Saw X editor had cops called on him over neighbors hearing screams

The sound design of Saw X — particularly the eye vacuum scene — is so intense that one editor had the police sent over.

As Saw X proves to be a surprising critical hit – it currently holds an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, marking the first “fresh” Saw ever – one has to imagine that a lot of work went into making this installment a real showstopper. And while the traps are some of the most interesting in the series, they wouldn’t be nearly as effective without the sound design. And that’s just what one member of the editing team perfected – so much so that the cops were called on him.

According to Saw X director Kevin Greutert (speaking with NME), first assistant editor Steve Forn was working on the sound design when he got a visit from the local police…and they were not interested in playing a game. “There was a knock at the door…We have the doorbell [camera] video of the police walking up, [Forn answering the door] and the police saying, ‘The neighbours [have been] calling and saying someone’s being tortured to death in here.’ And he was like, ‘Actually, I’m just working on a movie… You can come in and see it if you want?’ The cops started laughing! They said, ‘We want to but, you know, you’re all right.’ It must have been a pretty realistic performance!” As it turns out, the Saw X clip Forn was working on was the eye vacuum trap, a version of which has been used in much of the movie’s publicity.

Saw X has been tracking to pull in anywhere between $15-20 million in its opening weekend, which would put it on the lower end of the franchise’s hauls. But considering its critical success, it might even out for the filmmakers in terms of celebration. Interestingly, Kevin Greutert also directed Saw 3D (aka Saw: The Final Chapter), which is the lowest-rated movie of the series on Rotten Tomatoes at just 9%. Saw X is also the only movie in the franchise outside of Spiral that hasn’t been released in October. Saw X serves as a direct sequel to the original movie.

Have you had a chance to see Saw X on the big screen yet? How do you think the traps compare to those in previous entries?