Seven & Saw Analysis

“Long is the Way and Hard that, From Out of Hell Leads Up to Light”

Saw and Seven:

A Look into Psychological Horror

Nate Meads

Saw and Se7en:

A Look into Psychological Horror

As we take a look back into 1960’s film, we notice certain changes in the style of the horror genre. In the 1930’s, the horror was much more foreign or un-America. In the 1940’s, we see a more diffused (or defamiliarized) horror, while the 1950’s dealt much more with sci-fi mutation horror. The 1960’s horror genre, however, was much more “coming of age”. The “monster” is no longer a supernatural demon or an alien from out space. The monster lives “next door”. The reason I chose the films Se7en and Saw is because they are very good examples of films today that reflect upon these 1960’s horror themes. For instance, there is the very real and close evil of John Doe from Se7en and the so sense of resolution presented in Saw. Both villains in the films are seen as the ‘anti-heroes’, both films convey a subtext of how we, as human beings, are the real evil in this world and how we do not appreciate our lives. These films present a similar underlying subtext but the films themselves present them in very different ways.

Judith Halberstam, in Steven Schneider’s article, makes the claim that “The body that scares changes over time, as do the individual characteristics that adds up to the monstrosity, as do the preferred interpretations of monstrosity.” This is a perfect summary of the evolution of the horror genre itself. As we have discussed, the 1960’s brought a whole new theme to horror. The monster (or evil) is very real and is very close. Also, the evil is never totally resolved, it is continued on for years. We also see the killers as anti-social ‘anti-heroes’ with violent motivations toward their fellow human beings. In the case of the film Se7en, John Doe has no friends, no family, no job and keeps to himself. This also reflects the 1960’s theme of the instability of socio-cultural structures and the family not working. John Doe himself is only seen once until the end of the film (although we don’t know it is him). Doe has a certain distaste for human beings and compares the city as a present day Sodom or Gomorrah saying, “Only in a world this shitty could you even try to say these were innocent people and keep a straight face.” John Doe is a classic example of a monster from 60’s horror film. He possesses many of the same qualities such as being an anti-hero. Doe, himself, believes that he is doing good in the world and doing the world a favor by sending a message to sinners. He exclaims, “Wanting people to listen, you can’t just tap them on the shoulder, you have hit them with a sledgehammer. Then you’ll know you have their full attention.” Doe also has a profession as a news photographer so he has access to all of the [police] crime scenes of the murders he committed. This is another trait of the “monster”, by looking at their victims by some sort of hole (a peephole or camera).

There is also an omni-presence of death in the film. One way it is expressed is through the city itself. The name of the city is never given, but the shots of the city give off a very large sense of darkness and malice. There are multiple scenes of people fighting on the street or crime scenes. It is also raining a lot in the film. Another way of showing certain evil in the film is through the character of David Mills (Brad Pitt). Mills is the new detective working with detective Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) who is on the verge of retirement. Mills embodies the city’s wrath, naïve-ness and disregard for humanity. He is quick to judge and reacts quite often on emotion instead of logic (which is a one of the biggest characteristics of a human being). One particular scene is where Mills and Sommerset are talking about whether or not they have ever killed someone on the job. Mills describes his one instance where he killed a man but could not remember his name. This shows the lack of remorse on the part of Mills and how he is quick to take a man’s life without any thought.

A pivotal scene of Mills’ apathy is in the final scene
where he learns that John Doe killed his (Mills’) wife. Now, Doe has completed six murders with one left: wrath. Sommerset tells Mills, “David, if you kill him, he will win.” This is a momentous quote because we, as the audience, don’t want the evil to win. But, knowing Mills’ nature, instead of being a good cop does in fact kill Doe. This goes back to the theme of ambivalent realism.

One of the most horrifying aspects of Se7en is the way that death is presented. One way that Se7en presents its horror is that non of the actual murders are shown, they are only implied, which may or may not make them more horrifying because they are left up to the viewers imagination. One particular scene that is especially “horrifying” is when detectives Sommerset and Mills are questioning the ‘lust’ victim. The victim is describing how he was forced to have sexual intercourse with a prostitute while wearing a leather suit with a knife strapped to it. The act itself is never shown, but it is implied when the audience is shown a picture of the leather suit. We can only imagine what the scene looked like.

Much like Se7en, Saw is also a film that has many qualities of 1960’s (and post-1960’s) horror although the themes are sometimes presented differently. However, in order to compare these two films, one must first look at the “monster”. Like Se7en’s John Doe, Saw’s Jigsaw killer (John Kramer) is also considered the anti-social anti-hero. He claims to be helping people. One major difference between Doe and Jigsaw, however, is that Jigsaw actually gives his victims a chance for redemption instead of plainly killing them. So, in this sense, he is more of a “hero” than Doe. Also, like Doe, Jigsaw is very close. He is technically seen throughout the film (although the audience is unaware of his presence until the end of the film). Jigsaw thinks of humanity (or humans) as being ungrateful to be alive so he tries to “teach” people the true value of life. This comes into another theme of no sense of resolution. Jigsaw’s teachings never die (though he eventually does). His ‘legacy’ lives on. Jigsaw also (like Doe) watches his victims through means of a peephole, creating a whole new sense of voyeurism. Like the audience, he watches with great intent and does not look away no matter how horrifying it is.

One new theme that Saw brings is the notion of “torture porn”. In fact, this film was one of the first to bring the “torture porn” theme to where it is today. This differs a lot from Se7en because the death scenes are not only shown in the film, but are much more brutal and violent. In one particular scene, the audience sees a man naked and covered in a flammable substance try to unlock the combination to a safe that has an antidote for the poison in his body. He must use a candle to see the numbers. In the end, he sets himself on fire. We see him catching on fire and see the charred remains. Another scene shows a man cut himself to death on razor wire. There is also the famous scene of Dr. Gordon sawing off his own leg. One major difference between Jigsaw and John Doe is that Jigsaw technically never kills anyone. He finds ways for his victims to kill themselves whereas John Doe actually kills them. This torture-type of horror becomes especially scary because, as the viewers, we are helpless to do anything. We, like Jigsaw are watching through a peephole a person being tortured. This is also a post-1960’s theme.

While both Saw and Se7en contain numerous classic 1960’s horror themes, they also encompass numerous post-1960’s themes. As before, both John Doe and Jigsaw are close-to-home ‘anti-heroes’. While they are deeply associated with violence, they both believe (in their minds) that they are doing good in the world. As Jigsaw says, “Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore.” And as John Doe says, “What I’ve done is going to be puzzled over, studied, and followed . . . forever.” John Doe also has a very big theme of obsession. Although he is friendless, he writes everything down on paper. There is the famous scene where Detectives Mills and Sommerset find Doe’s apartment and it is riddled with all of Doe’s thoughts (towards humanity) and every event in his life. Sommerset describes it as, “His mind poured out on paper.” There are also pictures of Doe’s victims all over the walls and “mementos” of his each of his victims such as a hand, tomato sauce and pictures. In the case of Jigsaw, his warehouse is full of tools and drawings of his victim’s “tombs” where he puts them. Jigsaw also frequently discusses how he is tired of people, “who don’t appreciate their blessings.” Both films also express bodily torture and mutilation as a theme, although they express it in different ways. Se7en is more imagined horror where Saw becomes more visual. Both of these expressions make audiences response have a fear for others; another major theme of post-1960’s horror. As the audience watches the film, they are either terrified at what they’re seeing (in the case of Saw) or what they’re imagining happened (in the case of Se7en). This leads to the last post-60’s theme of the killer being everywhere and nowhere. As the film is happening, we don’t know where the killer is, who the killer is or where he will kill again, and he is never caught. This is more terrifying because we, as the audience, may fit the victim profile. We don’t know where, when or who he is going to strike next.

Both of these films do a great job not only referring back to classical horror genres, but also (in the case of Saw) help create new ones. These films really dig into the human psyche and show what a person is capable of if pushed far enough. One major theme discussed in both films was how human beings are the real evil of the world and how we don’t appreciate the things we have. What could be one of the most horrifying things is that there may be some truth to that. After watching these films, one can begin to wonder who the real villains of the film are; the killer or humanity in general. As Detective Sommerset says, “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘the world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.’ I agreed with the second part.”