Top 10 Hardest Saw Traps

“Saw V” (2008)
The pendulum trap is very hard indeed, considering it is...literally impossible to escape from. Seth Baxter had killed his girlfriend Angelina Acomb and was released from prison after just five years owing to a technicality. Seeking revenge, Angelina’s brother Mark Hoffman kidnapped Seth and killed him via the pendulum trap. Seth is told that he can escape the trap by placing his hands in two vices and pushing the buttons therein. His hands would be crushed, but the trap would be stopped. Seth puts his hands in the vices, only to find out that the trap is actually inescapable. The pendulum continues, slicing him apart.

“Saw IV” (2007)
John Kramer’s first trap is simple but incredibly effective. Its victim is Cecil Adams, a drug addict who accidentally caused John’s wife Jill to suffer a miscarriage. John, in turn, kidnapped Cecil and attached him to his primitive knife chair. To escape the shackles pinning him to the chair, Cecil had to press his face against a pressure plate, on the other side of eight horizontally-placed knives. It would be an absolutely brutal trap to escape from. Not only would the pain be excruciating, but the sufferer would be stuck with the knowledge that their face would be disfigured. Luckily for Cecil, the chair he was sitting on collapsed before he could finish the test. That being said, he didn’t really make the most of his new lease on life.

“Saw 3D” (2010)
If the knife chair was simplistic, the silence circle is like something out of a dystopian science fiction story. The trap is designed for two people - in this case, Bobby Dagen and Nina. Nina is placed in a contraption with various metal rods pointing at her throat. To free her from the trap, Bobby was forced to pull a key hanging from a fishing line out of her stomach. To make matters even more complicated, the rods would move closer whenever Nina screamed out in pain. Unsurprisingly, Nina couldn’t help but scream, and she ended up dying before Bobby could free her. This trap could technically be beaten, but it may as well be impossible. Who wouldn't scream out in pain while having a fishing hook dragged through their esophagus?

“Saw VI” (2009)
Like the knife chair, this trap is simple in theory - the person to cut off the most flesh wins and is allowed to live. Eddie decided to cut from his own stomach, whereas Simone had the idea of cutting off her arm using the provided meat cleaver. As her arm was heavier than Eddie’s stomach flesh, Simone lived and Eddie was killed via a mechanical device attached to his head. This is a hard test for many reasons. It requires creativity, determination, and an incredible tolerance for pain. The thing is, it also forces the victims into competing with each other, all but guaranteeing that—in addition to their self-inflicted injuries—the winner will suffer survivor’s guilt.

“Saw III” (2006)
One of “Saw III’s” most brutal devices, the angel trap is a contraption that tears its victim’s ribs apart. To escape the trap, Detective Allison Kerry was forced to dunk her hand in a vat of acid to retrieve a key. Like the pendulum from “Saw V”, the angel trap was technically inescapable. However, that wasn’t by design. Instead, Jigsaw’s apprentice Amanda Young manipulated the trap, making the lock and key completely useless. Even if it wasn’t inescapable, this trap would be a tough one to conquer. Turning your hand to goop in a vat of acid probably doesn’t feel very good, you know?

“Saw II” (2005)
It really is the most primitive traps that prove the most horrifying. Maybe it’s because we can actually relate to the pain - or at least imagine what it would feel like. The Nerve Gas House in “Saw II” features a room containing a pit filled with used syringes. To unlock a metal door and retrieve the antidote to the nerve gas, the victim is forced to sift and dig through the syringes to retrieve a key. The trap was meant for Xavier, but he threw Amanda into the pit instead. Despite the lack of blood and gore, the syringe pit is a grisly trap, and it proves one of the most wince-inducing of the entire series. You can just feel the pain.

“Saw V” (2008)
This trap is quite similar to the pound of flesh. Only this one would prove even more excruciating. To escape the room, Mallick and Brit were forced to sacrifice ten pints of their own blood. The blood was collected in a beaker, and it was retrieved by the victims sticking their hands into spinning saw blades. It was Brit’s idea to work together, so both she and Mallick were “only” forced to give five pints of blood each. At least the pound of flesh trap could be over in a matter of seconds, provided someone is brave enough to hack off a limb. In this one, the victim is forced to sit in excruciating pain and watch their hand be shredded by a saw blade.

“Saw IV” (2007)
This trap is both cruel and incredibly complicated. Trevor and Art are shackled to a device that will strangle them to death if they don’t work together. Unfortunately, Trevor’s eyes and Art’s mouth have been sewn shut, effectively preventing any obvious means of communication. To make matters even more complicated, Trevor is provided with various deadly tools, and Art notices that the key to the device is located on Trevor’s shackle. Unsurprisingly, Trevor begins to panic, forcing Art to kill him with a hammer. Poor Trevor really got the short end of this stick. He couldn’t see, didn’t know what was happening, and had no idea how to escape the trap. Both men walking away from this one was nearly impossible.

“Saw II” (2005)
Police informant Michael Marks was the victim of the particularly horrifying Venus Fly Trap - a steel contraption outfitted with numerous nails. To prevent the mask from springing and clamping down on his head, Michael needed to remove a key from his own body using the provided scalpel. In “Saw 3D”, it’s established that Dr. Gordon operated on Michael and placed the key behind his eye. This situation would prove unimaginably terrifying, and we don’t think many people would have the fortitude for what this deadly trap demands of them. Michael certainly couldn’t, and he died as a result.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Pig Vat, “Saw III” (2006)
Halden Was Nearly Drowned in Blended Pig Carcasses

Reverse Bear Trap, “Saw” (2004)
Dig Through Someone’s Stomach to Retrieve a Key

The Rack, “Saw III” (2006)
Completely Powerless & Reliant on Someone Else as Your Limbs Are Twisted

Brazen Bull, “Saw 3D” (2010)
Lift Yourself Up by Hooks in Your Chest

“Saw” (2004)
Poor Paul Leahy. He was targeted by Jigsaw for attempting to take his own life. To teach Paul a lesson, Jigsaw rigged a room with razor wire. Paul had two hours to traverse the deadly maze before the escape door closed. Unfortunately, Paul was unable to find his way out, and he quickly bled to death. This is another simple trap in execution, but it proves more horrifying than the elaborate tests of later movies. Not only would it prove excruciating, but the puzzle aspect of the trap would be endlessly frustrating—especially once the mind became preoccupied with the pain. It’s a dastardly combination, and it makes the razor wire maze one of Jigsaw’s most depraved creations.