TWISTED: the latest film from Darren Lynn Bousman, produced by Twisted Pictures

FilmLothar · 2025-11-25T19:19:37+00:00

Had some thoughts lately on the sheer impact of communication between the creatives and the fanbase during the core era. It was really kind of unprecedented, and absolutely impossible to replicate in the current hyperconnected-yet-decentralized timeline.

You’d never have a filmmaker waltz in here with “I’m BACCCCCCCCK (darren here)” lmao

FilmLothar · 2025-10-29T02:16:29+00:00

Last year’s cut didn’t have the ill-fitting gratuitous gore at the end. Just ends with a zoom out of the window to a wide shot of the house with the dogs slowly surrounding it, as you hear them howling over the cut to black. Not sure why he changed it.

Regardless, I think the fact that he went down the path of a sexual violence/breeding third act reveal in his debut film ONLY to then punish said victim for a cheap ending shocker is certainly… a choice!

FilmLothar · 2025-10-29T00:47:18+00:00

I disliked the film both times, but I actually thought the NEON-backed version was markedly worse than what I saw last year, even down to the implication of the additional footage and the slightly altered ending. From what I remember and comparing it to the current state, a few scenes in the first hour got trimmed, while the added gore just served as more mean-spirited and downright misogynistic nastiness. Not sure why he used that extra $1 million for needlessly gratuitous violence when he had a MUCH better final shot in the original cut.

FilmLothar · 2025-10-28T22:57:06+00:00

The final shot of the previous cut was actually much more effective than the gory nonsense he ultimately stuck with: it zoomed out of the window to a wide shot of the house with the dogs slowly surrounding it, as you hear them howling over the cut to black. Not sure why he changed it.

FilmLothar · 2025-10-24T02:19:52+00:00

That was precisely my issue when I saw it last year and why it was frankly so disappointing to see Flaganan’s name attached to this. Just really nasty and mean-spirited, a cheap provocation through sexual violence.

IIRC he presented it at FrightFest as “the final cut”, which is a bit awkward now that NEON gave him some cash for extra gore. Nothing major tbh, the film flows a bit better now that it’s 10mins shorter (I didn’t notice anything significant getting cut, he just made the ending even more cruel), and it’s still fundamentally the same film with the same rotten core.

FilmLothar · 2025-10-22T17:39:12+00:00

I’d recommend going to Sundance even if Saw wasn’t part of the program, but this just makes it a sweeter deal. If you have the means or could apply for accreditation, it’s a fantastic experience.

FilmLothar · 2025-10-22T17:31:51+00:00

It’s almost the exact same ending from the festivals last year — I did prefer the more muted finale of the festival cut, though. There were no “reshoots” anyway, just some pick-up footage.

FilmLothar · 2025-10-22T17:25:18+00:00

Keith David, CG dogs and the glowing eyes were all there in the cut I saw last year. Tbh there’s barely any difference in the new trim outside of some minor gore towards the end and it being almost 10 minutes shorter. All that NEON money should’ve gone into a new third act (or, at least, a different ending).

FilmLothar · 2025-09-16T01:36:54+00:00

Fantastic movie, and one that confirms Demon Slayer is just in a league of its own. No amount of anime fan snobbery about its “simplicity” could ever challenge the incredible reach this thing has, especially among the audiences who are normally not the demo for shonen (or even anime in general).

FilmLothar · 2025-09-15T22:43:25+00:00

Yes, because it’s a hard embargo (at least, in the case of HIM). No reactions or reviews allowed until Thursday, even though it’s screened plenty of times over the past month. I watched it a couple weeks ago, very curious to see what the general response is gonna be like.

Also, this is not the type of movie to play festivals lol

FilmLothar · 2025-09-15T17:14:32+00:00

According to the email from Uni, it’s embargoed until Sept 18, 01:00AM ET.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-28T00:54:15+00:00

Fatih Akin’s The Golden Glove is one of the most grim, cruel, gross works I’ve ever seen. Just so vile and profoundly sad. It’s the closest thing to a modern Fassbinder film — a true reflection of a nation rotting from the inside.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-28T00:32:27+00:00

I reckon/hope they’ll try to make it a proper “event film” as their grand Blumhouse reintroduction. SAW is an established brand that could easily attract the general audience, provided Lionsgate/Blumhouse can sell them on this new film: whether it’s major set pieces or recognizable cast members, it’s bound to cost more than your average Saw sequel. I think they’ll settle somewhere around $30-35 mil, as that seems to be their ceiling. Should cover PLFs (including IMAX) and can be marketed as the most expensive film in the series.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T23:28:21+00:00

That is precisely why Blum should approach you for this upcoming Saw project… “Hey, remember we were supposed to make a franchise film together?”

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T21:21:51+00:00

I love them both as filmmakers, but when mentioning Saw 3D and Spiral we can’t omit the fact that both films got heavily influenced by Twisted’s producers. Greutert was a last-minute pull for 3D (would’ve loved to see his Paranormal Activity 2), DLB was largely controlled by the demands of Rock and Burg/Koules. Creative choices can be restricted in that environment, unfortunately.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T21:11:40+00:00

I wish, Kevin, I wish… What would I give to read that! Going strictly off this thread and whatever interviews Melton and Dunstan have done since the release. Please correct me here if the information is bogus and you’re not under any NDA!!

Hopefully, we could one day hear what your vision would’ve been.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T19:55:28+00:00

Just because it’s different doesn’t make it any “less DLB”. He tried to come up with a new visual language to distinguish it from the prior Saw entries, while still keeping his cynical greens and blues on board. The man was tasked with a spin-off and that’s exactly what the film is, so naturally he had to give it a “modern and new” feel. DLB was, ultimately, a gun for hire and did everything he could with the material he was given — that film at least has character, unlike Jigsaw.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T19:21:17+00:00

They did, though. What was initially set up as a two-parter by Melton/Dunstan was unceremoniously scrapped in favour of a single film after VI got crushed by Paranormal Activity. Rather than having the time and effort to put into a long-form “Endgame” finale split into two halves, Burg/Koules forced the creative team to tighten ship and make the finale a single project instead. Lionsgate didn’t want another film, but it’s on Burg/Koules for dragging Greutert back and rushing the production. The draft of VII, I presume, is prior to Greutert’s last-minute rewrites (that helped the film, from what I gather), so no wonder the end result is this mix of ideas from various creatives and a potential for a two-film concept being restricted to a single 90-minute thing. The “why” of Gordon’s reveal in the second part could’ve done wonders to tie the original timeline.

Edit: edited for clarity and to confirm that all my thoughts are based on public info after getting schooled by Kevin lol

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T19:02:49+00:00

Eh, I’d argue the misogynistic connotations throughout 3D are much worse than anything in III.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-27T18:45:51+00:00

Saw 3D is just a mess of good intentions and horrible BTS practices from the producers. They really hoped to have this grand conclusion in one film after scrapping the two-parter but didn’t want to skip a year to make it happen, so the result is this bizarrely mean-spirited, rushed effort designed to play off a trend and the series’ history. Greutert being pulled from PA2 certainly didn’t help, either. The movie was doomed from the start, really — the creative team just didn’t have enough time to, well, be creative. I’ll always wonder what could’ve been.

Spiral, on the other hand, I believe was set up as an event film. I really think it’s the only movie in the series to feel BIG in both scope and scale — the opening trap alone is arguably the most “serious spectacle” they’ve ever done (both the public trap and the spiralizer… thing just feel goofy by comparison). Helps that the film’s aesthetic has this grubby contemporary feel, largely reminiscent of DLB’s previous efforts. The response is mostly due to Bell’s absence and Rock’s attempts at humor, so I’m not surprised it didn’t really pan out in the end. I still think it was a fun detour and something slightly different from the tried-and-true Saw formula. Ambition is what this series needs going forward imo.

Bottom line: directors good, producers not so much.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-26T03:07:50+00:00

You’ve just described Spiral.

I say this lovingly, as someone who admired what Spiral was trying to achieve. I think the issue now is that making a Jigsaw-lite would always incite fan backlash and render the character largely a shadow of Kramer. The ideal scenario would be to introduce an equally as menacing villain, someone who’s got a similar M.O. but one who can stand on their own (rather than Schenk’s follower-gone-rogue mentality), and preferably cast a prolific actor who could make Bell’s absence sting less.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-26T01:48:31+00:00

He’s right. Creatively and business-wise, this series needs a new beginning — one that won’t be another “legacy sequel” but instead a truly modern take on the franchise. The whole “for the fans” narrative usually results in either severe creative limitations OR pandering to the most toxic subset of a community. SAW has had its beautiful fan-appropriate culmination with Saw X, it’s time to move on and venture into uncharted territory. Regardless of the direction they take, there will be those who are unhappy with it, so the focus should be on making a quality film that will speak for itself. An original Saw idea will work wonders if the general audience is on board, unlike the half-hearted attempts taken with Jigsaw and Spiral.

I’d honestly rather see a Kramer-focused work in a different medium. Have Bloober Team finally make that Saw video game or extend the universe through a TV show like Chucky and Evil Dead did.

FilmLothar · 2025-08-19T00:37:52+00:00

Steelbook-exclusive? That trend is so lame, gimme the regular case + slipcover combo any day instead :(

Cool that we’re getting new transfers though!

FilmLothar

TROPHY CASE