Next year, the Saw franchise will celebrate its 20th anniversary, but fans don’t have to wait long for the newest installment. Saw X is out in theaters today, as it reaches a pinnacle that few franchises have ever achieved. This is also an unusual sequel in that it takes place shortly after the original Saw and some time before Saw II. This was done to allow Tobin Bell’s John Kramer, the original Jigsaw killer, to return to the forefront after meeting his end in Saw III. Because of the character’s popularity, Bell has reprised his role as Kramer in eight out of the nine previous Saw films. Spiral was the only sequel that he missed.
For anyone unfamiliar with the franchise, Kramer became a killer after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. While facing his immanent demise, Kramer decided that the people he encountered didn’t truly value their lives, so he devised his Jigsaw persona and forced them to take part in twisted games to test them. Kramer believed that if he made his victims face the consequences of their mistakes, then they could emerge as better people … usually after some self-mutilation.
Saw X is putting Jigsaw’s trials in a different light, as Kramer uses them as revenge on Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund), Mateo (Octavio Hinojosa), Gabriela (Renata Vaca), Valentina (Paulette Hernandez), Diego (Joshua Okamoto), and Lee (Isan Beomhyun). These are the people who conned Kramer and made him believe that they had successfully treated his terminal cancer. And he’ll make them all pay for that. The film also features the return of Shawnee Smith as Kramer’s apprentice, Amanda Young, with Steven Brand as Parker Sears, Jorge Briseño as Carlos, and Michael Beach as Henry Kessler. There’s also at least one surprise appearance by a familiar face.
Now, it’s time to tell you if Saw X is streaming. To paraphrase John Kramer, “Stream or die. Make your choice.”
Is Saw X streaming?
No, not yet. And it may not even finish the weekend in first place thanks to PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. But unlike Barbenheimer, this SAW Patrol showdown may be a close race for the no. 1 slot at the box office. That said, horror films tend to have a very short shelf life in theaters, even during the month of October.
The Saw franchise has been pretty resilient, as evidenced by the fact that there are now 10 movies in total. Yet at some point, all franchises face a downward trend that seemingly halts any further films. It’s too soon to say whether Saw X will be that tipping point in this franchise.
Will Saw X be available to stream at home?
Yes, eventually. But probably not until 2025 at the earliest. Saw X, like all of the previous Saw films, is distributed by Lionsgate, a studio that owns the Starz cable network and streaming service. That means it will first stream on Starz for an extended period before heading to one of the other streaming services with a larger subscriber base.
Currently, the first seven Saw movies are available to stream on Peacock, while the eighth and ninth films are scattered at different streamers. If we had to guess, Peacock seems to be the likely destination for Saw X next year. But Lionsgate has deals with multiple streaming services, so it’s possible it could go elsewhere.
Regardless, Saw X will almost certainly hit VOD by the middle of November, with a Blu-ray and 4k HD release to follow shortly thereafter. It might even be out in time for Christmas if you want to give the gift of Jigsaw to a horror movie lover in your life.
Saw X is now in theaters.
