"Saw IV": "It's a Trap" - Part I Quiz

Answer: Darren Lynn Bousman

Darren Lynn Bousman not only directed "Saw IV", but he directed "Saw II" and "Saw III", as well. He also made uncredited cameo appearances in "Saw II" through "Saw IV". James Wan was the director of the original "Saw", but he has remained an executive producer since then. Leigh Whannell was the co-writer of all the "Saw" movies and also portrayed Adam Faulkner in the original "Saw".

He made a few cameo appearances in "Saw III", as well. David Hackl has been with "Saw" since the beginning as their production designer but was the director of "Saw V".

Answer: an autopsy room

The movie started out with an autopsy being done on John Kramer's body, by a couple of pathologists. Upon examination, they came across a cassette covered in wax inside of Kramer's stomach, a detail that made sense from events in "Saw III". The cassette contained a message that was recorded specifically for forensic investigator, Detective Mark Hoffman.

The mausoleum area was the second scene in the film and the first trap of the movie, before the official start of "Saw IV"; the trap being suitably called the "Mausoleum Trap".

The sewers were the third scene in the movie and the first scene after the "Saw IV" logo. There has never been a morgue scene in "Saw" through "Saw IV". A fact to note would be that Darren Lynn Bousman fought with the producers of "Saw IV" to have the wax-covered cassette be found in John Kramer's stomach instead of his intestines, which was what the producers wanted. Bousman won that battle, apparently.

Answer: Art Blank

Art Blank played a significant role in "Saw IV". He was the corrupt lawyer of many guilty victims in the "Saw IV" traps, including Ivan Landsness (a rapist), Brenda (a pimp), and Rex (a domestic abuser). Eric Matthews, portrayed by Donnie Wahlberg (member of The New Kids on the Block), was the protagonist of "Saw II" and made a brief appearance in "Saw III".

He also came back for "Saw IV", although it's almost certain he won't come back again as Eric Matthews, or for any other "Saw" movies, after the blunt end of Donnie's character in "IV". Judge Halden was the judge who sentenced Jeff Reinhart's (one of the protagonists of "Saw III") son's murderer for only six months in jail.

He was killed after getting shot in the face accidentally, after Jeff Reinhart retrieved the key to "The Rack" trap - the key was tied to the trigger of a shotgun and it set off once the string tied to the key was released. Judge Halden was also the victim of the "Pig Vat Trap" in "Saw III" although he was saved by Jeff Reinhart. Trevor was just the secondary victim in the "Mausoleum Trap".

Answer: a hatchet

Since Trevor's eyes were sewn shut and Art's mouth was sewn up, both victims had a big disadvantage in the trap. Trevor began to panic as he heard murmuring from Art Blank but didn't get a response to his own screams for help. He scurried and searched the mausoleum floor and found a hatchet and threw it in front of him. The hatchet landed just inches away from Art Blank's head. This hatchet would become a key weapon for Blank later in the trap.

The goal of the "Mausoleum Trap" was that one, or perhaps both, of the victims would have to retrieve a key on the back of their metal collars but both would have a disadvantage as mentioned above. This was basically the first "Saw" trap that pitted two people against each other, although the trap could've easily been converted to a teamwork trap, if one of the victims had broken through their handicap.

One, long chain was connected to both of the victim's metal collars. The chain intersected through a steel rod in the center of a complex machine. Once the machine was activated (a tripwire would yank out an activation pin to the machine, once the chain was yanked hard enough), the rod inside the machine would begin to rotate, coiling the chain up. This would pull both victims closer and closer to the blunt, rusted machine by the collars. In time, the machine would kill them once they were drawn close enough, by breaking their necks.

Answer: his left leg

Art Blank noticed that a key was planted on the back of the metal collar on Trevor, unbeknownst to Trevor himself. Trevor picked up a meat hook, as Art grabbed the hatchet that Trevor had earlier thrown at him. Art then approached him slowly. Trevor, while panicking, swung the meat hook around viciously. Art avoided Trevor's swings and grabbed onto the chain attached to Trevor's collar.

He slammed him up against the mausoleum wall but in response, Trevor impaled the meat hook into Art's leg. Art took it out soon after and jabbed it into Trevor's neck and retrieved the key on his collar but Trevor attacked again. Art ended up brutally killing Trevor, then he released himself from his metal collar with the key and opened his sewn mouth. Cue "Saw IV" logo.

Answer: CHERISH YOUR LIFE

The message was specifically directed to Lieutenant Daniel Rigg. Since Rigg was a SWAT officer, his job was to save lives. This ultimately led to Rigg taking his own life for granted. His will to save everyone grew and grew as it practically became an obsession. Jigsaw wanted Rigg to open his eyes and realize that he should stop worrying about others and start worrying about himself. "Cherish your life" was also a motto stolen from Jill Tuck's health clinic by Jigsaw. "Judge as I judge" was written in red paint on the walls of Jigsaw's warehouse (seen near the end of the movie). "Her life is in your hands" was written in red paint on a tossed over table in the "Spike trap" room. "Final test" was written on the glass panel of the door to the "Ice Block trap" room.

Answer: Scott Patterson and Athena Karkanis

People may know Scott Patterson as Luke Danes from "Gilmore Girls" and Athena Karkanis as Dawn Vargaz from "The Best Years". Joanne Boland was the crime scene photographer from "Saw IV", who was unexpectedly impaled through the face by a metal rod at the "Spike Trap" crime scene (a forensic detective set off a rod-firer as he dusted it for fingerprints.

The rod-firer was also used to set up the "Spike Trap" - by getting the spikes into position). Justin Louis was the actor who portrayed Art Blank, and Ingrid Hart was the actress who portrayed Lieutenant Daniel Rigg's girlfriend, Tracy. Costas Mandylor signed a contract to portray Detective Mark Hoffman in "Saw III" through "Saw VI".

Answer: The Beasts We Know

John Kramer's face was also seen on a magazine entitled, "Modern Cultures". Highlights featured on the front cover were "It's All in the Traps" and "Behind Vacant Eyes", along with "Det Eric Matthews" and "95 Influential Criminal Masterminds". He also appeared on another magazine entitled, "Journal of Civil Engineering" on the front cover.

Reasons for why Kramer would be on the cover of the mentioned magazines would be because he was (fictionally) a very famous murderer (even though he never killed anybody with his bare hands), which was a reason why he would appear on "95 Influential Criminal Masterminds". Kramer was also a very skilled mechanic and engineer - he would have to be to create such complex devices and traps. This fact would support him appearing on the cover of "Journal of Civil Engineering".

"It's All in the Traps" and "Behind Vacant Eyes" were both hardcover books and possibly autobiographies on John Kramer.

Answer: Yes

Darren Lynn Bousman stated (in the commentary) that there were multiple clues scattered throughout "Saw IV" - hidden clues given to the viewing audience to understand the storyline/plot/twist ending, ahead of time. The significance to "starting at the end and working backwards" was the whole movie. "Saw IV" started out with technically the end of the movie as it worked its way backwards after.

The "Saw" franchise is notable for having hidden clues scattered throughout the movies, to predict the twist ending beforehand.

Answer: a muskrat

Agent Perez mentioned the toy, asking, "boy or girl?" Hoffman replied that it was a girl. Perez claimed she didn't know that Hoffman was married (implying he had a daughter with his spouse) and he replied he wasn't, further stating that the story behind the toy was unimportant.

The stuffed toy was also Corbett Reinhart's plushy from "Saw III", in which it was seen for a brief moment in Corbett's arms as she sat in a locked room with a limited supply of air. In the commentary to "Saw IV", Darren Lynn Bousman revealed that the species of toy was amongst a muskrat/badger.