Saw II Textual Analysis

Saw II is the second film in the seven part Saw franchise and was released in 2005, following the release of the first film in 2004. It was directed and co-written by Darren Lynn Bousman, who also directed the third and fourth installments in the Saw franchise. We focused on analysing the ‘Venus fly trap’ scene from the film. The scene follows Michael Marks, who finds himself in a ‘Venus fly trap’ contraption before the villain Jigsaw informs him that the key to unlock the trap is situated behind his right eye. He cannot bring himself to remove his own eye so the ‘Venus fly trap’ eventually closes on his head, which results in his gory death.

As an audience, we can immediately identify the film to be a horror film through the use of typical generic conventions. The scene appears to be set in some sort of basement, which is a typical setting for a horror film. Dark colours, like green and black, and dark lighting are used to set the mood and atmosphere, also connoting the nature of the events that will take place later on. Michael Marks finds himself alone in this setting, which could be considered as another typical convention, as isolation often plays a part in the events that take place in horror films. Later on in the scene, Jigsaw sends a message to Michael on a screen. This is a typical convention, as in a lot of horror films the villain’s identity is concealed from the other characters. Another typical convention is the gory nature of the main event of the scene, where the ‘Venus fly trap’ closes on Michael’s head. This typical convention is emphasised by the screaming from Michael as he dies and the blood that can be seen on the floor afterwards. Using typical generic conventions will appeal to an audience because they will be able to identify them and it may help them to understand the story line more clearly.

The narrative of the films presents some typical characters from Propp’s character theory. Jigsaw is the typical villain and this is connoted by his deeper voice and hidden identity. Michael could be considered the ‘princess’ character as he is in distress and needs to be rescued. At this stage, the narrative seems to be a single strand, but Jigsaw makes some references to Michael’s occupation and things he has done, connoting that there is more than one narrative strand. The narrative is in third person as it allows the events to speak for themselves and as Saw II is the second film in a franchise, this suggests that it has a continuous narrative. In this scene, binary opposites can be seen of good versus evil, in regards to Michael and Jigsaw but we cannot know for sure whether it is protagonist versus antagonist as at this point we may be unsure as to whether Michael would be considered the protagonist. As an audience, the narrative may be considered as easy to follow as here it appears to be linear and the narrative structure allows the characters to be easily identified.

In terms of sound, both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are present in this scene. For non-diegetic sounds, high pitched string instruments are heard in the background which create tension for the audience as the sharp sounds create a build up to the action. Also for non-diegetic sound, a ticking sound can be heard once Michael has been given the task of finding the key to the trap before it’s too late. This also creates tension as the ticking sound connotes the countdown to the end of his life, creating an anticipation from the audience. On the other hand, there are some effective examples of diegetic sound throughout this scene. Jigsaw, the antagonist, has a distorted voice which connotes the mystery and sinister nature of his character. Michael’s screaming is diegetic and this creates suspense as the audience is able to understand the horrific nature of his situation and potential death. The lack of sound in the scene once the ‘Venus fly trap’ has closed effectively connotes Michael’s death and makes this easy for the audience to understand.

The editing of the scene initially appears to be slow but this soon drastically changes. Once Michael is given his instructions from Jigsaw, the editing begins to become faster paced in order to build suspense and anticipation for the audience as he is getting closer to his death. There is also cuts between different shots of Michael’s face which allows his emotions to be exaggerated and may result in sympathy towards him from the audience. As Saw II is a horror film, the target audience will have to be more mature, especially as the film is certificated as an 18 in most countries. The appeal of horror films could be linked to the uses and gratifications audience theory as some people would consider it to be a diversion and a form of entertainment. It could also be linked to the social side of this theory as people often discuss what they would do if they were put into that kind of horrific situation. There is an indirect mode of address to the audience throughout the scene which could have its downsides as the audience may not be able to connect fully with the storyline or with the characters. This scene from Saw II features a lot of typical mise-en-scene for a horror film. The use of the darker, green tinted lighting creates a creepy, unsettling atmosphere, especially as the use of low key lighting creates a lot of eerie shadows. The basement is a typical setting and the fake blood and detailed eye make-up make Michael’s wound more realistic so it will have a bigger impact on the audience. The fly trap machine is a horrific contraption that looks quite medieval and connotes the ruthless nature of Jigsaw’s power. The image of the clock further connotes the idea of a countdown to the end of Michael’s life. When the negative image of a head is shown, this connotes and x-ray and indicates to the audience that the key to the machine is behind Michael’s right eye. When Michael is being told these instructions, the screen that Jigsaw appears on is shown through a distorted image, which connotes Jigsaw’s twisted mental state.

There are also examples of ideology in this scene of Saw II. There is both a stereotype and a reverse stereotype that could be interpreted from this scene. Since Jigsaw appears to be male, he presents a stereotypical male character as they are represented as being dominant and in control. In contrast, Michael could be seen as the reverse stereotype of a man as he is presented as being a vulnerable character. Jigsaw’s ideology is also shown as the audience knows that he believes Michael is not worthy of his life as he is a ‘snitch’, which gives the audience more of a sense of his character and his values. In this scene, specific camera shots are used to create certain effects. For example, there are frequents uses of POV shots, which is effective as it allows the audience to imagine what it would be like to be faced with Michael’s situation and makes it easier to relate to him. There are also a couple of high angle shots of Michael at the beginning of the scene, which connotes his vulnerability and weakness. While he battles to remove the fly trap machine from around his head, there are lots of close ups and extreme close ups on Michael’s face.

This allows his emotions and distress to be connoted to the audience, which may stimulate a sympathetic response from them. In this scene, lots of typical generic conventions of horror can be seen which may help us when we are finalising ideas for our own production. We will most likely be using the convention of a climatic build up as we feel like this is an effective way to have an impact on the audience. However, some of the props used like the ‘Venus fly trap’ machine are not something that we will be able to use as we have such a small budget. This is something we would have to consider when we are thinking about how to create effective mise-en-scene for our production.