Could the Saw Movie Deaths Happen in Real Life?

The Truth About the Saw Traps [Saw Movie Facts]

The Saw movies are incredibly innovative and realistic in presentation. The death scenes may be insanely cruel, but they are also super scary as the audience is able to imagine these traps existing in real life.  As sophisticated as the traps may be, their designs are crude and the audience can usually relate to the components and parts within the contraptions, making them much scarier.  But what is the truth about the Saw movie deaths? Would people actually die in the Saw traps if they suffered them in real life? Would the Saw traps hold up in a real torture house and could the Saw movie deaths actually happen in real life? Were the scenes based on a real life Jigsaw like killer?

Would the Saw Traps Work in Real Life?

Would Jigsaw’s traps actually work in real life? Horror Enthusiast has decided to investigate the traps a little more closely in order to find any plot holes or weak links which may have allowed the victims to easily escape their fate without losing their lives so quickly.

The Timer

A lot of Jigsaw’s traps are timed. In the Saw movies, it is important to time the traps, as the movie only lasts but so long. In real life, a timer would not always be necessary. However, following the same basic foundation of involving a timer that activates a trap’s killing feature if the victim does not overcome the situation, is possible.  Timers are notoriously used by really bad people for really bad things (i.e. bombs), but also for really great people for really great things (i.e. Mom’s good old Thanksgiving turkey). 

Wiring a timer into a trap is most certainly possible.  Unfortunately it would require a MacGyver or a special agent to be able to stop the timer, and even then the chances would likely be slim due to the restrains and anti-tamper mechanisms which could be present.

Body Mutilation

A lot of Jigsaw’s traps involve body mutilation. Sometimes Jigsaw has cut into someone, hid an item inside and sewn them back up. Other times the victim is required to chop off parts of themselves in order to “make weight” to survive.  Regardless of how its done, body mutilation is a regular theme throughout the Saw franchise.  The idea of requiring weight on a scale and only having your own body and a saw present is a chilling concept. 

Requiring body mutilation and/or mutilating a victims body before or during a Saw trap is absolutely possible.  In the event there is a scale that is accessible, it may be possible to trick it, though the traps typically ensure no tomfoolery goes down.  If a key has been implanted behind your eye…you’re pretty much in trouble.

Poison Gas

Many victims have been poisoned. Poison gas is quite simple to work into a trap and is extremely realistic.  In fact, it would be very easy to create a toxic air within a confined space.  Poison gas is essentially used as a timer throughout the entire second movie, Saw II (2005). Unfortunately, it most certainly is possible to find a real life Jigsaw trap house that is rigged up with poison gas.

Poison gas is a really hard adversary to beat. Firstly, it would have to be detectable and a lot of gas used for poisoning can be odorless. Secondly, it requires a chemical respirator.  It is not possible to simply hold one’s shirtsleeve up to their mouth…as the poison particles will fit through the cloth fiber just as easily as oxygen.  Finally, as time progresses, the body weakens when poisoned, so by the time a victim realizes what is happening their motor skills and reasoning ability is on the decline.

Trap Mechanics

A lot of the traps involve actually locking the victim into place, or locking the trap into place on the victim.  These scenarios make it extremely hard for the victims to be able to fully comprehend their scenario, including who else is in the room or who could be involved.  The traps are absolutely possible in real life, and the mechanics in the movie could definitely be replicated, thus, the horror is real (unlike say, a supernatural horror movie villain). It is very difficult to think about anything other than escaping and there is typically a scary doll or voice telling you that you are about to die because you are a bad person.  

The likelihood of escaping a trap due to faulty mechanics, are poor. The mechanical capability of the trap would depend upon the trap designer, however, it is definitely possible to conceive both, simpler and more complicated traps of the similar sort seen in the Saw movies. In fact, the realistic nature of the traps, make the Saw movies some of the scariest of the horror movie franchises.

Final Words About the Saw Traps

No matter whether a victim could have survived a Saw trap in real life or not, all of the traps seen in the movies are most certainly dangerous. And they all appear to be very well designed, and quite realistic. The danger experienced in these traps is absolutely life threatening in almost all circumstances, the traps even appearing highly intellectual in design and being extremely functional in operation. Ultimately, the Saw traps are extremely dangerous and no one should tread lightly if attempting to survive a Saw movie.

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