Somewhere along the lines, the Saw franchise went from being lauded as great, original horror to being decried as a dead horse being kicked inside a reverse bear trap while listening to a scratchy voice on a tape recorder. However, Saw VII is headed for theaters this October, and the recently released cast list may involve some spoilers. So be warned.
The most notable surprise here is the listing of Cary Elwes who will return to play Dr. Lawrence Gordon.
However, it might be for as little as one flashback scene. Still, fans are right to be intrigued by the long-awaited return of the good doctor, and unlike other series who realize the spoilerific nature of their cast lists, Saw films haven’t listed Elwes since the very first installment. So this could be big.
Plus, the series needs to switch things around. The last installment was a great improvement, but overall, people seem to see the films as stale money-makers at this point that have little to do with the innovation of the first. I see the creativity there (especially with Saw VI), but they really need to step it up to turn fans around.
Of course, Tobin Bell and Costas Mandylor will be back, but Sean Patrick Flannery is joining the team as a survivor who has become a self-help guru. There’s a possibility that the story may shift away from Jigsaw and toward this new figure.
What do you think?