Achieves what so many other horror sequels have failed to do

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2005)

I didn't see SAW in the theatre. I rented it and watched it at home, and it gave me the chills. It was a refreshingly original horror concept and the low budget of the film only made it work that much better, instead of working against it. Needless to say, when I heard and saw the previews for SAW II, I knew that this time I would have to see it in the theatre. Anyone who has seen SCREAM, or enough horror movies, knows some of the universal rules of horror movies. For example, is there more at stake in SAW II? Oh yes. Instead of two guys chained to a wall in a desolate room (and yes, we do find out if those two survived their trials or not), we now have six people trapped in a house full of booby traps and slowly dying from a nerve gas which they must find the antidotes for. Is it scarier? Yes...but there's also a lot more focus on John "Jigsaw" and how and why he became the serial psycho that he is (which also makes him more human and less of a dark mystery), and this is all very fascinating, but on the other hand you see more of the outside world and so this takes away a little from the chilling sense of isolation from all that is sane and normal that made the first one such a cult hit. But don't get me wrong...SAW II is DEFINITELY worth seeing!! Saw II exceeds where other horror sequels have bombed, and in some cases (Boogeyman, Darkness Falls, Alone in the Dark)where even the first horror movie failed miserably thus killing any need for a sequel. If you have any doubts about whether or not to see this one, I say: doubt not. It IS effectively dark, creepy, bloody and disturbing and supplies once again a "Holy crap!" twist ending! ************WARNING: If you haven't seen SAW II yet, read no further****
Just like to add that I thought it was neat that the one survivor from SAW (Amanda) becomes John's apprentice (you had to figure that this being a sequel, John was going to either suffer or, more likely, die at some point in the movie, and a man like him doesn't just let his legacy die with him) and thus makes room for what could easily be a very creatively evil SAW III. I kept wondering, too, why Amanda and the kid were the only ones NOT dying from the toxic gas, spitting up blood and convulsing. I liked that the cop's son was so close to him all the time and yet he never even knew it. As one commenter said, the images stay with you long after the movie's over. Deliciously evil.