Actor Tobin Bell attends the "Saw VI" film premiere in Hollywood, California.
As John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, in the billion-dollar Saw franchise, Tobin Bell has become an icon of the horror genre.
“I’ve come to appreciate it more because I’ve learned that horror, although it’s been seen by some as the weak sister in cinema,” the actor explained. “In moviemaking, you can accomplish as much in horror as you can in any other genre.”
Would he consider himself a fan of horror?
“Not compared to real horror fans, no, those who are deeply passionate about the genre.”
However, his appreciation of what can be achieved effectively by the genre, was what drew him to his latest project, Belzebuth.
“A lot of it comes down to the lighting. Many other things go with that, but people shouldn’t underestimate how important and effective lighting is,” Bell enthused. “For many years, horror has been all about the scares and all about the surprises and twists. The best horror is layered and can be interesting from a historical point of view or a religious point of view or a cultural point of view. This film touches on the marriage between demonology and religion. The demonology goes back to the Aztecs and the Mayans and is much more a part of the culture in Mexico than it is in somewhere like Iowa.”
As well as offering him a type of character he hadn’t played before, what Belzebuth also allowed him to do was experience the thriving film industry in Mexico.
“I spent a lot of time in Mexico, which I have not done before. I was in Mexico City for about three weeks and worked at the marvelous Churubusco Studios, which has a long and storied history in film. I was very impressed with the craftsmanship of the artists and technicians,” he said. “It’s interesting when you go to a foreign country and see how they do it, and how well they do it. Movies and filmmaking are very important down there. It is no surprise the country has given us so many great artists in the industry. The director, Emilio Portes, is an extremely visual guy, and he has very high standards when it comes to cinematography and the special effects. I think the movie reflects that. I’m not at all surprised that people are impressed by this movie.”
“Being in Mexico City for that much time, I had an opportunity to see things and experience things that I would never have otherwise. Even if I was traveling as a tourist, when you stay someplace for that much time, and especially if you’re working someplace, you become more intimate with the culture.”
Bell also draws an interesting parallel between what happens in Belzebuth and what is going on today.
“I play a priest who worked in the Vatican, and it was revealed to him that the Messiah was on the earth and that evil forces were pursuing this child,” the actor said. “He went to the cardinals, he went to the Pope himself, and none of them wanted to listen. That’s such a common thing in our world today. Greta Thunberg is walking around talking completely logical sense to the establishment, and they’re too busy, and they’re too wrapped up in the way things are done to pay attention. I mean, hopefully, they are paying attention, and we’ll emerge from this, but what I’m saying is that it’s a similar parallel. Those in power sometimes become so entrenched in their own power that they don’t want to change. Because they won’t listen to him, my character takes off his collar and looks for this child himself. That’s where my journey starts.”
Tobin Bell as Vasilio Canetti in 'Belzebuth.'
With a career in film, television, and theater that spans three decades, Bell is perhaps best known for the Saw franchise. The series, created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, has grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It’s an experience he’s grateful for.
“I had the good fortune of working with producers, writers, directors, and a studio like Lionsgate, where they were aware that something could be better,” he enthused. “Sometimes writers know where they want to go but don’t quite know how to get there. I’d be given a script at the beginning of a film and, sitting with the other actors; we would come up with how to work stuff. If you’re working with good actors and a good director, and artists of all kinds on the crew, because filmmaking is a team effort, you can raise it a notch even if you improve something by 10 percent or 20 percent. It makes it way more fascinating because it’s like a symphony.”
“We would create things in the Saw films, where you’re surrounded by horrible traps and tests and things of that kind, but then when you introduce a concept into that like, ‘People who don’t appreciate life don’t deserve life,’ it resonates. It’s a horror movie, and people go to horror movies to get scared. I don’t minimize the fantastic work done by the people who designed those traps and the writers who have come up with the twists and turns and things that are revealed. I’m just saying that there is as much of an opportunity in a horror film to layer the film because life is complicated. That’s what I think the Saw franchise has been able to do, and I think, in some way, Belzebuth does a similar thing.”
“Movies, especially horror movies like the Saw films, are like music. You have a legato section and the staccato section, and the staccato section stands out beautifully because a legato section precedes it. The message comes through, because of the environment, it is done in.”
He added, “I’ve been on playgrounds and had 12-year-old children come up to me and say, ‘Wow, man! You’re the Saw guy.’ I say, ‘Well, yeah, I guess I am.’ The skateboarders see me and stop and say, ‘You’re the guy! I love those movies.’ I ask them what they like about them, and they say that they teach you stuff. Not a lot of horror movies do that. I ask them what they mean, and one kid said that when Jigsaw asked, ‘If you knew the exact moment of your own death, would that change how you lived your life?’ it made them think and he’d been thinking about that a lot ever since. When you introduce a concept that is surrounded by such intensity, it lands and it lasts.”
But will it last for another movie? The ninth entry, Spiral, was due to land in theaters this summer but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, its release has been pushed back to May 2021. I had to ask, will Bell have a presence as Jigsaw?
“I honestly cannot speak about that. It’s that simple,” the actor apologized diplomatically. “I hope that you’ll forgive me for that. They’ve asked me not to talk about it.”
As with the Saw movies themselves, the plot thickens.
Belzebuth is available on VOD, Digital HD, DVD, and Blu-ray now.
