Claim: Saw VI was distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment.

Saw is a 2009 American horror film directed by Kevin Greutert from a screenplay written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan . It is the sixth installment in the seven -- part Saw franchise and stars Tobin Bell , Costas Mandylor , Betsy Russell , Mark Rolston , Peter Outerbridge , and Shawnee Smith . It was produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures and distributed by Lionsgate .   Saw continues the franchise 's focus on the posthumous effects of the Jigsaw Killer and the progression of his successor , Mark Hoffman . In this film , Hoffman sets a series of traps for an insurance executive , William Easton , and his employees . Meanwhile , the FBI trails Peter Strahm , now suspected of being Jigsaw 's last accomplice , and Hoffman is drawn into motion to protect his secret identity .   Greutert , who served as editor for all the previous Saw films , made his directorial debut with Saw . Melton and Dunstan , the writers for both Saw and Saw , returned to write the screenplay and Charlie Clouser , who provided the score for all previous Saw films , composed the score . Filming took place in Toronto from March to May 2009 with a budget of $ 11 million .   The film was released in New Zealand and Australia on October 22 , 2009 , and October 23 , 2009 in the United States and Canada . In Spain it was the first film to receive a Película X rating for violence -LRB- a rating usually reserved for pornographic films -RRB- ; the rating restricted screenings to eight select theaters in that country . It was released almost a year later on October 8 , 2010 in Spain with an `` 18 '' rating , after the producers had the offensive content edited out , according to the rating board . With gross receipts of $ 14 million in its opening weekend , Saw placed second to Paranormal Activity $ 21 million . Saw went on to gross over $ 68 million worldwide , the lowest-grossing Saw film to date , but still a financial success compared to its small budget . Reviews were mixed , with some criticizing the acting and others praising Greutert 's directing .