MaximumMadness "I want to play a game..."Those words have taken on such a wonderful and nostalgic meaning for horror fans the world over thanks to the massive success of one of the most profitable and widely-beloved horror franchises of all time. That of course being "Saw", created by future cinematic masterminds James Wan and Leigh Whannell.The series is now legendary in its status, and held among the other great franchises as horror-royalty. Even having been honored by Guiness World Records for its wide success and adoration. Yet, like many other icons of horror that came before, the roots of "Saw" were somewhat more humble- a dream project of a few film students trying to get their first film made. And this is best represented by this short- film... produced by the creators as a tool to help sell their concept and script to potential producers and investors.Based upon a modified excerpt from the original completed script, "Saw" (2003) revolves around a man named David, who is kidnapped from his ho-hum job as a hospital orderly and taken to a secluded location. Now with a device around his head that will rip his jaw apart in mere moments of time unless he can complete a dark and devious task set forth by his captor... David will be forced to make a terrible and potentially life-shattering choice should he wish to stay alive...Should that sound familiar, it is for good reason. The short is essentially a miniaturized and slightly restructured version of the sequence involving the character of Amanda as seen in the final feature-length film released just one year later. Yet, for something you have essentially seen before- arguably more refined in the theatrical film- it's still as enthralling and terrifying as ever thanks to the expert direction and sharp storytelling of Wan and Whannell.It's shocking with how small a budget and how fast a shoot this short had that it's also so darned stylish and well put-together. It's very close to the quality of the future films that it spawned. James Wan's visual stylings are obvious and evident even from this small beginning, and Whannell's knack for structure and creating truly unsettling scenery is on full display here. He also turns in a pretty good performance as David- the main character here.True it may not be quite as good as the feature films at their best, but still, for what is essentially a proof-of-concept slapped together by two friends who just wanted to find the support to make a movie- it's fantastic!I give it a very good 9 out of 10. Fans of the series, fans of horror and even first-time filmmakers could learn a thing or two from this short!

Roadwarrior85846 The short film, SAW, shows very clever filmmaking in the horror genre. There hasn't been anything clever like this short film for years.David, an orderly of a hospital, has been kidnapped and faces his ultimate test. He must survive by killing another man that holds the key to his freedom. He wakes up, having a rusty contraption strapped to his face. Then, a mysterious puppet on the TV says if he doesn't remove the trap off his face in sixty seconds, his jaw will be ripped open.Once this short gets green-lit into a major motion picture, this exact scene has been tweaked up and was used in the first SAW film. It's heart-pounding and fun to watch! I recommend this short film to not just to SAW fans, but to curious folks that want to take step into the world of horror. Great short film!

cjfort This is a review for Saw uncut and the short film 'Saw' --Saw: Uncut-- Saw uncut is the original NC-17 version of the R-rated film that appeared in the Sundance Film Festival and a few others. This movie is practically the same movie. A few things you may notice are different, but others you won't notice though they are.The coloring to the movie is different for most of the movie, but like the scenes in bathroom mostly look the same. The music is different when the man goes through the razors and such, you can see his stomach torn open and his cuts better. Also, the Reverse Bear Trap scene is extended. Originally, you saw her looking through intestines or something and then she has the key. In this movie, she pulls out a liver or something, digs into it, and then finds the key.Also, the ending has different sound effects. In the R-rated film, you heard blood splattering when the Dr. sawed his foot off. In this one you hear it sawing through bone, flesh, vein, and you hear the blood splattering. This film is more disturbing, making you feel more like the character. Better than the first, but not by much.--9/10-- --Saw: The Original Short-- This is the short film that the writer and director both used to convince Lion Gate Films to make it. It is the Reverse Bear Trap scene, only with Leigh Whannell (writer) as the girl, only of course a guy. It is a good short, and it is very well directed and cut like a real film not a low budget hope-you'll-let-us-shoot-our-movie film. Good, and must see for fans of the movie. But other than that, it was okay but I don't care to watch over and over again.

Jackson Booth-Millard This film is only available on the special Uncut version of the brilliant horror thriller starring Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover and Monica Potter. Anyway, this is basically how the idea for the film Saw came along. Director James Wan and actor/writer Whannell created this short film as some sort of test. Whannell as David does what the character of Amanda would do in the full film, having a head trap that would snap her jaws open. So basically it's exactly the same as Amanda does in the full film where he cuts open a body to get a key to unlock the trap. Also starring Paul Moder as Cop, Katrina Mathers as Nurse and Dean Francis as Body. No where as good as the proper full film, but a good way to start the idea for one of the most gripping films I know. Worth watching!