Summary

• Fans eagerly anticipate Jigsaw's return in Saw XI, exploring similar horror movies with gruesome deaths and moral quandaries.
• Saw popularized torture-based horror, inspiring films like The Sadness and Thanksgiving, offering intense, brutal storylines.
• Torture franchises like Wrong Turn and Hostel challenge survival instincts, perfect for fans seeking gory, graphic violence films.

While fans wait for Jigsaw's return in Saw XI, they can check out other great horror movies similar to Saw. Every Saw movie follows a clear formula where the Jigsaw killer or his followers place victims in complex, lethal traps, forcing them into intense moral quandaries. While most horror films count on gory kills and sadistic villains, the Saw movies are known for their gruesome deaths that seem straight from someone’s most disturbing nightmares.

Whenever fans discuss torture-based horror movies, the Saw films are often the first to come to mind. Although Saw hasn't pioneered this approach, it undoubtedly made it popular, bringing it into the commercial scene. Most movies like Saw have a little of Saw in them, or alternatively, they were clear inspirations for James Wan in the first Saw film.

Updated April 18th, Arthur Goyaz: There are ten Saw movies in total, but fans can't get enough of the franchise. With a new installment reportedly in the works, Jigsaw will soon return to terrorize new victims, but until then, horror aficionados can enjoy a range of horror movies that resemble the Saw formula. With that in mind, this list was updated to add fresh recommendations and reflect CBR's most current standards in formatting.

20 Thanksgiving Introduces A New Slasher Villain Taking Down Ungrateful People

In Eli Roth's Thanksgiving, a new slasher villain emerges on the one-year anniversary of a Black Friday riot that ended in tragedy. Set in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the traditional American holiday was born, a Thanksgiving-inspired killer lurks in the shadows, taking down the ungrateful people who stained the city's historical reputation.

The foundation of the Saw movies is Jigsaw capturing people who don't value life enough and forcing them to contemplate their inner survival instincts. His victims tend to be morally ambiguous people who get one last chance to redeem themselves. There's a thin line separating Jigsaw and Thanksgiving's vicious masked killer, a man of wicked, yet understandable principles determined to come after the privileged portion of the city. Roth's Hostel is usually an obvious recommendation for Saw fans, but Thanksgiving won't disappoint either.

19 Wrong Turn Is An Essential Torture Franchise Worth Binge-Watching

When it comes to torture movie series, horror fans will often engage in heated debates about which one is better: Saw or Wrong Turn. Both franchises grew and evolved together, with both Saw and Wrong Turn releasing their first movie in 2003. The latter's premise is centered around a family of cannibals who survive by preying on anyone who crosses their path. When an accidental crash leaves Chris and a group of youngsters stranded in the West Virginia woods, it doesn't take long before they encounter the forest's sinister inhabitants.

There are seven Wrong Turn movies in total, and just like Saw, each of them follows a distinctive formula centered around the same villains and their methods. Wrong Turn and Saw are determined to test the limits of humanity's instinct for survival. They are two franchises perfect to binge-watch and that will likely stick around for a long time.

18 The Sadness Delivers A Global-Scale Massacre

It might strike horror aficionados as odd to see a straight-up zombie movie recommended for Saw fans, but the sadistic brutality presented in the film will attract the attention of those looking for movies related to Saw. In the film, a young couple resorts to desperate measures as they try to reunite amid an outbreak that causes people to devour each other.

Saw is all about dissecting the worst of the human soul. Jigsaw acts as a moral reaper, putting at stake the wickedness of his victims in a series of horrifying games. In The Sadness, a mysterious epidemic causes people to release their most obscure desires, which, to no one's surprise, have to do with giving in to their violent impulses. The movie offers plenty of blood-spurting, skull-smashing scenes that aren't made for easily-impressed viewers, delivering some of the best practical effects in recent memory.

17 Speak No Evil Is An Unforgiving Psychological Horror About Relationship Boundaries

Speak No Evil is the kind of horror movie that hints at something horrible happening at any time but never rushes anything. The film patiently sets up a bloody finale, leaving viewers anxious throughout the entire running time. The movie follows a Danish family visiting a Dutch couple they meet on a holiday. As the getaway weekend progresses, the seemingly welcoming and polite hosts decide to show a more sinister side of themselves.

The psychological appeal of Saw's early movies is precisely what makes them beloved installments among fans. Each trap sequence in Saw is preceded by an anxiety-inducing build-up that leaves the audience at the edge of their seats. The majority of Speak No Evil unfolds in this same space of suggestive horror between build-up and climax: the hosts spend the entire movie engaging in disturbing psychological games with their guests until things get unexpectedly bloody. Fans of the original movie will be happy to know that Speak No Evil is getting a remake this year, starring James McAvoy in a new villainous role.

16 Terrifier 2 Surpasses The Shocking Level Of Saw's Onscreen Violence

Anyone looking for a gory spectacle finds in the Saw movies a safe haven: Jigsaw's brutal traps explore the limits of physical pain, and it's not uncommon for its victims to end up with their limbs severed, or worse, dead as a result of a slow, painful process. The only franchise today that goes head-to-head with Saw in terms of graphic violence is Terrifier, which follows a demonic clown going on a killing spree on Halloween night.

The first Terrifier was already nightmare-inducing enough, but Terrifier 2 reportedly caused people to faint and vomit amid screenings. The movie consists of a 138-minute-long ride into hell on Earth and Art the Clown engages in the most ghastly acts imaginable. The infamous "room" scene surpasses the level of violence of any Saw trap, which makes it the goriest option for fans of Jigsaw's legacy.

15 Would You Rather Places Viewers In Its Character's Shoes

Much like Saw, the underrated horror movie Would You Rather forces people into dangerous situations. The titular game forces players to hurt other contestants by stabbing, electrocuting, drowning, whipping, and shooting them, all for the enjoyment of the sadistic villain. Starring Brittany Snow and horror legend Jeffrey Combs, Would You Rather has a haunting premise and psychological elements similar to the Saw series.

The primary difference between Would You Rather and Saw is the characters in the former come to their game voluntarily. While they didn’t know the game would be life or death, they each had something to gain if they won. Would You Rather is gripping, gritty, and the perfect film for fans who loved the mystery in Saw.

14 Inhuman Resources Depicts A Harrowing Path Of Revenge

Released in 2012, Inhuman Resources is just as bloody as any Saw entry. The movie tracks six people who find themselves chained to desks and tasked with proving a former regional manager is innocent of his accused crimes. This former manager, Thomas "Redd" Reddman, recently escaped prison and is hell-bent on proving he's innocent.

Inhuman Resources eventually reveals that Redd's status as a convicted serial killer has changed him, and he now dishes out painful punishments at the drop of a hat. The film has a captivating storyline and a satisfying ending. Just like Saw, Inhuman Resources provides the audience with many disturbing deaths, tons of suspense, and a bit of mystery to keep them engaged.

13 Headgame Portrays A Terrifying And Deadly Game

Headgame features a relatively simple but fun premise: Nine people wake up in a warehouse with a camera lens embedded in their foreheads. Only one will survive as they advance through a series of deadly competitions. Similar to Saw, Headgame is also appropriately loaded with suspense and gore.

Headgame reveals the cameras in the characters' foreheads are for the secret elite society that holds the games. These event organizers are previous game winners who place bets on who they think will be the last standing. Along with this tense story, Headgame features many realistic and disturbing death scenes, making it a worthwhile watch for Saw fans.

12 Hostel Will Make Viewers Reconsider Where They Stay While Traveling