Saw V is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.

The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Julie Benz, Carlo Rota, and Meagan Good.

Hoffman later finds a note in his office reading "I know who you are", and learns of Agent Lindsey Perez's death while taking Strahm's cell phone from the police evidence room.

In an underground sewer, Ashley, Brit, Charles, Luba and Mallick awaken with collars locked around their necks, connected by cables to a set of blades mounted on the wall behind them.

In the third room, Brit kills Luba before she and Mallick put her corpse in a bathtub and connect it to five cables to complete an electric circuit that unlocks the next door.

They realize that all prior tests could have been completed without casualties if they had worked together, and figure out their connection: they were all involved in a building fire that killed eight people.

Mallick and Brit concede a truce and each slice an arm in the saws to provide the blood needed to open the final door.

He also finds the still-living Brit and Mallick and calls for medical attention, before putting an all-points bulletin on Strahm, convinced that he is Jigsaw's successor.

Meanwhile, Strahm follows Hoffman to the renovated nerve gas house and finds a tape in a room with a box filled with broken glass.

Strahm believes he has finally caught Hoffman, but the door to the room suddenly shuts itself and the walls begin to close in as the box is lowered beneath the floor.

Pre-production began in October 2007 with Saw IV writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan outlining the story.

[5] Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson, Costas Mandylor and Betsy Russell reprised their roles as Jigsaw/John, Agent Strahm, Detective Hoffman, and Jill, respectively.

[5] However, Benz praised Hackl's directing techniques, such as using a full storyboard on set which helped the actors know the correct camera angles at any given time.

[11] In its opening weekend, Saw V grossed $30,053,954 in 3,060 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking number two at the box office[12] behind High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

The website's consensus reads: "If its plot were as interesting as its torture devices, or its violence less painful than its performances, perhaps Saw V might not feel like it was running on fumes.

"[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 20 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

"[18] Sam Adams of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "The virtues of the individual films are almost beside the point, since it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to pick up the thread at this late date, but Saw V is a particularly dull and discombobulated affair, shot and acted with all the flair of a basic-cable procedural".

The British website Digital Spy rated it three out of five stars and commended the film for its "solid acting, slick direction and suitably filthy cinematography too", while also stating it will "make far more sense to those familiar with the previous installments".