It only debuted in 2004, and the most recent instalment hit cinemas fewer than two years ago, but the Hollywood studio behind the Saw horror series is already planning to bring it back to the big screen, according to the Bloody Disgusting blog.
Having grossed more than $870m (£556m) worldwide, the seven films in the franchise have been a huge moneyspinner for Lionsgate, which delivered a new movie annually each year at Halloween between 2004 and 2010.
The series helped fuel the popularity of the "torture porn" subgenre typified by Eli Roth's Hostel films, though Australian creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell have always dismissed such labels.
The first Saw film was a significant critical hit after debuting at the Sundance film festival in 2004 to strong reviews. However, subsequent films have diminished in popularity with critics, especially after Wan and Whannell quit creative duties altogether for the fourth instalment. Bloody Disgusting cites trusted sources who say a remake of 2004's Saw is being considered, though the studio has not ruled out the possibility of an eighth film.
The series centres on the serial killer Jigsaw, who tests his victims with an array of appalling tests and games that usually involve them mutilating themselves or others. The villain died during 2006's Saw III but his idiosyncratic methods and legacy continued to be referenced in subsequent instalments via flashback. 2010's poorly received Saw 3D was billed as the final chapter in the series, but there have been persistent rumours of future films.
This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk.
