Saw

Saw is an American horror franchise created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell. It consists of nine feature filmsand additional media.
The franchise primarily revolves around John Kramer, also called the "Jigsaw Killer" or simply "Jigsaw". He was introduced briefly in Saw and developed in more detail in Saw II and the subsequent films. Rather than killing his victims outright, Kramer traps them in situations that he calls "tests" or "games" to test their will to live through physical or psychological torture and believes that if they survive, they will be "rehabilitated". Despite the fact that Kramer was murdered in Saw III, the films continue to focus on the posthumous influence of the Jigsaw Killer and his apprentices by exploring his character via flashbacks.
In 2003, Wan and Whannell made a short film to help pitch a potential feature film concept. Their pitch was ultimately successful, and, in 2004, the first installment debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was released theatrically that October, by Lionsgate. The first sequel was immediately green-lit after the film's immensely successful opening weekend. Five directors have worked on the series: Wan, Darren Lynn Bousman, David Hackl, Kevin Greutert and The Spierig Brothers, while Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan, Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger penned the scripts for separate films in the series. Each film was released subsequently every October, on the Friday before Halloween, between 2004 and 2010. Both of the creators remained with the franchise as executive producers.