| ◄ | Bathroom Trap | Razor Wire Maze | Flammable Jelly | ► |
| “ | The irony is that if you want to die you just have to stay where you are, but if you want to live, you'll have to cut yourself again. | ” |
|
— Jigsaw's instructions for Paul Leahy[src]
|
||
The Razor Wire Maze is a trap, as well as a fictional location from the Saw franchise. It was a minor location in Saw and Saw V.
Contents
Design and Function
The Razor Wire Maze was a fenced-in area located inside a basement. The victim was almost entirely naked and was trapped at the back part of the room, while the door leading out of the basement was on the other side. The fenced area was filled with countless tightened skeins of razor wire. The victim had to find a way through the wire in order get to a hole in the fence leading to the exit door. The door was connected to a timer and would close automatically after two hours, leaving the victim to die if they didn't make it out before the clock expired. (Saw)
History
Paul Leahy's Test
| “ | Hello, Paul. You are a perfectly healthy, sane and middle-class male. Yet last month you ran a straight razor across your wrist. Did you cut yourself because you truly wanted to die or did you just want some attention? Tonight, you'll show me. The irony is that if you want to die you just have to stay where you are, but if you want to live, you'll have to cut yourself again. Find the path through the razor-wire to the door. But hurry. At three o'clock that door will lock and then this room becomes your tomb. How much blood will you shed to stay alive, Paul? | ” |
|
— Paul Leahy's tape[src]
|
||
Paul in the trap
The victim of this trap was Paul Leahy, a 46-year-old man, who had unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide by cutting his wrists the month before. Therefore, he was targeted by John Kramer, better known as the Jigsaw Killer, and his accomplice, Detective Mark Hoffman, who abducted him one night, when he was about to attempt suicide once more. After subduing him, they took him to a basement, where they had already prepared his game. When he woke up again and received his instructions from an audio tape Jigsaw left for him, he immediately panicked. Ridden by fear and desperate to save his life, Paul tried to find a way through the area but failed as the wire cut open his flesh, eventually resulting in his death due to the massive loss of blood, mainly from his femoral artery. (Saw)
While Paul tried to get out of the maze, John and Hoffman were hiding in the next room and witnessed his game through a peephole, as John wanted to show Hoffman his method of teaching other people how to appreciate their life. When Hoffman warned John about another detective, David Tapp, who was after him, John gave him a penlight he took from his doctor, Lawrence Gordon, and ordered him to lead his colleagues on the doctor's trail. (Saw, V)
Aftermath
After Paul's death, John cut a jigsaw piece from his skin as a sign for Paul's lack of will to survive, before leaving the crime scene along with Mark Hoffman. Paul corpse was found approximately three weeks later. The crime scene was visited by Detective Allison Kerry, Detective Steven Sing, and the leading investigator in the Jigsaw Case, Detective David Tapp. After their examination of the basement, Paul was taken to the morgue, where Dr. Adam Heffner performed the autopsy on his body. (Saw, VI)
Several months later, the crime scene revisited again by Special Agent Peter Strahm, who was hoping to find new evidence against Mark Hoffman, whom he suspected to be the successor of Jigsaw after the latter's death. As he entered the basement, he examined the area and thereby noticed that some of the razor wire was still there. (Saw III, V)
Use in other Media
Saw: The Video Game
A similar trap could be seen in the Whitehurst Insane Asylum in Saw: The Video Game. However, there were some differences between this version and the one seen in the film. First of all, the room in which the game took place was much smaller. Furthermore, the victim, an unnamed prisoner, had been allowed to keep his clothes on. However, despite these circumstances, which would've made the game easier to survive, the victim died shortly before the game's protagonist, David Tapp, came across him.
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Paul Leahy's game was also mentioned in documents and audio tapes recorded by David Tapp in Saw II: Flesh & Blood.
Full Disclosure Report
Paul's game was mentioned in the documentary Full Disclosure Report, hosted by TV moderator Rich Skidmore. The documentary focused on the early crimes of Jigsaw and established Paul's game as the first one ever. Deputy Jason Johnston told the audience about the details of the game. Additionally, an excerpt from the re-staged game was shown to the viewers.
Trivia
- While filming the scenes of Paul's death and the investigation of the crime scene in the first film, camera operator David Armstrong accidently bumped against the ceiling of the set and had to be taken to a hospital due to a mild concussion.