubled past and how Kramer recruited her after her survival in the first film. We learn Amanda ultimately strays from Jigsaw’s doctrine and makes the games unwinnable, sealing the fate of Adam from Saw and others.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lynn Denlon is forced to keep the ailing Kramer alive while Jeff’s game plays out. When Lynn attempts an escape, Amanda shoots her, only to be killed herself by a shotgun collar triggered by Kramer’s final test.
Saw III concludes with a bloodbath signaling the end of Jigsaw, but his influence lives on through Amanda and the revelation that other disciples were trained to continue his work. The film’s ingenious parallel plotting expanded Kramer’s legend while bringing emotional closure to his arc.
Saw V
Picking up right where its predecessor left off, Saw V advances the overarching story by pitting Jigsaw’s wife Jill against his surviving apprentice, Detective Mark Hoffman. With Kramer now dead and Amanda also eliminated, Hoffman attempts to tie up loose ends.
He leaves FBI Agent Peter Strahm for dead after Strahm survives one of Hoffman’s earliest solo traps meant to frame Jigsaw. But Strahm performs an emergency surgery on himself and lives, setting the stage for a new game of cat-and-mouse.
Through more time-hopping flashbacks, Saw V shows Hoffman being brought into the fold after Kramer discovers Hoffman staged a Jigsaw-style killing to cover up his own vigilante justice. Their uneasy partnership highlights Hoffman’s immediate lust for power once Jigsaw is gone.
Meanwhile, five new victims must undergo a series of sacrificial tests and Jill is given a mysterious box of files after viewing her late husband’s updated will. By film’s end, Hoffman has framed Strahm and consolidated his control over carrying on Jigsaw’s work.
Saw V succeeds most in expanding the dense mythology of the series and establishing Hoffman as the primary threat during a transitional phase following Jigsaw’s death. It also continues tracing how Kramer’s intricate legacy endured thanks to devoted followers sharing his twisted morality.
Saw VI
Saw VI brings the escalating war between Jigsaw’s ex-wife Jill and his successor Detective Hoffman to a vengeful climax. With Hoffman now anonymously orchestrating elaborate games, Jill seeks to cut off the legacy from the inside.
The main game of Saw VI involves putting William Easton, an insurance executive who denied John Kramer coverage, through a series of poetic tests involving his co-workers. Kramer’s brilliant machinations expose the cold calculation of the healthcare industry through gruesome displays.
Meanwhile, Hoffman continues targeting cops he resents while evading capture. But Jill gains the upper hand with help from FBI Agent Erickson and Kramer’s lawyer, who reveal Hoffman killed Erickson’s partner. Jill also obtains CIA training to physically confront Hoffman herself.
In the end, Hoffman falls into one of Kramer’s traps meant for Jill’s protection, though he horrendously mutilates himself to escape. Saw VI succeeds in evolving Jill into the primary torchbearer of Jigsaw’s vision against the rogue Hoffman.
Saw: The Final Chapter
Hailed as the last installment of the original franchise, Saw: The Final Chapter wraps up the conflict between Jill Tuck and Mark Hoffman in appropriately epic and bloody fashion.
Picking up in the aftermath of Hoffman’s disfiguring escape, Jill turns to internal affairs to expose him as a murderer. This puts Hoffman on the run as he continues Jigsaw’s games, this time targeting Bobby Dagen, a man who gained fame from pretending to be a Jigsaw survivor.
In a stunning final reveal, Dagen’s test was overseen by Dr. Gordon, the survivor from the first film who cauterized his severed foot to live. In flashback, we learn Kramer nursed Gordon back to health to become his secret asset able to work against Hoffman and Jill if necessary.
The climax culminates with Gordon leading two pig-masked assistants to capture Hoffman and chain him in the original bathroom to die. Jill then seals the door, believing Hoffman perished and Jigsaw’s reign to finally be over.
As a self-described “final chapter,” the film aimed to provide a definitive conclusion to the convoluted franchise by definitively dispatching its iconic villain Hoffman while clarifying Dr. Gordon’s mysterious fate. It delivered the ultimate fan service through its callbacks and attempt to tie a neat bow on the saga.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw plays with the franchise timeline once again through its fractured narrative set both years before and after the events of the previous films.
One storyline follows five victims who wake up wearing bucket traps chained together in an abandoned barn – revealed to be an early game designed by John Kramer when he was still perfecting his methods.
The other storyline picks up a decade after Kramer’s death with police investigating new Jigsaw copycat murders. As the film unfolds, we learn one victim is Logan Nelson, a former military medic who was accidentally saved by Kramer and went on to become his first secret apprentice.
Nelson has now orchestrated this latest game to frame Detective Halloran for being corrupt. By the end, both Halloran and all but one barn victim are dead, with Nelson succeeding in continuing Jigsaw’s bloody mission.
By splitting its narrative, Jigsaw aimed to reinvigorate the franchise by exploring a new apprentice’s tie to Kramer and engineering fresh puzzles. But the disjointed time periods ultimately make this one of the more convoluted and unsatisfying entries.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Although not directly related to previous installments, the spinoff Spiral: From the Book of Saw expands the universe by introducing a new self-proclaimed Jigsaw copycat targeting dirty cops.
Headlined by Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, the film focuses on Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his veteran father Marcus as a series of gruesome police murders rock the city. Zeke soon realizes the mysterious killer is orchestrating morality tests themed around correcting injustice within the department.
The elaborate crime scenes trigger Zeke’s past trauma of growing up as the son of a respected cop and make him determined to stop this Jigsaw pretender. But in a final gut punch, it is revealed Marcus was the one masterminding the games all along, believing he was righteous.
While Spiral carves its own direction by satirizing police corruption, it retains connections to the Saw franchise through its themes of redemption through perverse violence. Fans ultimately found it more tame and predictable compared to the intricate plotting of earlier films.
As a standalone spinoff, Spiral aims to begin a new sub-franchise separate from the main storyline. But it makes for an underwhelming continuation of Jigsaw’s legacy without direct ties to familiar characters.
Key Flashbacks That Inform the Saw Chronology
The Saw franchise relies heavily on flashbacks and nonlinear storytelling to fill in critical details about its convoluted timeline. By hopping back and forth through different periods, the films reveal the origins of Jigsaw, show how his apprentices evolve, and keep connecting story threads between installments. Here are some of the most pivotal flashbacks that help put the chaotic Saw mythology in order:
Saw IV Miscarriage Flashback
One of the most traumatic events shaping John Kramer’s transformation into Jigsaw comes through flashbacks in Saw IV. We learn Kramer had a happy life with his wife Jill and was eagerly awaiting the birth of their child. But when a junkie named Cecil robs Jill’s drug clinic and causes her to miscarry, Kramer spirals into depression and distance from Jill. The loss of their unborn baby leaves Kramer emotionally shattered and plants the seed that leads to his twisted morality experiments.
Jigsaw Origin Flashback
Though mentioned across earlier films, Jigsaw doesn’t fully depict John Kramer’s attempted suicide after his cancer diagnosis until through flashbacks. We see Kramer drive off a cliff that almost kills him but miraculously survive and be reborn with a new appreciation of life. This near-death experience inspires Kramer’s motto of “I want to play a game” as he devises ways to have others fight for survival. The flashback contextualizes his rehabilitation into Jigsaw as a traumatic reawakening he wants to bestow on others.
Saw V Hoffman’s Introduction Flashback
Detective Hoffman is established as another eventual Jigsaw apprentice across the series, but Saw V finally flashes back to showcase his sinister origin. After Hoffman kills his sister’s murderer and frames it as a Jigsaw trap, Kramer blackmails Hoffman into becoming his protege. Through flashback, their uneasy partnership highlights how Hoffman piggybacked off Jigsaw’s infamy to satiate his personal vendetta. This critical moment set Hoffman on the path to eventually take over Jigsaw’s legacy.
Saw III Amanda Flashback
Amanda Young’s history as John Kramer’s devoted pupil is expanded through Saw III’s glimpses into their past. Flashbacks show Amanda being nursed back to health after surviving her test in the original Saw, which earns her Kramer’s admiration. We then see them collaboratively orchestrating that film’s bathroom trap, cementing Amanda’s ties to Jigsaw. Her eventual reveal as an insider in Saw II then comes full circle.
Saw 3D Dr. Gordon Flashback
In the big twist ending of Saw 3D, Dr. Lawrence Gordon is shown to still be alive after cutting off his own foot to escape in Saw. Flashbacks reveal Gordon was rescued by Kramer, who nursed him back to health and recruited him as an insurance policy against other apprentices like Hoffman going rogue in the future. This surprise retroactively inserts Gordon as a secret sage who worked behind the scenes across multiple films.
Saw VI Jill vs. Hoffman Flashback
The escalating war between Jill Tuck and Mark Hoffman arises in Saw VI, and flashbacks fill in their bitter backstory. We learn Hoffman withheld knowledge that Amanda inadvertently caused Jill’s miscarriage, using it as blackmail material on Amanda. Jill later obtains this information and seeks revenge against Hoffman for keeping her in the dark as he sabotages Jigsaw’s legacy for his own ends.
By jumping around the timeline, these pivotal flashbacks recontextualize characters and events to upend perceptions of what transpired. They form the fragments that must be pieced together to fully understand the chronology.
Watching the Saw Movies for the First Time
For newcomers looking to dive into the world of Saw for the first time, watching the original films in release order can provide the most accessible viewing experience. Attempting to decipher the chronology with all its twisty flashbacks can be incredibly confusing and spoiler-filled for first-time viewers. Starting with the simpler release order allows the shocking reveals and surprises to unfold as intended.
Beginning with the 2004 original Saw provides the best foundation since the entire convoluted mythology sprung from that first film’s intricate premise and iconic twist ending. From there, each successive sequel was crafted to build upon the last, even as the timeline grew more fragmented.
Seeing Dr. Gordon take his gruesome escape in the first one pays off better if you don’t already know he secretly survives thanks to later flashbacks. Similarly, experiencing the films in order means realizing Amanda is working with Jigsaw in Saw II has maximum dramatic impact.
Release order preserves the spectacle of each film outdoing the last in upping the carnage and expanding the dense conspiracies between Jigsaw and his followers. Story elements like Hoffman’s bitter rivalry with Jill or Dr. Gordon’s behind the scenes role land with more weight when viewers realize them alongside the characters.
Jumping into the convoluted timeline head first threatens to dampen many of the series’ most shocking moments and reveals. The puzzle pieces are meant to click into place based on how the filmmakers strategically structured sequel after sequel. Embracing release order preserves the satisfying “A-ha!” moments the way they were intended.
While the twisted chronology can be fun for diehard fans to analyze, it can detract from the viewing experience your first time through. There’s plenty of room to revisit the films and examine the timeline closely once you’ve experienced the saga start to finish. But for maximum impact, new Saw fans should begin right where it all started over 15 years ago and let the tension build sequel by sequel.
Wrapping Up the Convoluted Saw Timeline
Trying to piece together the precise chronology of the Saw franchise is a puzzle worthy of Jigsaw himself. Through nine main installments and additional side stories, the series has crafted one of the most elaborate timelines in horror movie history.
John Kramer’s journey from grieving husband to demented killer involves countless flashbacks across multiple films. His legacy outliving him via several successors only adds layers of complexity with games happening concurrently and secrets that reframe the order of events.
As this guide has shown, there are multiple viewing options depending on how you want to experience these movies. Hardcore fans can try to unravel the exact timeline to see how all the twisted pieces interconnect. Or newcomers can opt for simply following release order to preserve the surprises as originally intended.
No matter how you approach watching the Saw saga, the convoluted mythology offers endless opportunities to appreciate the intricate craft behind its sequencing. By fracturing the narrative and scattering critical backstory details, the franchise masterfully keeps fans engaged and theorizing.
But behind all the gruesome carnage and plot acrobatics, the Saw movies succeed most in humanizing John Kramer. His transformation from victim to monster is lent nuance by glimpses at his trauma and relationships. Understanding what broke Kramer before he became Jigsaw brings resonance to his unthinkable methods.
So pick your preferred viewing path and let the sinister games begin. However you choose to watch, the Saw franchise remains a uniquely immersive and shocking example of nonlinear, puzzle-box storytelling. Jigsaw certainly played his game well.
