Which Saw baddies send chills down our spines, and which fail to scare anyone? We're here
to answer that question by ranking the horror franchise's many villains, from worst to best.
Jigsaw is a divisive film within the Saw series, and it goes in a very different stylistic
direction than its predecessors. Its addition to the series is also a point of contention
for fans in terms of the series' continuity, which had previously been fairly airtight.
Logan Nelson is presented as a veteran with PTSD, now serving as a police medical examiner
and a key suspect throughout the events of Jigsaw. While working at a hospital, Logan
accidentally mixes up John Kramer's X-rays with another patient's, which leads to John's
cancer going untreated. This error sees Logan placed in the trap that occurs before the
events of the first film, where he seemingly dies first. However, he actually survives,
and Jigsaw ultimately decides he doesn't deserve to die over an honest mistake. Thus, he makes
Logan his original apprentice. Logan is even revealed as the co-creator of the original
Reverse Bear Trap game from the first film.
Behind every great man is a woman, and in the case of John Kramer, that woman is his
former wife, Jill Tuck.
"You are my heart. You always have been."
Jill stands out as the most innocent person among these antagonists. She doesn't operate
out of any sense of vengeance or moral desire, but out of a sense of tying up loose ends.
Jill is formally introduced in Saw IV as a key part of Jigsaw's backstory. We learn that
Jill and John separated after the death of their unborn child, which is what leads John
to become the Jigsaw Killer. Jill takes on a more major role in Saw V and Saw VI when
she is bequeathed a box as part of John's will. The box contains a list of the next
crop of players, and special instructions which lead Jill to put Mark Hoffman in the
Reverse Bear Trap, which he unfortunately escapes. The tables are turned in Saw VII
when Jill is placed in the Reverse Bear Trap herself, which leads to her demise.
Gordon crawls off into the darkness at the conclusion at the first Saw film, leaving
hardcore fans with the question, what the heck happens to him?
"Don't worry. I'll bring someone back. I promise."
Finally, in Saw VII it is revealed that after escaping the bathroom, Dr. Gordon had his
wounds tended to by Jigsaw and was released back into the world. We go on to learn that
while Jigsaw was grooming Amanda and Hoffman as tentative successors and inheritors of
his legacy, he also kept Dr. Gordon around as an extra set of hands to aid him in his
endeavors. Gordon not only assisted with the more medical traps of Saw II and Saw IV, he
also helped Jigsaw choose the surgeon who operates on him in Saw III. Most importantly,
at the conclusion of Saw VII, Gordon kidnaps Mark Hoffman and proceeds to lock him in the
bathroom from the first film, bringing everything full circle.
Zep Hindle serves as a creative red herring in the first film. Introduced as a mildly
creepy orderly working in Dr. Gordon's hospital, Zep is heavily implied to be the Jigsaw Killer.
The movie leads the audience to believe this in multiple ways, including Zep's presence
behind the security cameras and the fact that he's the one who holds Dr. Gordon's family
hostage.
Zep meets his end at Adam's hands when the latter bludgeons him with a toilet tank lid.
Adam searches Zep's pockets for some kind of key to escape his shackles, only to find
that Zep has his own tape from Jigsaw, and was merely a pawn in a larger game.
Mark Hoffman is first introduced as a cop assigned to the Jigsaw investigation in Saw
III. He is later revealed to be Jigsaw's apprentice. Mentally broken by the murder of his sister,
Hoffman engineers his own Jigsaw-style deathtrap for the perpetrator in the form of Saw V's
famous Pendulum trap.
"You know why you're here, don't you?"
Given his status as a police officer, he is able to throw everyone off his scent. Everyone
except for John Kramer, who doesn't take too kindly to someone jacking his style, especially
in a way he deems to be inappropriate. Say what you will about Kramer, but at least he
gives his victims a chance to win their game. Hoffman didn't, and that is what leads Kramer
to take action. Hoffman serves as the main antagonist from Saw IV to Saw VII.
Introduced as a victim in the original Saw, Amanda is a former drug addict. After she
becomes one of the only people to ever survive a Jigsaw trap, John recruits her to help him
carry out his work.
"I found myself a father, a leader, a teacher."
The key difference between the two is that Amanda doesn't see giving people a fair chance
as necessary to the games. In fact, she often injects her own agenda into her creations,
rendering her traps unwinnable, a definite no-no in John's eyes. During the events of
Saw III, John engineers things to give Amanda one final chance to do things the "right"
way. However, Amanda acts impulsively, coerced by Hoffman, and this leads to the demise of
Dr. Lynn Denlon, Amanda herself, and, inadvertently, John.
It's very clear that Amanda wants to follow John's teachings to the letter, but her own
demons and inability to separate herself emotionally from her work is what leads to her downfall.
It is legitimately sad to see her bleed to death in front of John as he laments the fact
that she couldn't pass his test.
John Kramer has one of modern horror's most compelling backstories. After enduring tragedy
and illness, he becomes so detached from the world that he dedicates the rest of his life
to making sure people cherish their lives, through the most heinous possible means. The
morbidly ironic traps and games he devises for his "players” usually cause them to
mutilate themselves or others for the sake of long-term survival. They are the series'
trademark, and the manifestation of John's twisted ethos.
When compared to the likes of Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees, John stands out. He definitively
dies in Saw III, yet still manages to be present and active in the series. Though other villains
might have become boring after a while, Jigsaw remains an interesting antagonist, especially
since, technically speaking, he never actually kills anyone. Sure, he puts people in horrific
scenarios, but he always offers at least one logical way to survive.
Tobin Bell brings a sense of legitimacy and class to what would have otherwise been a
disposable series of torture-focused horror films. His subtly powerful performance has
made the Jigsaw Killer one of horror's most memorable villains.
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