Saw V Released in Theaters Today

Say what you will about the Saw films: that they're "torture porn"... they're confusing... or they're just plain stupid, but I really think they're carrying the torch for Halloween horror films these days.

I'm not a huge fan, myself. I liked the first one and have seen the sequels.
I like the mythology they're creating, however convoluted, but what I like most of all is that the Saw series is filling a number of holes in the horror world. Saw is performing a service to horror fans everywhere.
How?
A few ways:

1) Release schedule: 1 a year every Halloween.
For the past 4 years, Saw has OWNED Halloween. It's really a feat of filmmaking and business. Cranking out a complete horror film in time for October EVERY YEAR. And there's a reason to meet these deadlines: these films consistently open at around $30 million. Not bad for a franchise that only costs around $4 million a pop. They've even built this into the advertising boasting "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw." Which leads me to my second point...

2) Ad campaign
Horror fans, including myself, have been complaining about the state of horror movie posters as of late. It seems since the advent of Photoshop, the only posters the studios know how to make are of the "floating head" variety. The studios reason that they'll get more butts in seats when the stars are flaunted on the poster, but horror fans know that the imagery of a great poster, will entice them to go more than the latest crop of teen starlets.
The Saw posters have been offensive and raised controversy, but that's what good advertising does. And they've perfected it with each sequel.

The first poster for Saw sported a terrified Shawnee Smith wearing a hulking contraption on her head. I remember seeing it and thinking "what is THIS?" I had never seen anything like that before.

The second was simply two severed fingers. The third were three teeth on string. The fourth: broke the severed body parts pattern and featured a high heeled person strapped to a contraption and wearing a pig's head mask. All draped in a blood red cloak. Eye catching indeed.

The poster for the fifth is the most brilliant in my opinion as it features the main killer's face being used as a mask. Without giving anything away, those who know the events of III and IV will understand the brilliance of this.

It's almost as if the advertising is telling a story itself. It may not subscribe to the continuity of the films, but it certainly exists in an alternate parallel dimension. Uatu just watches with his mouth agape. (Reference!)

3) Storyline
Lastly, it's the first horror franchise to not only build its own mythology, but subscribe to it. Many complain of its convolution but it certainly makes you want to return to the previous films for repeat viewings after each sequel. Take the Back to the Future trilogy, eliminate time travel, add in some Pulp Fiction, a pinch of Indiana Jones and a smidge of Empire Strikes Back, sprinkle with Lost and glaze with old Saturday morning serials and you get an idea how complicated it can be.

But unlike every slasher film from Friday to Nightmare to Halloween, it doesn't negate, it simply builds upon---for better or worse. Every one of the 80s slasher franchises has a few stinkers that the other filmmakers ignore completely. And therefore their continuity divides up their fanbase. Some Halloween fans only subscribe to 1, 2 and H20. Others like the 4, 5 and 6 storyline that was left dangling. Saw fans are united in knowing that, so far, everything that has happened in each film is all going forward.

So take it or leave it, but Saw is doing things no other successful horror franchise has done, and I believe that that plays into their continued success.

Bonus: There's a rumor that the Friday 13th remake trailer will be in front of this film. As a guy who sat through The Waterboy to see the new Star Wars trailer I can't really say much about paying for a movie to see a trailer. You can also find it online. You're smart. You'll find it.