Saw: 5 Easiest Traps To Beat (& 5 That Were Impossible)

With nine movies releasing over the span of seventeen years, the Saw series has become a staple of the horror genre. Though the films vary wildly in terms of quality, the intense levels of gore featured in each installment ensure that fans will never relinquish their morbid fascinations.

While the films often feature cerebral and complex plotlines, most of the franchise’s iconic traps don’t hold up under close scrutiny. Most can be beaten without utilizing Jigsaw’s intended solutions, though a few are flat-out impossible to survive save for some sort of malfunction or an incredible amount of luck.

10 Easy: Reverse Bear Trap (Saw)

Perhaps the most iconic trap, Jigsaw’s reverse bear trap appears several times throughout the nine-part series. However, though it may have a maniacally intriguing aesthetic, it probably wouldn’t be all that difficult to beat.

First introduced in the original movie, the drug addict Amanda is forced to cut an immobilized man open to find a key implanted in his abdomen. However, though it may be difficult to tell from her perspective, the trap’s operations depend on several gears and some exposed wiring, which could easily be tampered with. While she would still need the key to remove the device from her head, she could easily render it harmless.

9 Impossible: Water Cube Trap (Saw V)

A fan-favorite trap from the later entries in the Saw franchise, there’s no denying that, no matter how implausible, Saw V‘s water cube trap works well as a memorable setpiece.

By the time Peter Strahm found himself in the trap, he had already failed his test, as he was initially supposed to show restraint and await backup rather than proceeding with his investigation. Though he ultimately survives, he only does so by resorting to some extreme means, using a pen to puncture his windpipe to keep from drowning. It’s undoubtedly a high point of the film, but there’s a very slim chance that this would work in the real world.

8 Easy: The Glass Grinder (Spiral)

Compared to the other entries in the Saw franchise, 2021’s Spiral featured a relatively small amount of traps—most of which were essentially unwinnable. That said, the glass grinder trap seen in the latter half of the movie was arguably one of the easiest in the entire series.

Much of the outcome hinged on Ezekiel Banks’ willingness to forgive Peter Dunleavy, but, as is seen in the movie, Banks could have used the trashcan that was used to conceal the key to block the flying glass shards and buy him enough time to save his ex-partner. They wouldn’t have escaped unscathed, but they definitely would have escaped.

7 Impossible: The Angel Trap (Saw III)

Saw III sees Amanda, Jigsaw’s disciple, oversee Kramer’s games as the mastermind lies on his deathbed. Unfortunately, she fails to live up to her master’s legacy, designing traps that couldn’t possibly be won.

The flawed designs of Amanda’s games were on full display during the Angel Trap sequence at the beginning of the movie. It’s meant to punish Allison Kerry for the crime of merely investigating the Jigsaw case. Kerry must submerge her hand in acid to claim a key that would unhook her from the machine attached to her ribcage. However, the key is actually functionless, and, save for an incredible amount of luck, the trap couldn’t be beaten.

6 Easiest: The Needle Pin Trap (Saw II)

One of the most legendary and cringe-inducing traps in the Saw franchise is actually one of its easiest to beat, and, in fact, Jigsaw’s captives would have bested it had they acted immediately upon entering the room in which it was housed.

Intended for Xavier, the victim must rake through a pile of needles to find a key that would unlock a room containing an antidote syringe. Xavier opts to literally throw Amanda on top of the pile, but he could have instead wrapped himself in the thick blanket from the bed in the room and used the fabric from his shirt to cover his hands, thereby mitigating much of the damage he would have had to sustain.

5 Impossible: The Laser Collar Trap (Jigsaw)

While John Kramer claims that he doesn’t think of himself as a murderer because his victims all had a chance to survive, the same could not be said of Logan Nelson, Jigsaw’s secret first disciple.

After recreating Kramer’s first game, which originally took place in 2003, Nelson performs a mock execution on himself using a homemade laser collar device. This draws a confession from Brad Halloran, who is trapped in an identical device. Halloran should have been freed after admitting to his misdeeds, but Nelson allows him to be killed anyway, proving that his intentions were, from the beginning, to murder the detective.

4 Easiest: The Shotgun Collar Trap (Saw III)

Though undoubtedly an iconic piece of machinery, the shotgun collar trap from Saw III is perhaps the easiest stand-alone trap to disarm.

Intended to ensure that Dr. Denlon keeps Jigsaw alive long enough to see the conclusion of Jeff’s game, the shotgun collar is programmed to detonate if Kramer’s heartbeat stops. This sounds like an effective means of motivation, but the firing mechanisms on the collar are all clearly exposed. The hammers which cause the shotgun shells to fire could have been blocked, effectively disarming the device.

3 Impossible: The Hot Wax Trap (Spiral)

More or less removed from the events of the first eight Saw movies, Spiral sees a copycat killer attempt to enact his own brand of justice upon the city’s corrupt police force.

The third trap showcased in the film sees homicide detective Angie Garza strapped to a table as hot wax is poured on her face. The wax will eventually harden and suffocate her, though she’s told that, if she uses a blade beneath her head to sever her spin, she can save herself. This is virtually impossible to survive, however, as performing the intended action would almost certainly prove lethal.

2 Easiest: The Murderers’ Trial (Jigsaw)

Canonically the first of Jigsaw’s games to take place in the Saw universe, Kramer’s first large-scale test was riddled with flaws. While many of the traps were fun to watch, completing them wasn’t necessary.

It may sound like a nitpick, but Kramer’s game takes place primarily in a barn, and, unlike the dilapidated house from Saw II, it doesn’t appear to be escape-proof. In fact, sunlight can be seen pouring in through the gaps in the barn wall in some scenes, meaning that the test subjects could quite easily use some of the farm equipment lying around to smash through the walls, escaping with nothing save for the small scratches they received during the first test.

1 Impossible: The Pendulum Trap (Saw V)

Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Pit and the Pendulum,” convicted murderer Seth Baxter is strapped to a table and told that a bladed pendulum will slice him in half in a minute’s time. The only way to escape the trap would be to push two buttons on either side of him, the act of which would also crush his hands.

Baxter does as he’s told, but the pendulum doesn’t stop. In actuality, this trap wasn’t designed to be won and was instead part of an elaborate scheme for revenge orchestrated by Mark Hoffman.