Saw is a horror franchise created by Australian film makers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, consisting of ten feature films and additional media. Set in an unnamed city in the United States, the first eight films primarily revolve around the fictional serial killer John "Jigsaw" Kramer, while the ninth movie revolves around a copycat killer while still keeping continuity with the previous films. John Kramer was introduced briefly in Saw and developed in more detail in Saw II and the subsequent films. Rather than killing his victims outright, he traps them in life-threatening situations that he calls "tests" or "games" to test their will to survive through physical or psychological torture, believing that if they survive, they will be "rehabilitated". Kramer was killed off in Saw III, but the films continued to focus on his posthumous influence, particularly by his apprentices, and explore his character via flashbacks. In 2003, Wan and Whannell made a short film to help pitch a potential feature film concept, after having the original script written for several years. After several unsuccessful attempts in their home country of Australia, Wan and Whannell moved to the United States, after several producers expressed interest in the project. It was ultimately successful, and, in 2004, the first installment debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically that October by Lionsgate. After its immensely successful opening weekend, the first of many sequels was immediately green-lit. Five directors have worked on the series: James Wan, Darren Lynn Bousman, David Hackl, Kevin Greutert and The Spierig Brothers; while Whannell, Bousman, Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan, Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger have written the scripts. From 2004 to 2010, each film was released on the Friday before Halloween. Both creators remained with the franchise as executive producers. In 2010, franchise producer Mark Burg said that the seventh film, Saw 3D, would be the final installment. Lionsgate however expressed interest in continuing the franchise in 2012. An eighth film, Jigsaw, was released in October 2017. A ninth film, Spiral, was released in 2021, with comedian and actor Chris Rock as the film’s lead actor. The franchise has grossed more than from box office and retail sales. The film series as a whole has received mostly mixed to negative reviews, but remains one of the highest-grossing horror film franchises of all time. While some critics have called the films, which have acquired a reputation