|  With Saw VI, Kevin Greutert marks his directorial debut. But he’s no stranger to the Saw franchise. Having worked as an editor on every previous film, Greutert was not only seen as a natural to take over the director’s chair, but was also part of the team that helped propel the series itself to become the most successful horror franchise in history. We spoke with Greutert in Los Angeles about his long-running association with Saw and his hopes for Saw VI.
What are audiences expect from with Saw VI?
I’ve always loved the fact that the Saw films are a real ride, both emotionally and viscerally. And I really wanted to make sure not to disappoint on that level. I think it’s just a very intense journey that we go on along with our characters. I just can’t imagine anyone’s going to feel let down because, to me, it’s a very powerful movie.
What can you tell us about it?
What I can say is that we of course pick up the threads from the previous Saw movies and a lot of the same characters. But we’ve brought in a whole new story and a new set of characters as well. I think there’s a lot of conclusion to what people have been expecting from the previous films – hanging threads, red herrings, cliffhangers, that sort of thing - threaded into the new elements that were brought into the series. And I think it all comes together in a really amazing way.
Will you be pushing the envelope in terms of the horror?
There’s a pretty wide variety of intense scenes. I guess we call them ‘trap’ scenes, but not all the crazy set pieces are necessarily traps in this film… But in terms of what we’ve become used to with Saw? We’ve got situations with one person, with two people, with three, with seven – there’s really a wide range of things. The whole story also takes place in a sort of unexpected setting. I don’t think anybody has picked up on that yet, based on the trailers and publicity, what an odd location this film takes place in. But it’s a good one I think (laughs)… Definitely not one we’ve seen before and probably one we won’t see again! Of course that depends on what they do with Saw VII (laughs)...
Is the film finished yet?
The film is done. I came back from Toronto about two weeks ago, having completed the sound mix and the coloring of the film. So it’s done. They are making thousands of prints right now at the lab as we speak. We always push it to the very last conceivable day.
How did you come to direct Saw VI?
It was really a perfect situation. I’ve always wanted to be a director and of course it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world to get. The fact that I was able to use my work as an editor in Saw to get to that position was great. But then I also love the Saw series, both from my involvement in it and because I think it’s a really creative enterprise. You know, I might have been editing some series of movies that I didn’t necessarily care for and said, “Well this is my chance to direct so I’ll go for it.” Instead it was double-perfect because I really loved Saw.
Having edited all the previous films, you must be the Saw expert by this stage in the game.
(Laughs)… I think I am kind of a Saw expert. I certainly know every line of dialogue in all the films and most of the shots… Yeah, I know the series very well.
Did that background come in handy?
Oh, of course. Because the storyline has become such a labyrinth over the years, it can be really hard at times. That background certainly comes in handy.
I understand you first came to the Saw series from…George of Jungle?
(Laughs)… George of the Jungle 2. The lesser George of the Jungle - it didn’t have Brendan Fraser in it! It was because I’d worked with the producer, Greg Hoffman, on that. And he put Saw together as a package for Twisted Pictures. They didn’t have a lot of money, so they couldn’t just go hire whoever they wanted. So he drew people forward that were ready to take the next step into department-head positions. He called me in as the editor. That’s how I got the job.
Looking back, did you ever think you’d be sitting here as the director of Hollywood’s top horror franchise?
Well I certainly didn’t think it would lead to this. But I did think it would make me an editor, which it did. And really, from the first day of shooting on Saw I, when I got the footage back and was looking at it in James Wan’s (director, Saw I), apartment, on his computer… They shot it in chronological order. And it was the images of Adam (Leigh Whannell) waking up in the bathtub and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) turning on the lights… It just felt really fresh compared to most of the movies that I’d worked on. I definitely thought it could be a successful film, but obviously not on this level (laughs).
Are you surprised by the longevity of the series?
Absolutely, yeah. I’m really surprised. I thought that after Saw III, it would be a straight-to-video enterprise. But it’s done really well. I think it’s miraculous.
What was it like moving from the editing room to the set?
It was very challenging to go from editor to director. I’d like to think I did a good job. But no question, I was pretty nervous about it. I had to go from being an introvert to an extrovert overnight. Instead of bossing around one or two assistant editors, suddenly I had to answer questions from eighty different people… It’s a very different job, but ultimately it’s a lot more rewarding.
What’s the atmosphere like on the set?
Mostly, it’s pretty playful on a Saw set. A lot of our actors, particularly Costas Mandylor (Hoffman), enjoy a good joke or prank. It can also be tense though because some of those scenes are just really hard to shoot. A lot of our special effects, particularly when it comes to body prosthetics, you only get once chance and you have to get it right. And if you’re combining something mechanical with prosthetics and a visual effect, it all has to dovetail together in one shot. That can take several hours to prepare. If it goes wrong, there’s no recourse. So it can be tense. And it can definitely be tense when we’re shooting those trap scenes in particular.
What is it that makes the series so popular?
It’s hard to say exactly why. I’m sure everybody here wishes they knew. I know that from reading a lot of horror scripts that there aren’t many out there that are really inventive. I rarely see intricate plotting in a story, for example. I think people want that and they like to see well developed characters carrying out those plots. I also think that everybody behind the series here is committed to the tone of our own stories; we’ve tried hard not to let it become less serious as we go along... And then at the end of the day, because there’s a veneer of morality that’s connected with the Saw series, because Jigsaw is doing things at least ostensibly to teach people ‘life lessons’, it gives you sort of a free pass to watch and enjoy. I know that sound’s bizarre, but that’s probably the biggest thing. That there’s a reason behind the gore and the mayhem.
Just how popular is the Saw franchise?
The films are pretty successful. They’ve all made at least $50 million to $83 million at the US box office on $1 million - $10 million budgets. That’s got to be a record of sorts. Of course, I meet people my age who haven’t heard of Saw. It makes me mad, but I do meet them all the time including some of my friends (laughs)… But certainly anybody who’s within five years of the age of 20 knows the Saw series pretty well. It’s got a huge following.
What was the biggest challenge in making Saw VI?
Developing the story. I had two fantastic writers, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who I can’t praise highly enough. They really made the process doable… It was kind of scary because we only had a certain amount of time to write the script. That part was definitely the hardest and I really have to thank Marcus and Patrick for doing such a great job.
Lionsgate releases Saw VI on DVD and Blu-ray on March 8th.
http://www.saw6movie.co.uk
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With the release of 
Widely regarded as one of the finest actors of this generation and having escaped from the teen heartthrob label, Leonardo DiCaprio has forged a powerful working relationship with Martin Scorsese. Their latest offering, 
Since marking its debut with a midnight screening at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, the movie, Saw, launched a series of films which emerged as the most successful horror franchise in Hollywood’s history. At their core lies the unnerving performance of Tobin Bell, a thirty-year veteran of film, television and the stage. As John Kramer (aka Jigsaw), Bell plays a serial killer who puts his prospective victims through an increasingly gruesome series of ‘games’ of survival to test their appreciation of life itself. In Bell’s view, however, it is Jigsaw’s underlying complexity - a character who has joined the pantheon of Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees - as much as the escalating mayhem with each successive film, which keeps audiences coming back for more. 
