While investigating the bloody aftermath of a grizzly murder, Detective Eric Matthews has the feeling that it is the work of Jigsaw, the notorious killer who disappeared leaving a trail of bodies - and parts - behind. And Matthews is right. Jigsaw is at work again. But instead of two people locked in a room with only one unthinkable way out, there are eight. Eight strangers -- unaware of their connection to each other -- forced to play out a game that challenges their wits and puts their lives in jeopardy. - skip ad - Genres: Suspense/Horror and Thriller Running Time: 1 hr. 31 min. Release Date: October 28th, 2005 (wide) MPAA Rating: R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language and drug content. Distributor: Lions Gate Releasing Cast And Credits Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg, Erik Knudsen, Franky G Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman Produced by: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules

Jigsaw, the serial killer with a particularly imaginative bent, is back in this sequel to last year's sleeper horror hit. Attempting to resurrect the sort of gory, hard-core horror film that has been eclipsed in recent years by the plethora of tamer, PG-13 releases, Lions Gate and the all too aptly named Twisted Pictures clearly have a new franchise on their hands. Halloween grosses should be monstrous, with plenty of video business to follow.

The killer himself takes a far more prominent role in this edition, and as played by the superb Tobin Bell he's quite a memorable creation. Soft-voiced and physically frail because of the cancer ravaging his body, the diabolical Jigsaw is determined to make people appreciate their lives, mainly by dispatching them in the most ingenious of ways.

The first victim, bloodily disposed of even before the opening credits roll, tries unsuccessfully to gouge out his own eye in order to retrieve a key that has been surgically implanted.

CaCaught early on in the proceedings by burned-out (is there any other kind?) detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his gorgeous partner (Dina Meyer, reprising her role from the original), Jigsaw taunts them with a live video feed of his latest would-be victims, a group of eight hapless characters that happens to include Matthews' young son.

Trapped in a dilapidated house filled with traps that include a pit filled with dirty syringes and a container lined with razor-sharp blades, they attempt to escape by deciphering their captor's twisted clues.

As might be expected, the group, which also includes a macho hothead (Franky G) and one of Jigsaw's previous victims (Shawnee Smith), don't exactly prove harmonious in their interactions.

Although their plot structure and characterizations are pedestrian, co-screenwriters Darren Lynn Bousman (who also directed) and Leigh Whannell deliver a series of reasonably clever and horrific set pieces.

If the machinations don't quite make the startling impact of those in the original, they also far outshine the pedestrian mayhem on display in the current horror glut.

And though the villainous central character looks barely healthy enough to make it into the inevitable next installment, the basic concept is elastic enough to provide for an endless series of "Saw" follow-ups.