Blu-ray

Saw: The Final Chapter brings the curtain down on the popular horror franchise, desperately trying to tie-up all of the loose ends left over from the previous six films while also providing yet more outlandish traps that end up spraying the screen with blood and gore. This time out the focus is on a Jigsaw survivor, who finds himself playing the game all over again, while a witness comes forward with information that could finally bring the killer to justice.

It is, of course, completely awful. And despite an attempt at narrative circularity, it’s so far removed from the low-key original and so convoluted thanks to the countless twists and turns its predecessors delivered, that it’s hard to believe that the franchise has moved this far away from what made the original Saw so effective.

Picture: The latest (and last?) Saw movie eschews the grainy and grimy visual palette established by its predecessors for a much sharper and brighter hi-def experience. And very nice the 1.78:1 1080p imagery looks in 2D as well. However, stick the disc in a 3D Blu-ray system and suddenly a Play Movie in 3D option appears, which is when the film’s imagery really comes to the fore. Depth is handled excellently throughout, and even the odd out-of-the-screen moments (flying intestines, pointy metal poles, etc) work better than on many other 3D discs I’ve seen. So while the film itself is awful, as far as live-action Full HD 3D material goes, this is one of the better Blu-rays on the market at the moment.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: No matter how bad the Saw sequels have got, they’ve always delivered some pretty impressive audio, and this Final Chapter is no exception. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix delivers an involving sonic assault from start to finish, employing every speaker in your system to surround you with industrial noise, piercing screams and pounding music as the gory traps spring into life. Heck, there’s even a big explosion this time out that shows just how well the mix controls even the most potent bass effects. It’s not subtle, but it’s very, very satisfying.
Audio rating: 5/5

Extras: Unlike its recent My Bloody Valentine Full HD 3D package, Lionsgate hasn’t stripped the extra features back to the bone for this stereoscopic Blu-ray outing for the Saw franchise. That said, the features on offer aren’t hugely inspiring. Best of the bunch by some distance are the two audio commentaries (one with producers Oren Koules, Peter Block and Mark Burg, the other from writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan), which do a great job of discussing the production, how the films all fit together and how this story was originally planned to run across two sequels, before being condensed into this final flick.

Also included are six deleted/extended scenes, a look back at some of the franchise’s most notable traps, five music videos, the theatrical trailer and BD-Live widgets.
Extras rating: 3/5

We say: The ailing horror series is finally put out of is misery with a disc that delivers some serious 3D thrills and rocking audio.

Lionsgate, Region B BD, £25 approx, On sale now
HCC VERDICT: 3/5