The Big Picture
- Horror fans pay close attention to the production design of horror films, with costumes, sets, and props becoming iconic symbols of franchises.
- The Reverse Bear Trap is one of the most integral and iconic props in the Saw franchise, known for its mean-looking design and appearance in multiple films.
- The Reverse Bear Trap is a fan-favorite prop, appearing in Saw video games, merchandise, and cosplay, making it a natural choice for representing the entire franchise.
Horror fans, similar to many other genre films, give a lot of attention to the production design of a piece. The costumes, the sets, and the props can all become iconic within the history of horror cinema and nerd culture as a whole. A syringe of green glow stick juice, a hockey mask, a possessed doll, and most recently, an embalmed hand, all can become the emblem of a particular franchise, instantly recognizable by those who’ve seen it. The Saw franchise has multiple, which makes sense considering we’re coming up on the tenth film, Saw X, across almost 20 years. The pig masks are a standout, appearing in video games like Dead By Daylight and horror conventions the world over, one of the main symbols of the cult John Kramer (Tobin Bell) created, whether intentionally or not. Billy the Puppet is the mascot of the whole franchise, with his little suit and tricycle, riding into the frame while someone hacks off a limb. However, in a film series where the main draw is a collection of elaborate death traps, it goes without saying that one of them would be a secondary hallmark, and arguably the best prop in the franchise.
What’s the Gnarliest Trap in the Saw Movies?
There are a lot of traps in Saw, obviously, and a whole argument can be had about which of them is the gnarliest. Which of them best turns the audience’s stomach, and makes them squirm in their seat as they wait to see whether the victim can escape or not? This is completely up to the individual and can be attributed to things like phobias or past injuries. The Needle Pit from Saw II might have terrified you when you first saw it, but you may have then got used to needles, and thus, cooled on the same scene the second time you watched it. Maybe there are some parts of the body you wouldn’t care about losing, or maybe thought that even though something looked messy, at least it was an instant death. While contenders for the gnarliest trap are subjective, one can make an argument for which one is the best, the most iconic, the one that is integral to the franchise’s identity: The Reverse Bear Trap.
A Brief History of Saw’s Reverse Bear Trap
Designed by Stuart Prain, it’s a mean-looking trap, right off the bat. Similar to a Scold’s Bridle in its design, a torture device from the 16th century, it is worn around the face and most worryingly, inside the mouth hooked onto the jaws. Fail the trap, and instead of the bear trap portion closing, it opens, causing the jaws to snap wide open. The traps that focus on the face in this series are usually the ones that make people wince the most. After all, everyone has a face, and they usually like it the way it is. It doesn’t look too sanitary either; the metal is rusted, and it’s in your mouth, so even when escaping death a severe infection would become an even bigger concern.
Other than being a rather nasty trap as a concept with some clear influences and icky implications, it’s one of the few to make repeat appearances in the franchise. It was the very first Saw trap, not just for the first film, but the 2003 short that predates the whole franchise, now titled Saw 0.5. David (Leigh Whannell), played a game similar to the one in Saw before he would go on to play Adam. The prototype used in the short was apparently quite real, genuinely rusty, and could actually work. Luckily with a bigger budget, they made a far less dangerous trap for the feature film.
In the film series proper, the first time it appears is on the beloved Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), who survives by “playing the game” and killing another man to win her freedom. It would make appearances in John Kramer’s workshop, almost like a little trophy or Easter Egg, but we would see it used once again as an upgraded version made its debut in Saw VI. The subject for the device is yet another apprentice of John’s, Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), the detective-turned-killer who has the best fake American accent in the films. He isn’t supposed to make it out alive, and maybe if the franchise ended right there we could’ve seen it in action, but he manages to survive by stopping it from completely opening and forcing it off his face, maiming himself in the process.
We did finally get to see what happens when someone runs out of time on the Reverse Bear Trap in Saw 3D, with the victim being Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) John’s ex-wife who is forced into the trap by Hoffman, seeking revenge for doing the same to him. It is an absolute bloodbath, the face being entirely gone. It’s a great showcase of practical effects, CGI gore splatters aside. Did Jill deserve that kind of treatment? Absolutely not, it sucks she didn’t make it to the end of the franchise (whenever that may be). Was she the wrong victim for such an iconic trap? Perhaps, but it can be seen as some form of tragic irony: John’s classic trap killing the one person he ever loved.
The Reverse Bear Trap Is the Best of the Saw Movies
It’s a trap with a history, and multiple appearances keeping it in the mind of the people. It would go on to appear in both Saw video games, and of course, end up in a lot of merchandise. Collectors editions, cosplay pieces, and the image of Amanda in the Reverse Bear Trap can be found everywhere. In a pragmatic sense, it helps that it’s on the smaller side for Jigsaw traps, and wearable like a mask for a costume. It’s something a horror fanatic can have a to-scale replica of on a shelf, and that counts for a lot. It’s a natural choice for the very first Saw trap to be so emblematic of the entire franchise. Someone has won the game, lost the game, played fair, and cheated.
As the Saw franchise continues, the traps have gotten bigger and bigger. They’ve become more elaborate as budgets grow, allowing the writers to flex the most twisted of creative muscles to discover new ways they can show all manner of blood and guts on screen. There are so many gnarly traps in the Saw franchise, that I’m not even sure if this is the worst; it’s an instant death after all. It may not be the most horrifying, but the Reverse Bear Trap is the best of the franchise. Simple yet effective, little but fierce, it is as iconic as Jigsaw himself.
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