Does JIGSAW contain the missing piece for horror? Maybe so. Horror has been dead for some time, hardcore horror anyways. When JIGSAW was first announced I was skeptical about the quality of the film and the intentions of the studio but I was pleasantly surprised by just how satisfying this film is. Jigsaw is back.

Opening up with a room full of people that are chained to a wall lined with buzz-saws, JIGSAW gets off to a bloody start. Our main players this time are forensic pathologist Logan (Matt Passmore) and Eleanor (Hannah Emily Anderson) along with edgy/sleazy cop Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie). It’s been 10 years since Jigsaw died and his evil plan concluded. Now it looks as if he’s back. His voice, his traps, everything points to him…but how? Who is helping and why would anyone help Jigsaw? These are the question posed by the new film that brings back one of horror’s greatest icons.

It’s been 7 years in real time since the last SAW film and this is a welcome return of hardcore horror. In keeping with the times, JIGSAW is bloody but not overly gory. The Spierig brothers have directed a solid film that brings a new sensibility to the series. The victims are the usual damaged type but in this film, its the police that shine. Particularly Hannah Emily Anderson as a pathologist with a dark side and the always excellent Callum Keith Rennie as a hard edged cop who may or may not be dirty. These are flawed characters but ones that opporate outside the game giving them a different dimension along with the possibility that they could be in on it.

 The all new bluray features a fantastic 7-part documentary called I Speak for the Dead which takes us all through the production. There is of course a commentary track by executive producers Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Peter Block. They basically give insight on there intentions in making this film along with some great tidbits from production. There is also a short featurette on the traps.

All in all, JIGSAW is an excellent film in the series that delivers what new fans and old would expect. A solid horror that will make you cringe at all the right moments and hopefully bring back the horror we all miss. Horror with teeth in it.