Jigsaw is coming. The eighth film in Lionsgate’s long running Saw franchise is set for release on October 27th. I’m definitely a fan of the series, even though my interest started to wane halfway through the initial run. Nonetheless, checking out the newest sequel in a packed theater of gorehounds became a holiday tradition…for Halloween, of course. Thankfully, producers have had a healthy amount of time to concoct new ideas. They brought on an amazing duo of directors (the Spierig Brothers) to help Saw “take back Halloween.” After months of waiting, the current SDCC finally provided us with our first look at the all the mayhem we have in store for us. While new ground does not appear to be broken here, the more colorful look is refreshing. Ol’ Billy the Puppet has gotten a fresh coat of paint, and Jigsaw looks to be the kind of film that will have audiences laughing and screaming all at once.

With a new sequel, there are, of course, new traps. Combing through the insanity and quick cuts of this 2 minute 20 second clip, I’ve rounded up all the possible “games” our new round of victims…er, characters will have to play. With each trap, I’m going to make a prediction as to what the ultimate threat is from the game at hand.

Bucketheads and Buzzsaws

The first trap, right out of the gate is a fun one, signifying the beginning of a new game. We have five people who appear to be waking up in a room, with buckets on their heads (for some reason), chained to a wall lined with buzzsaws! What could go wrong? A lot, naturally. It’s a safe bet that much like Saw 2 and most of the later entries, this will be the main story we’ll follow throughout the film. Basically, a group of strangers unsure of how they’re connected must work together, or against one another, to make it through Jigsaw’s house of horrors.

In this particular scenario, the chains binding these poor folk to the wall begin retracting, pulling them closer and closer to the spinning blades.  I’m not sure how they could possibly get out of this one, or is it merely that one must be sacrificed to spare the rest?

New Lair? Trap Redux

The two traps above appear to be homages to previous films. The first resembles “The Magnum Eyehole” from Saw 2. The second image displays “The Angel Trap” (Saw 3) wherein the victim’s torso was flayed open. Perhaps I’m wrong, but this version seems smaller and more suitable for one’s head. Considering this scene is likely taking place within the new Jigsaw’s lair, we probably won’t see these bad boys in action. Imagine, though, those nail pressing into a victim’s face only to end with their head being split open, straight down the middle. Grand Guignol at its finest.

There’s also this blink and you’ll miss it throwback that takes us all the way back to the beginning – the trap that started it all!

Edward Needle Hands

At this point, our gang of survivors has been strung along from the wall of buzzsaws into an adjoining room resembling an empty farmhouse. Judging by the trailer, a majority of the film will take place in this area with one puzzle, booby trap, or test after the other. In this case, it seems one of our own has been gifted the power. All in all, I’d say this one is fairly straightforward. The only real questions, what’s in the syringes, and what effect will they have once injected? I’m hoping for some Cronenberg-ian body bleeding, and maybe some foaming at the mouth action.

Silo of Death

This is a terribly escalating situation. It has to suck being trapped in a silo as grain pours down on you. The risk of suffocating is incredibly high; the grain itself acts like quicksand. Each pebble slowly filling up your lungs, the pressure building up around you as the well continues to fill. Finally, you manage to make it to the top and find your footing. Then, without warning, sharp pointy objects begin raining down on you. That’s the situation two of our characters find themselves in. With proper staging, this could prove to be the suspenseful highlight of the film.

Stray thought: All of this farming imagery makes me wonder if the “big evil” of this entry is a Monsanto-like corporation.

Roped and Ridden

After someone falls through the floorboards, they’re quickly lassoed up by another Rube Goldberg style booby trap. We can speculate that the unfortunate soul is going to be dragged straight into the wheels of this revved up motorcycle. Will their face get shredded à la Ash vs Evil Dead? Or are we looking at more of a drawn and quartered…bisected situation?

Laser Neck Bomb

I honestly have no idea just what is going on here. Yes, it’s clear that the man is attached to the wall via a gadget resembling the shotgun collar from Saw 3. However, this being 2017, our new Jigsaw has updated his tech considerably. We’re dealing with friggin’ laser beams, yall! If he moves his head just a hair in either direction, we’ll be seeing that pretty mug fall to the floor in pieces. Could this be the cold open to the film? It surely has the feeling of being contained enough to work as such.

Saw-nado?

Red swirl designs have been an integral part of the Saw franchise’s style. They adorn the rosy cheeks of Billy the Puppet, and they’re constantly being found in videos and messages from the master tormentor. They’ve never actually been the trap. It’s a cool idea to bring such an iconic image to life in a presumably deadly way. In the middle of Farmville, standing all the way to the ceiling is a red swirl tornado thingy. Our victim is being hung upside down within the chamber and lowered to certain death. Just what lies at the bottom of this cyclone? My bets are on decapitation with this one.

Well, how close was I at pegging the various outcomes for all of these wicked devices? We’ll find out soon enough when Jigsaw hits theaters on October 27th!