Horror Movie Month - Saw V

Saw V (2008)
The Stars - Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Julie Benz, Meagan Good
The Gist - Jigsaw may be dead... but his legacy lives on! This time, in the form of ANOTHER behind the scenes, top secret follower. Just like Amanda Young came out of the blue to carry on his legacy a few movies ago (and who even remembers which one that was...) before she bit the dust, Jigsaw has another cult member to do his dirty work - in the form of Detective Hoffman (Mandylor). Typical Saw fare ensues... and depending on whether you like the francise or not that's either a good thing or a bad thing. I thought two of the four previous films were pretty damn good and, happily, this one falls in line with those.
The Scares - Saw was never really scary, per se. It's usually gory although this sequel isn't nearly as gory as some of the previous films. What Saw does when it's at it's best is deliver a very good thrilling story that is at times very difficult to follow but - lame joke ahead - at the end all the PIECES fit into the PUZZLE. (Ha!). V is no exception. If you are a Saw diehard (which I am not) and you've seen the previous four a hundred times then you will probably have no trouble with the way the film jumps around from time to time. However, if the last saw film you saw was when IV was in theaters, you may have a little trouble following the action and the twists. However, at the end it all comes together and makes for a pretty decent horror ride.
The Body Count - Well, it's hard to say. I'm not counting flashbacks so I'm going to go with 7 although two people may somehow pull through and we may or may not see them again in part VI.
The Grade: B-