Saw IV Interviews

Tobin Bell returns as Jigsaw. But don’t call him that. To him, as well as the fictional killer he’s portrayed in every Saw film to date, the name is John Kramer. And more than ever, he is a dimensional person and less an evil enigma. Oftentimes, this cinematic demystification is a domestication that the fans don’t want for their villains – but in this franchise, the personality is coming together bit by bit not unlike the puzzle for which he was named.

While Bell does approach Kramer with all seriousness and due respect, apparently he can be coaxed into joking around every now again. It helps to be a kid: “I coach a soccer team of 13 yr olds,” he said. “When I'm trying to get them to do a drill they'll ask, ‘Do the voice first!’ So I'll say [in the character's voice] ‘This is your test…’ ”

Lionsgate has been sponsoring lifesaving blood drives annually to coincide with the release of each Saw film since the beginning in 2004, and Bell’s been on board as well. For Saw II (or was it III?) he actually gave blood to be mixed in with the red paint for the original promotional poster art. When I asked him what he’d be doing this year, he chuckled and said, “Well, no one’s asked for any of my bodily fluids yet, but we’ll see.” Sounds like he’s willing to give till it hurts.

While this Saw movie – as are they all – is quite serious and suspenseful, there’s no such somberness on set while conjuring the horrific images. Director of Saws 2 through 4, Darren Lynn Bausman says, “I can't remember on-set at any of the Saw films where we're actually being somber. It's not like that at all – the pranks, the practical jokes, the fart humor – everything. It's a family – we've become a family. The times between where we say Action! and Cut! have serious moments. That's it.”

Newbies to the franchise, Scott Patterson and Betsy Russell, thoroughly enjoyed their experience making the gory movie. Patterson, as the no-nonsense Agent Strahm, has an intense interrogation with Russell, who plays John Kramer’s loyal wife, Jill. Bausman says he let the actors have their heads in some of these scenes, many of which are now outtakes that could wind up on a future DVD.

Bausman laughed, saying, “I have some tapes of Scott saying to Betsy [during the interrogation] things like, ‘Listen here, bitch! I've got an entire case of Fresca outside and all fucking night!’ They were some of the greatest outtakes I've ever heard!”

I just hope they have some footage of Bausman’s dog calling ‘Action!’ Apparently, the large white poodle is an aspiring Eric Von Stoheim… no jodhpurs or whip yet, but according to Russell, the pooch helps his master run a pretty tight ship. “Darren is convinced the dog is actually saying action,” said the actress (who, after a long break to raise a family, returned to the big screen just for this big role).

It’s the first time we get to see Kramer’s wife, and we get another clue as to why, as Jigsaw, he does what he does. While there was a car-wreck revelation in Saw II, there is more to the story. Also, says, Bausman, Saw IV has the best trap ever. In a sense. “I think the hardest trap to film this time wasn't even a trap, it was the final reel. The whole movie was conceived around those last twenty minutes. You see, I thought Saw III was my last, so I said, ‘Kill everybody! Kill 'em all!’ And now I'm like, ‘I'm back, everyone's dead. What am I gonna do?’ ”

Find out, when Saw IV hits theaters everywhere on Friday, October 26.

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 Staci Layne Wilson