6 things you did not know about "Saw"

In short
“Saw” (2004) was shot for about $1.2 million in just 18 days by director James Wan, from a script by Leigh Whannell, and grew out of a short film used to convince producers. It spawned a franchise of ten films. In 2025 part of the rights passed to Blumhouse, which brought Wan and Whannell back to guide the series.

“Saw” was one of the horror films of recent history that brought something new to the genre. Its franchise has been hugely successful, earning hundreds of millions of dollars, and now counts ten films, from the 2004 original to “Saw X” in 2023, via “Jigsaw” in 2017.

But there are some facts about this film that most people don’t know. Here are 6 things you didn’t know about Saw.

1) Low budget

Saw was shot on very little money, about $1,200,000. This explains many small details of the film:

it was shot almost entirely in a warehouse, because it cost less than shooting outdoors or in equipped studios
the guts you see are said to be not special effects but real pig intestines, much cheaper
lying on the bathroom floor, in every scene, was always actor Tobin Bell: a dummy with his features would have cost too much
The puppet on the tricycle was built by James Wan himself, out of papier-mâché with ping-pong balls for eyes

2) Saw was born from a migraine

The idea for the film came to screenwriter Leigh Whannell, who also plays Adam, after a period of severe migraines. Going to the doctor, he began to wonder how he would feel if he were told he had a brain tumor and only days to live. From there came the idea of a sick man who tests other people’s will to live.

3) What we saw is not the first “Saw”

Before becoming a world-famous franchise, Saw was a 2003 short film, made by Wan and Whannell to convince producers to finance the movie. You can watch it at the end of the article.

4) Shot in a few days

The film was shot in just 18 days. This didn’t leave the actors much time to rehearse their lines, and many think it gave the film a certain realism.

5) Instead of “Saw” we could have seen a “preview” of “Paranormal Activity”

It is said that among the two creators’ ideas was one about a man who wakes up with scratches on his back and, to find out why, points a camera at his bed while he sleeps.

6) What is the name of the Saw puppet?

Although it is never named in the first film, the name of the puppet on the tricycle is Billy.

The future of the franchise

After “Saw X” in 2023, which grossed about $125 million, the eleventh film stalled because of disagreements between the producers. In June 2025 Blumhouse bought the share of the rights that belonged to Twisted Pictures, bringing the franchise’s creators, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, back on board. A new film is in development, although Wan is not expected to return as director.

As promised, here is the “Saw” short film.