7. Saw 3D (Saw: The Final Chapter) (2010)

As the title indicates, Saw: The Final Chapter was meant to be the last until filmmakers realized that the series had some more lifeblood to squeeze out. Before taking a new direction with tonal shifts and side stories that expanded the Jigsaw universe, Saw: The Final Chapter signaled the end of the franchise as we knew it: ultra-violent and over-the-top.

Since you gotta have a gimmick, the seventh installment is also known as Saw: 3D, and it makes the traps even more disgusting by shoving them in your face, though these effects come off as very cheesy when watching at home without 3D glasses, especially with the bright red blood. Since Saw: The Final Chapter promised to be the last film, the traps are bigger and meaner, such as a public one in the middle of a town square, or another where a man has to excruciatingly peel the skin from his back that’s glued to a car seat, or else his girlfriend will be ripped apart by a speeding car tire.

The main storyline about a self-help guru who lied about being a Jigsaw survivor is serviceable enough (and even features that hilarious meme with John Kramer wearing a backwards cap), but the real delights are the callbacks to the original Saw and the way it brings the series full circle. We finally get to see the horrifying aftereffects of the famous Reverse Bear Trap and the prodigal return of Dr. Gordon. Actor Cary Elwes had been in a lawsuit that accused his management firm and the Saw producers of denying his share of the profits, making him absent from the series for some time. He was able to make this triumphant return to the franchise in 2010 once it was settled out of court. Saw: The Final Chapter is a helluva lot of fun, even as it cranks everything up to eleven.