The Saw X Trap So Disgusting It’s Deleted From The Movie
Ready for it? According to a recent story in The Direct, a scene from the newest installment in the Saw saga, Saw X, was so revolting, so shockingly twisted, that it was relegated to the cutting room floor. Early in the film, John Kramer, aka Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), finds himself inside an MRI, and that’s when he starts fantasizing about the device being used as part of a death trap. Another fantasy involving vacuum tubes attached to eyeballs is included, which makes us wonder why the MRI didn’t make the cut.
But it shouldn’t be surprising, given the Saw universe, with its graphic depictions of twisted justice and its longstanding reputation for pushing the ever-widening boundaries of on-screen violence. We all know the notoriously hardcore process: John Kramer, otherwise known as the Jigsaw killer, devises morbidly intricate traps for those unfortunates who, at least in his eyes, don’t cherish their lives enough. In such traps, the victims must maim themselves (or other people) to survive.
Saw X, the landmark tenth entry into the series, gleefully furthers the tradition, albeit–we now know–with one glaring exclusion.
Thankfully, no one had to be tortured with one of Jigsaw’s devices to spill the beans. Instead, director Kevin Gruetert confessed to The Direct’s Russ Millheim that the MRI trap in question was considered too much–for a film and series that are, in their own right, very much indeed. Lionsgate thus opted to remove it entirely.
The director went on to reveal that the MRI “fantasy trap” dream sequence was intended to preface events that would later unfold in Saw X. But, Greutert added, the higher-ups at Lionsgate ultimately intervened, nixed the scene and trap, leaving much of its intended import shrouded in mystery.
Another exciting tidbit the director decided to share is the movie’s climactic scene, in which Cecilia (Synnove Macody Lund) and Parker (Stevne Brand) fight to survive in a lock factory office, originally played out radically differently. In the end, the horror franchise director communicated that the initially envisioned sequence had to be reimagined, as it was far too complex to achieve.
It might not come as a surprise, but the traps in Saw X—and the Saw world as a whole—remain the most challenging aspects to conceive, Greutert divulged. During daunting brainstorming sessions, the film’s creators churn through a multitude of ideas, only some of which see the light of day. While others, for reasons of taste or practicality, do not.
This leaves us to irresistibly speculate about the true nature of the forbidden MRI trap. What sheer, unmitigated brutality led to its axing? Was it equating a piece of hospital equipment with a death trap imagined in the piece of hospital equipment itself? In that case, it is easy to see the studio behind Saw X cutting such a scene, citing poor taste.
Or was it, instead, merely a matter of logistics—practical feasibility?
We may never know. But what we do know is that this newest, bloody-as-ever chapter in the Saw catalog is in theaters around the globe now. See it while you can—and if you dare.
