Saw II (2005)
Trivia
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Spoilers (26)
To conceal the ending, most of the actors were not given the last 25 pages of the script. Only the principal actors involved in the sequence knew.
It took four days for four people to replace all of the syringe tips with fiber tips for the "Needle Pit" scene.
Shawnee Smith was pregnant during filming, but kept it a secret from everyone, including the director and producers. Her daughter gave the secret away one day during lunch, but only to the director/writer Darren Lynn Bousman.
In the first week of its DVD release, this sold over 3,000,000 units, making it Lionsgate's fastest-selling DVD.
The advertising posters for the film had to be recalled on orders from the MPAA because the two severed fingers forming the "II" in the posters did not meet guidelines for film advertising. The new poster makes it more obscure. Also, posters had listed the film as being rated R when at the time the film still hadn't gone before the MPAA for a rating.
(At 4 mins) The hall Detective Matthews walks down to pick up his son at the security guard's office was actually a dressing room for the crew.
This film originally came from a script by the director Darren Lynn Bousman which was called "The Desperate". After trying for years to get it made but being told repeatedly that it was too violent, a company finally wanted to do it because they suspected Saw (2004) (which was becoming a hit at Sundance) might be a huge success, and they wanted to capitalize on that success. Some producers even described Bousman's script as "too Saw-ish". Just before he was about to close a deal to make the film, Saw (2004) opened huge at the box office and the next day he received a call, and the producers asked if he could change it around to "Saw II". Leigh Whannell (who wrote the first "Saw" film) was then brought on to help Bousman with creating his original idea into a proper sequel to Saw (2004).
Gelatin and a little water were added to the "Needle Pit" to make the syringes more movable and slippery.
Jigsaw's puppet was originally controlled by a fishing line (in Saw (2004)). This time around, the crew had a slightly larger budget and decided to completely redo the puppet and make it mechanically controlled.
When shooting the "Needle Pit" scene, a handful of real needles fell into the pit, thus causing the crew to halt filming and find the needles before filming could commence. Therefore they were literally searching for needles in a needle pit.
Lyriq Bent originally auditioned for the role of Xavier, but he was rejected because the makers didn't want to typecast an African-American actor as a drug dealer. He begrudgingly accepted the smaller role of Officer Rigg instead. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since he was allowed by director Darren Lynn Bousman to use his own ideas in developing the character of Rigg, who was promoted from supporting to main character by the time Saw IV (2007) was made.
This was producer Gregg Hoffman's final film. He died unexpectedly in December 2005.
Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, and Dina Meyer are the only actors to reprise their roles from the first film.
(At 54 mins) When Daniel takes out the syringes from Amanda's arm, the crew used a fake animatronic arm.
(At 41 mins) When Obi popped out of the furnace he hit Glenn Plummer's eye. They had to stop filming for half an hour to make sure he was okay. He can be seen turned around in one shot, and holding his eye in another.
Henry Rollins was originally cast to play the role of Xavier. Due to scheduling conflicts he was replaced with Franky G.
(At 33 mins) According to the DVD commentary, Xavier's retort to Addison was improvised each take, and got progressively more vulgar. The crew picked the line "The only door you know how to open...", thinking it was the most clever and funny.
David Hackl, the film's production designer, took three weeks to construct 27 sets on one sound stage.
Like its predecessor, Saw II (2005) is directed by a first-time helmer. Darren Lynn Bousman would go on to direct the next two entries in the series.
It took actress Beverley Mitchell five days just to watch the first one because she was terrified of it.
A few of the traps actually worked: the "Venus Flytrap" could actually slam shut, turning the key could cause the gun to fire, and the blades in the "Razor Box" trap could cut someone if they were metal.
The winner of Lionsgate's Saw II Haunted House Contest went to The Mansion of Terror in Austin, TX. This haunted attraction was featured in a documentary by Jav Rivera entitled The Scare: The Mansion of Terror Documentary (2007) which went on to win several awards. Additionally, Javier was the photographer for Mansion of Terror's contest entries.
This is director of photography David A. Armstrong's first digital film.
Lawrence Gordon, the doctor who is one of Jigsaw's victims in Saw (2004), is the person who diagnoses him with cancer.
The doctors on Hi Everybody! A Bad Medicine Podcast (2019) called Saw II (2005) "500% medically accurate." This means the film was five times more accurate than The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009), which was marketed as "100% medically accurate" and is used as the baseline for comparison.
Spoilers
(At 1h 19 mins) At the end of the film, Xavier cuts his number off the back of his neck and puts it in his pocket. On the DVD commentary, it is revealed that the script called for Xavier to merely toss the skin away, but when Franky G chose to put it in his pocket, the crew loved it so much they used it instead.
(At 1h 8 mins) The "Razor Box" trap containing the syringe actually has a padlock with a key in it. You can see it out of focus at the top of the screen when Addison puts her hands into the trap. The filmmakers deliberately included this as a way of showing that Jigsaw knew the characters would rush in without checking the trap for a simple solution.
It can be assumed that Amanda never needed an antidote. Toward the end of the film, while everybody else is coughing and becoming impaired, Amanda never breathes hard or shows confusion.
There was a lot of backstory about the game participants which was deleted for pacing reasons. According to a DVD commentary, Addison was a prostitute which was merely implied in the finished film (she can also be seen in a flashback in Saw IV (2007) where she tries to seduce John Kramer). She had sex with Detective Matthews in the back seat of a police car, but they were discovered and the scandal led to Eric's demotion. However, he made sure that Addison would be incarcerated. Gus was an embezzler of money. The needle in the Glass Box trap was intended for him with the symbolic reference of the proverb "trying to reach the cookie jar". Laura was incarcerated because she was a shoplifter; the trap meant for her, however, was neither revealed or mentioned in the commentary.
(At 2 mins) In the very first scene, Darren Lynn Bousman is playing the hooded figure putting the key in Michael's eye.
Before deciding to place Addison in the "Razor Box" trap the creators and writers discussed (on a DVD commentary) that they had originally intended for her to end up in a different trap. Addison would wake up shackled at the wrists to a chair. Razors would be planted against her wrists to dig into her flesh if she tried to remove her hands. Her tape would talk about her using her looks to survive (implying she is a prostitute), stating that she would have to sacrifice and scar them if she wanted to escape. The only way to release her hands from the razor shackles would be to burn her face against a waffle iron-like grill that was in front of her. After struggling and cutting up her wrists, Addison would then finally slam her face against the grill, releasing her cuffs and letting her go free, but with a horrendously scarred face. The trap was not used, but a variation was used in Saw IV (2007), with the victim having to push their face through two columns of knives. If done successfully, this would release the wrist locks, but leave the victim with a severely lacerated face.
(At 1h 17 mins) The syringe found on the floor when Eric discovers the contraption door leading to the basement, was allegedly the antidote that saved Daniel's life. Amanda made sure that Daniel would not be poisoned by even the slightest dose of gas he could have inhaled inside the house.
Like the first film, the solution to the puzzle (the key and the trap door) were hidden in the very first room in the house.
Like the first film, the instigator of the scenario is a participant who is lying face down in the middle of floor when the others wake up.
Instead of cutting his eye open to get the key, Michael was originally going to be supplied with the key in one of his hands, but would be strapped to the chair at the wrists. Above the hand with the key was a razor, which would dig further into his flesh the more he reached the key up to the locks on his harness.
Various items from the house can be seen in Jigsaw's lair when Detective Matthews is questioning him, hinting that the video feed is old. According to the director, the rope and the paddle that Amanda picked up were both in the lair, but very hard to spot. The obvious item is the picture with the "X marks the spot" on it, prominently seen behind Jigsaw in many scenes.
(At 1h 13 mins) When Jigsaw is giving directions to the fake house, he tells Detective Matthews that it's the last house on the left. This is a reference to the film The Last House on the Left (1972), in which the parents of a murdered teenager torture and kill the murderers.
Despite popular belief, Daniel was poisoned, while it implies Amanda was not. While Amanda is fine throughout the entire film, Daniel is seen coughing up blood in the basement bathroom. While Daniel's father is checking the first room, you can see the safe open, suggesting Amanda used the antidote inside to save Daniel.
The creators and writers had originally thought of having Amanda dig through a bathtub full of the syringes, but decided it wouldn't be enough, instead wanting it on a larger scale. After thinking of the pit in the middle of the room, they intended for Amanda to land up to her neck in the needles as if it were a pool, but realized that it would be impossible for her to sink into such a pool, along with the fact that getting enough needles would have taken too long as it took the production team a long time to get as many needles as they had.
The key hidden inside the "Needle Pit" would open the steel door in the room. Although most of the audience believe that it would lead to the exit, the director, Darren Lynn Bousman, confirmed in the commentary that it would reveal two more syringes containing the antidote.
A subplot missing from the final cut: Eric Matthews had an affair with Detective Kerry. This precipitated the end of his marriage and led to the strained relationship between him and Daniel. Also, Eric's wife won the custody of Daniel quite easily. The only remaining hint of this backstory is when Kerry remarks that she is not going to let Eric lose his son for the second time.
Jigsaw states that if Detective Matthews plays along with his game and listens long enough, he will find his son Daniel "in a safe and secure state". Jigsaw is already providing a clue to Daniel's location, as he is literally found in a safe at the end.
While the creators and writers were thinking of Gus's trap, Darren Lynn Bousman suggested a trap in which someone would have to reach into a jar (as Gus embezzled money, and his tape would say something along the lines of him always putting his hand in the proverbial cookie jar). If they weren't able to retrieve the antidote, they would be forced to lose their hand. This finally developed into the "Razor Box" trap, which was then used on Addison instead. When Addison entered the room, she took an envelope with the tape inside, which was meant for Gus. When she tore it open, she found the tape, but tossed it aside, as she didn't have a tape recorder to play it.
It is assumed that at least seven antidotes would be in the house, one for each person, excluding Amanda. However, only six are mentioned/shown. One in the safe, which is presumably used on Daniel in the end. Then there are two in the furnace with Obi, two in the needle room, and one in the "Razor Box" trap.
(At 12 mins) Instead of the step shooting forward and breaking the SWAT officer's shins, a blade had originally been intended to shoot forward and slice off the first SWAT officer's legs once the rigged step had been activated.
First film in the "Saw" series where someone other than Jigsaw (in this case, Amanda) records the message on the tape in the film's climax (she also says the phrase "Game Over" instead of Jigsaw).
With the exception of Daniel and Amanda, the occupants of the house died approximately two hours before Eric Matthews meets Jigsaw.
Before settling on the final version of the furnace, the creators and writers of originally thought of having Obi's tape recorder attached to the collar of a pit bull in the basement. They decided against it, as it would lead to cruelty to animals, and instead attached it to a mannequin. According to storyboards for this scene, Obi would have only had to reach for one antidote, while a key took the place of the second antidote.
There's a reference to the Wes Craven-directed horror film "The Last House on the Left" when Jigsaw is taking Eric to the house. Eric asks which way to go, and Jigsaw replies with, "It's the last house on the left." Monica Potter, who played Alison Gordon in "Saw" (2004), would also star in a remake of "The Last House on the Left" (2009).
