“When faced with death, who should live versus who will live are two entirely separate things.” John Kramer, Saw VI, 2009

The Traps of the Saw franchise have taken on a life of their own since the first Saw film debuted on October 29th, 2004. Becoming just as integral to the plot as the characters who created them and those tried to fight their way through them, the traps throughout the series ranged from simply squeamish to horrifyingly gruesome and not for the faint of heart. John and his acolytes created the traps to test lives and the souls behind them and as they became increasingly more intricate and unfathomable, the intent to punish was as clear as the intent to test.

The aspect that interested me the most was that the traps were not designed for innocent victims but for the most heinous and devilish criminals, since John Kramer was not a serial killer in the conventional sense. He was a modern day true crime Robin Hood in a sick and twisted way and his traps were designed to make these criminals try and reevaluate their lives to see if they truly appreciated what they were given.

The Top 10 Most Awesome Saw Traps of All Time

So, I went through all the Saw films and I picked out the ten best Saw traps of all time. Each sends a specific message, whether that was mentally or physically and each captured my attention in ways that others didn’t. So lets dive into the top 10 most awesome Saw traps of ALL TIME! (in no order of preference)

1.  Reverse Bear Trap (Saw I)

This was the first use of the bear trap and its participant was Amanda Young, who turns out to be John Kramer’s most devout follower. At the time, she was a heroin addict who ended up bound by duct tape to a chair with the metal trap locked onto her head. After listening to the recording, she found out she would have one minute to get the key from the stomach of the corpse in the room or the trap would snap and rip her head open. She managed to get free from the duct tape and got a scalpel, finding out quickly that the man was not dead.

She opened him anyway and got the key to open her trap with only seconds to spare. This may very well the be the MOST iconic trap in SAW history and it easily earns its place on The Top Most Awesome Saw Traps of All Time.

2.  Needle Pit (Saw II)

This trap also involved Amanda Young, this time in the deadly gas house she and the others were trapped in. In one of the bedrooms there was a pit dug into the floor covered by an old bed, and in the pit were thousands of exposed needles meant for Xavier, a drug dealer. The recording told them the key to unlock the door was buried in the needle pit and they had three minutes to find the key and get out or the door would permanently lock. Xavier pushed Amanda into the pit to find the key.  Although she found the key, Xavier was unable to unlock the door.

3.  Save As I Save (Saw IV)

This trap involved a married couple, Rex and Morgan, and put together by Art Blank to test Officer Rigg. Rex was an abusive husband which became the sole reason for Morgan’s survival. There were long metal spikes penetrating both their bodies and trapping them together.  And while Morgan’s wounds would not be life threatening, Rex’s would be and Morgan had to be convinced to free herself by taking her husband’s life and removing her spikes.

4.  Oxygen Crusher (Saw VI)

This trap involved William Easton and Hank, a company maintenance man.  The two men woke to find themselves bound up and hooked up to oxygen along with contraptions of huge clamps on either side of their bodies.  Their breathing was being measured and each time they took a breath, the clamps squeezed against their sides and started to crush them.  The one to survive would be the one who held his breath the longest and the other would be crushed to death.

5.  The Horsepower Trap (Saw 3D)

Located at Pete’s Auto Body, this trap involved four skinheads-Evan, Kara, Dan and Jake. There was a car set up on blocks that Evan was trapped in, no doors or windows and the steering wheel fixed into place.  Evan was glued to the seat by his arms and back, Kara was chained up by barbed wire with her head directly beneath the back passenger wheel, Dan was chained up behind the car with his arms and lower jaw pierced by hooks attached to the car and Jake was chained to the garage door in front of the car. Evan had 30 seconds to peel himself away from the seat and pull the lever before the car dropped; crushing Kara, ripping Dan’s arms and face off and running over Jake.

6.  Hangman’s Noose (Saw 3D)

In this trap, Bobby Dagan’s friend Cale was blindfolded by a mask locked to his head and a noose around his neck. He was on the opposite end of a long hallway from Bobby, the floor was mostly missing except for a few strategically placed boards.  Cale had to trust Bobby to guide him closer while he retrieved the key to the mask and the key would have to be tossed to Cale who would have to catch it blindly and unlock the mask before the time ran out and the noose lifted.

7.  Laser Collars (Jigsaw)

This trap was a test for Detective Halloran and allegedly Logan but we come to find out Logan had built the trap himself. Each man was trapped by a collar with lasers attached that were so powerful they could slice through flesh and bone like butter. The trap was meant to test both men to tell the truth of all their crimes and Logan faked his death to give Halloran a hollow sense of victory before he rose up to tell Halloran that he could not escape the trap that would soon slice through his body. This one may very well prove to be the most elegant tarp on this list of top 10 most awesome saw traps of all time.

8.  The Finger Trap (Spiral)

The victim in this trap was Detective Fitch, the one who had been responsible for Zeke being shot because he had refused to respond to his repeated calls for backup. He had been placed in a large tank with a faucet slowly filling it up with water. A table in front of him held a large motor with wires attached to a turning device on it that would lead to each of his fingers that were sheathed in metal clamps. He wore a cage-like helmet with two small bars on front, when he bit down the motor would start turning and his fingers would be ripped off, the only way to save himself before he was electrocuted.

9.  Eye Vacuum (Saw X)

This trap was a test for an unnamed custodian who John Kramer witnessed stealing from a patient in the hospital where he was getting his cancer treatments.  He wakes up strapped to a chair wearing a mechanical contraption around his face and two long vacuum tubes attached to his eyes, his right hand in a finger snap trap and his left hand free and above a dial that he would be allowed to turn.  Within 60 seconds, he had to turn the dial with each click snapping each of the fingers on his right hand and if he does not, his eyes will be sucked out of his head.

10.  Brain Surgery Trap (Saw X)

The victim in this trap was Mateo, the “anesthesiologist” who had lied to John Kramer about his treatment in Mexico. He is bound to an old wheelchair wearing a mask on his head that has electrodes attached. Above his head is a camera connected to a monitor nearby that would guide him through his test. He was given three minutes to use the medical instruments nearby to remove a piece of his brain and place in a beaker that would weigh it and unlock the key to free himself.  If he could not complete this brain surgery, the heat coils in the mask would heat up, the mask would close and he would be burned to death.

Thank You for Reading The Top 10 List of Most Awesome Saw Traps of All Time

While this list may be disputed, and it is certainly not all inclusive, it represents the best of the best in the history of the Saw franchise. Be sure to check out out other Saw related posts:

• Saw X (2023) – A Bloody Revival

• SAW X (2023)- Turns Back the Hands of Time to Deliver a Murderous Medical Melodrama

• An Expert’s Journey Through the Saw Franchise Movies: All 9 Ranked

• A noob’s journey through the Saw franchise: All 9 Ranked