The original, and some argue, the best of all the films. No-one saw (get it?) the Saw saga carrying on for this long, but all the films get us hooked and keep us coming back for more.

James Wan's directorial debut, Saw is described as "a violent, bloody, psychologically exhausting and exhilarating exercise in terror".

Brief plot synopsis: Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) are chained in a vile, disgusting bathroom, separated by a bloody corpse holding a gun and a tape recorder. They are each given a saw - the only obvious way out is to cut one of their feet off. A serial killer who specialises in torturing morally bereft strangers is playing a game with them: Gordon has less than eight hours to kill Adam or else the doctor's wife and daughter will be murdered.

As the two men engage in a battle of wits, alternately trying to help each other or secretly attempting to win the game, a series of flashbacks reveals the history of the madman and the pair of detectives (Danny Glover and Ken Leung) handling the case.

Some of the torture scenes are excruciatingly horrible and hard to watch, a real treat for fans of the genre.