Oh, Yes there will be a lot of blood

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2006)

It's a movie that scared thousands of people senseless last year. Made on the cheap with two unknown, 20-something guys at the helm, Saw is the kind of horror movie that has re-defined what scary movies are all about An ultra-violent, industrial-strength piece of gore and guts, Saw's brutal, grimy rawness was a monster hit in 2004. From the get-go, the film's twisted storyline, rapid-fire editing and jarring soundtrack pushed audiences' tolerance to the limit. Full of incredibly unsettling images, sounds and action, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell hit pay dirt with their surprise mega-hit. The film's style -- a gory music video that wouldn't be out of place with industrial musicians like Nine Inch Nails or movies like Seven -- was nothing short of revolutionary. Everything from metal machines that threaten to rip a woman's jaw off, self-mutilation and sawing legs off are now gross-out classic moments. The combination of the film's gallows humor, shock violence and eerie tone brought the big bucks in.
After Saw grossed more than $100 million at the box office last year, it was inevitable a sequel would be released. Saw 2, co-written and directed by newcomer Darren Lynn Bousman, comes out this week. Wan is staying on as producer and Whannell is Saw 2's co-writer.
And oh yes, there will be blood. Lots of blood, according to Bousman.
"Saw was a dark, disturbing film. This film Saw 2 isn't a sugar-coated candy movie. It's an assault on the senses," promises Bousman.
"There will be a lot more blood; a lot more violence. It's a bigger game. You have no clue what's going on. We're also going to find out what makes Jigsaw tick." Jigsaw, the psychopathic serial killer taunting his victims with elaborate games that force people to kill each other, is the main focus of Saw 2. Picking up right after the first film, the significantly larger sequel stars Donnie Wahlberg (The Sixth Sense, Band of Brothers) and a significantly larger cast than the original.
Wahlberg plays Detective Eric Mason, a cop investigating the gory results of a brutal murder. All leads point to Jigsaw -- this time, there's much, much more at stake, including Mason's own son.
Instead of two main characters, there are eight people locked in a room that's gradually spewing out toxic nerve gas. The terrified group all have to figure out how to escape before the nerve gas kills them. Trouble is, Jigsaw has created an even more sadistic house of horrors this time around, full of booby traps and other devices that test the characters' sanity and survival.
Some rumored new gross-out moments? Automated gun fire, metal gougers and other instruments of torture.
Bousman is thrilled to be involved in Saw 2. Based on a script he wrote before Saw was released called The Desperate, Bousman says some of the best compliments he gets from Saw 2 is the fact some people come out of the movie enraged and upset. It is already receiving much attention for its strong violence, gore and horrifying images.
"If you liked the first film, you're going to love the second," says Bousman.
The director knows he's got big shoes to fill. But he says he's happy to have had a star like Wahlberg in his film -- a cast addition that gives the film a huge boost.
Bousman says he went out and rented Band of Brothers before filming began for Saw 2 and was hugely impressed with Wahlberg's performance: "I was just blown away. He has this presence about him." Bousman also says he's lucky to have had such a supportive studio like Lion's Gate backing him. The studio is known for pushing the envelope with movies, distributing other grisly cult hits like House of 1000 Corpses.
"Lion's Gate was amazing. They were so supportive," he says.
Bousman's future looks especially bright. After the huge success of Saw, he's crossing his fingers the sequel hits it big too at the box office.
"The most difficult part is living up to the first film. There were no expectations with The Desperate. This isn't the case with Saw 2. There are huge Web armies that loved Saw. There are higher expectations with Saw 2," he adds. The film gets two thumbs up. Okay, fingers.