How to Survive the SAW Movies

4 min read

The last thing you remember is a creeper in a rotting pig mask breaking into your house. Now you’ve woken up in a cold dark room with a helmet so tightly attached to your head that it’s crushing your skull. To find the key to freedom you have to solve a jigsaw that a gruesome killer has put in this room. And you better do it fast before this thing rips your face open. The clock is ticking but you aren’t alone in this one.
The evil mastermind behind the horrific torture schemes is John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw. After being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, Kramer drove himself off of a cliff and survived. This experience gave him a new appreciation for life. Kramer decides to arbitrarily kidnap people and put them into death traps from which they often have to mutilate themselves or kill others to escape. His perspective is that a person who can’t put themself through that pain is not worthy of life. Yikes. Out of the 87 victims Jigsaw has abducted, only 19 have made it out alive. With our help, you could become number 20. What tools would you need to break free? How could you use his tricks to your advantage? And could you manipulate him?

Step 1. Be Nice

To survive, you have to win Jigsaw’s horrendous game. Once you’re in his hands, he’ll offer you a bloody way out of the trap or you’ll suffer the most violent death. The easiest way to spare yourself the pain and agony of escaping these gruesome traps is to make sure you aren’t selected to play in the first place. Most of Jigsaw’s victims are people who appear not to cherish their life or have moral flaws. Your best bet to fly under his radar is to live a good life and don’t harm others. Just be nice.

Step 2. Look Around

Too late. Your past mistakes were enough for the Jigsaw Killer to include you in his wicked game. The infamous reverse bear trap is one of his favorite torture devices, so chances are he’ll use it on you. You’ll be in a metal helmet that springs open once the timer runs out. It’ll split your mouth wide open, ripping your head apart in the process. With only a few minutes to find a way out, panic can set in and that would be game over for you. Try to remain calm so you can look around and work out a solution. In Saw VI, Mark Hoffman survived this test by putting the springs of the trap between the metal bars of a door to prevent them from opening.

Step 3. Take Advantage of His Tricks

Another torturesome trick up Jigsaw’s sleeve is to weaken his victims by sending electric currents through their chains to deliver jolting shocks to keep them in agonizing pain. But this is a move that you can use to your advantage. Electrical currents can destroy tissue, but they can help cauterize open wounds. It’ll be painful, but it can prevent you from bleeding out.

Step 4. Grab Tools

Once you escape the first trap, you’ll move to another chamber and another puzzle that can spell the end of you. Be smart. Grab any makeshift tools you see and bring them to the next room. Trust me, they’ll come in handy. Metal pipes, belts, anything can make a difference. Remember that many of Jigsaw’s mechanisms work with gears. If you can shove something into them, you’ll likely jam the contraptions. Clothing from dead contestants can help you too. Add layers to protect your flesh from the blades or sharp apparatus you find yourself in.

Step 5. Play Him

There might be another way out of this nightmare. If you have the chance to talk to Jigsaw or his apprentice, tell them what they want to hear. Convince them that they’ve enlightened you. Even thank them for the life-changing experiences. They might believe you’ve learned your lesson and let you go, or propose you become their trainee. Disturbing, yes, but you’ll be alive. Impressive. You escaped.