22 Years Later, ‘Saw’ Is Officially Back From the Dead on Streaming

6 days ago 15

Published Oct 17, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 3000 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom. You can also hear Jake every week as the resident film and TV journalist on Track Radio.

Horror has always proved the best breeding ground for low-budget sensations. Earlier this year, nothing made that clearer than the release of Focus Features' Obsession. Famously made for less than $1 million, the movie smashed every conceivable box office expectation by making history in numerous categories. It became the highest-grossing non-animated original film of the past decade, the highest-grossing original horror movie of this century, and the fifth-highest-grossing horror film of all time.

Directed by Curry Barker, the film proved an almighty success thanks in no small part to its viral appeal and culturally relevant core themes. Not just a sensation at the box office, even downing the latest Star Wars movie, Obsession was also a massive hit with critics. This included Collider's Hannah Hunt, who called it a "tightly constructed psychological thriller supported by phenomenal performances, disciplined storytelling, excellent sound design, and an atmosphere of constant emotional suffocation" in her review. Hunt labeled Inde Navarrette's star-making turn as Nikki Freeman as "one of the year's best," with many predicting her for an Academy Award nomination in the Best Actress category.

But 22 years before Obsession broke records as a low-budget horror phenomenon, James Wan and Leigh Whannell put themselves on the map with the iconic, bloody fright-fest, Saw. Today, the film is known for sparking a hugely successful modern horror franchise, but in 2004, it was considered "torture porn" and excessively violent, with a poor reception from critics. Time has helped heal those wounds, helping the film become a staple of spooky season today. At the time of writing, with Halloween just a couple of weeks away, Saw is one of the most-watched movies on iTunes in the U.S.

How Much Did 'Saw' Make at the Box Office?

Saw is one of the most famous low-budget box office victories of all time. Made on a reported production budget of just $1.2 million, the film returned more than $100 million in a theatrical run that shocked most. Split between a domestic haul of $56 million and a further $48 million from overseas markets, Saw made more than 86 times its production budget, with the subsequent four movies in the franchise outgrossing the first.

Saw is one of the most-watched movies on iTunes in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more.