Saw V (2008)

Saw V is the fifth installment in the Saw film series. The film was released on October 24, 2008. Unlike the previous three installments, Saw V was not be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, but instead by David Hackl who was the production designer of Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV, as well as a second-unit director for Saw III and Saw IV.

Plot
The movie starts with Seth in the pendulum trap. The aim of the trap is for Seth to push buttons inside of two devices which would crush both of his hands before a bladed pendulum (intended to slice him in half) descends upon him, similar to a story by Edgar Allan Poe. Seth successfully pushes both buttons, crushing his hands, but the trap does not stop, and Seth dies. Meanwhile, Agent Strahm shoots Jeff and enters the room where Jigsaw died. After investigating and finding Jigsaw's corpse, the door is locked on Strahm. Strahm manages to exit through a secret door, but is attacked by a figure in a pig mask. He wakes to find himself in a Jigsaw trap. His head is in a box, which quickly starts to fill with water. Strahm sticks an empty pen into his neck to sustain his breath. The police make it to the Gideon warehouse, and Hoffman emerges carrying Corbett, claiming that he saved her. Strahm is carried out on a stretcher, still alive but badly injured. The next day the police hold a service for all the people who have died chasing Jigsaw. The Chief of Police announces that the Jigsaw murders are over.

Meanwhile Jill is given a box which Jigsaw saved for her before he died. She looks inside and is disgusted, and storms out of the room. Strahm is shown mourning next to an empty hospital bed, because Perez died in the night. Hoffman walks into the room, Strahm starts to act strange and says that Perez's final word was "Hoffman." Hoffman worriedly says he has no idea what Strahm is talking about. He heads back to his office and finds a note for him saying "I know who you are." Hoffman gets worried that the fact that he is the new Jigsaw's apprentice may be in danger.

Meanwhile, five people wake up in a sewer, in a neck tie trap. This trap involves pushing against a rope to get a key at the end of the room to release themselves, the consequence for not completing the trap is to be beheaded. Mallack gets anxious and runs ahead, starting the timer. In the end, the whole group, except for Ashley, get their keys. Ashley is eventually beheaded by the rope. The group walk through a door to another room.

Strahm, contemplating what his deceased partner said, starts to go mad and heads over to FBI headquarters to find files on Hoffman. He finds a file saying that Hoffman's sister was murdered, and her killer was killed in a trap. Strahm comes to the conclusion that Hoffman killed Seth, but staged it as a Jigsaw trap. A flashback depicting Hoffman looking at the pendulum trap ensues, as he was the person watching at the start of the film. A couple of weeks after Seth's death, Hoffman is kidnapped by Jigsaw. Jigsaw blackmails Hoffman into working for him, which Hoffman agrees to reluctantly. Hoffman is then shown, through flashbacks, setting up the house trap, talking to Jigsaw before the events of the previous movie, and kidnapping Paul. By the end of these events, Hoffman is a willing apprentice to Jigsaw.

Meanwhile, back in the sewers, Charles, Mallick, Luba, and Brit make it to the next trap. In this trap, the group have to smash jars and find keys to enter bomb shelters before a bomb goes off in the sewer. Charles smashes Mallick's jar in an attempt to steal his key, but doesn't Brit and Luba pick up keys. Mallick attempts to pick up a key but Charles steps in his hand and takes it. Just as Charles is about to enter his shelter, Luba hits him with a pole and gives the key back to Mallick. The trio enter the shelter and leave Charles to die by the explosion. Luba, Mallick, and Brit make it to their next test. In this test, they have to find a way for a cord of electricity to make it into a bath of water, but the cord is not long enough to reach the bath, so they think they need to use a person's body. Luba tries to kill Mallick to use his body, but Brit stabs her in the neck and says she never trusted her. Mallick and Brit use Luba's body for the electricity to reach the bath, and the door opens to their final test.

Meanwhile, Hoffman plants Strahm's phone at the house where Brit and Mallick's game is being held, in a hope to frame him. Strahm is now sure that Hoffman is Jigsaw's apprentice. Meanwhile, Brit and Mallick make it to their final test. In this test they have to stick their hands in a saw, and bleed into a beaker. When the beaker fills with their blood, they will be free to go. Before they start the test they realize that there are five saws, they then find out that everyone could have made it through every test seeing that the keys fitted in every lock in the first trap, the bomb shelters had room for two in the second trap, the electricity could have just flowed through everyone in the third trap. If everyone had made it through every test, the final one would've been much easier. Nevertheless, Brit and Mallick begin sawing their arms in an attempt to fill the five beakers with their blood. Just as Brit and Mallick fill the beaker with blood, finishing the final test, a police officer named Erickson makes to the scene. Both pass out from blood loss as Erickson calls for backup. After, Erickson finds Strahm's phone at the scene, leading him to believe that Strahm is Jigsaw's apprentice.

Hoffman walks into the room with the glass box, but doesn't see Strahm anywhere. Strahm then comes from behind and shoves Hoffman into the box. Hoffman signals for Strahm to play another tape, which is lying on the floor. The tape starts to play and it tells Strahm that he made the wrong choice, and he is going to die. The walls begins to close in on the room as the glass box lowers into the floor. Strahm attempts to escape, but is crushed by the walls.

List of deaths
List of deaths in Saw V.

Development
Saw V was written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and the film went into production after Christmas 2007. Filming began on March 17, 2008 in Toronto, and principal photography concluded on April 28, 2008. Saw V finished filming by May 2, 2008 and had started post-production. By mid-July 2008, there had been three photos released of David Hackl at the set of Saw V. The first trailer, depicting Agent Strahm's box trap, was released at Comic-Con '08 as a short clip and the trailer was also shown before The X-Files: I Want to Believ. The website opened on August 6, 2008 but only led to the teaser trailer after filling out the basic information chart. On September 17, 2008, a new clip was available on the "Saw V" website, depicting the Pendulum Trap. Starting on September 29, 2008, MySpace began posting advertisements on their website about the film. Also on September 29, 2008, the website officially opened with other features besides just the trailer.

During October, several new clips from Saw V were also released on the internet, one depicting a flashback featuring Hoffman, strapped to a chair with a shotgun pointing to his head, conversing with Jigsaw about Seth, the man in the Pendulum Trap. The other released clip features five people in a room where they are placed in a connected trap while Billy the puppet appears on screen, explaining the rules.

Release
The film was released in Australia on October 23, 2008, in North America and the United Kingdom on October 24, 2008, and in New Zealand on October 30, 2008.