The producers of the “Saw” movies have cast plenty of talented actors over the years, including Danny Glover, Cary Elwes, Donnie Wahlberg, and now Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson in “Spiral.” But the true stars of the franchise are the diabolical traps that each new movie offers. Frequently accompanied by creepy audio messages delivered by a macabre puppet, these lethal devices come in a variety of different styles, each with a unique set of rules. There are standard traps that lock a single victim in a murderous contraption, and group traps that involve multiple victims competing in some type of disturbing contest. Maze traps force victims to navigate a violent obstacle course, while vicarious traps require a bystander to choose who lives and who dies. Finally, there are rigged traps that promise a way to escape, but don’t actually provide one.
After the success of the original “Saw” in 2004, other horror films began incorporating similar traps into their stories. Movies like “The Collector,” “Exam,” “Would You Rather,” and “Escape Room” featured deadly mechanical contraptions and bizarre game-like challenges where the losers die in horrific ways. But the “Saw” franchise remains the leader of the pack when it comes to brutally inventive traps, and “Spiral” – the latest chapter in the blood-splattered saga – includes some of the best yet. For those with strong stomachs, here are the 20 grisliest, goriest, and most altogether gruesome traps in the “Saw” series.