Actor from the original Saw says the 2004 horror film had the “best ending” he’s ever seen in a script
The horror film from 2004 Seen had an ending that fans still consider to be one of the most surprising twists ever seen in a film. This aspect attracted Michael Emerson to take part in the film because he thought the ending was simply brilliant.
Per Collider, Emerson was most recently seen in the acclaimed series Devilishcommented on his role in the first Seen Movie. In the movie (20 years old, spoiler alert), Emerson played Zep, a caregiver who is initially implied to be the mastermind behind the deadly games. The character is killed near the end of the film in the film’s iconic bathroom setting, shortly before it is revealed that Zep is actually another victim of the “Jigsaw Killer” just trying to survive. His skeletal remains have been seen multiple times in later installments of the film series. This is a fun Easter egg for Seen fans, and although Emerson admits he hasn’t seen any of the other films, he had high praise for the 2004 film.
“I’ve never seen any of the spinoffs. Only the first,” said Emerson. “It had the best ending of a movie I’ve ever seenand that’s why I did it. But it was a tiring shoot and it is a tiring experience to watch the filmI think, but a real adventure. I was glad to have survived.”
It had the best ending to a movie script I’ve ever seen, and that’s why I did it.
When informed of Zep’s further appearances as a skeleton in later parts of the series, Emerson added: “God rest, poor Zep. I guess it’s natural that a franchise this big would still have some sort of inner sanctum, some place of origin.”
The original Seen was created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, with the former directing and the latter writing the screenplay. Whannell also co-starred as Adam, a photographer who wakes up chained in a bathroom with Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes). The two are instructed to complete specific and painful challenges in order to survive. At the end, after the false clue that Zep was Jigsaw, the major twist came when the corpse in the middle of the room suddenly stood up and revealed Tobin Bell’s John Kramer as the real mastermind.
The Saw franchise continues
Seen lives on after two decades. The tenth chapter of the film series, Saw Xwas released last fall with success. This led to the order of an eleventh film, originally scheduled for 2024, but the release was pushed back to next fall. The story details are not clear, but the film is being produced by Saw X Kevin Greutert is directing. Marcus Dunstan is writing the screenplay for the new film.
Saw XI will be released on September 26, 2025.
Source: Collider
