In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Cinemark presented Saw on Halloween weekend and gave away promotional posters which claimed the first installment to be a “classic.”

Ten years? That hardly seems enough time to be a classic.

But in truth, the first four movies do pack a punch. Not only do they have the fear and gore to satisfy horror genre lovers, but they also attempt to teach us valuable lessons in life, revenge and areas of daily human struggle, which is more than most horror films can say, including some of the famed oldies.

But for those of you who don’t know, Saw is the gruesome tale of a civil engineer named John Kramer (Tobin Bell) who is diagnosed with cancer and forced to reevaluate his life after a failed suicide attempt. This reevaluation results in John understanding the value of human life and how to appreciate it. Feeling inspired, John, later dubbed the Jigsaw Killer, designs “traps” that test the victim’s will to survive usually by forcing them to inflict severe pain on themselves or others and to ultimately teach them not to take their life for granted. Is he a cold-blooded murderer or a savior in disguise? That’s for you to decide.

As interesting and central as John’s story is, critics of the film series tend to focus more on the instruments and details which support the story than the actual story itself. They condemn the relatively low-budget series for bad acting: “If Whannell can act, he sure doesn’t show it,”David Germain wrote for the Associated Press. Or they seem to completely have missed the moral of the story: “Underlying the killer’s motive is the notion that everyone deserves to be tortured and that there are no innocents,” (Common Sense Media). It’s true that the gore scenes and acting could have been improved, but these minor imperfections are redeemed by a gripping tale of heartache and forgiveness which leaves the viewer rethinking their own life circumstances. As for the completely false statement offered by Common Sense Media, John is unique in that he doesn’t wish to kill or torture his victims. He wishes to teach those who take their lives for granted, not “everyone,’ an important lesson via admittedly interesting techniques.

I myself praise the films due to their creativity and ability to relate to their audience. Even if the screenwriting and casting wasn’t perfect, you have to give kudos to them for trying in a time when each horror movie is indistinguishable from the next. Of course, some might call it over-the-top, especially those who are faint of heart. Even though viewers can take priceless lessons from Saw, the massive amounts of blood and human mutilation can easily outweigh them, depending on how strong your stomach is.

In short, Saw isn’t old enough to be a classic, but one day it may be able to enjoy its place not among horror classics, but among movies that make you think. Don’t forget to order a 10th Anniversary poster and empty a spot for your DVD copy next to Citizen Kane and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It won’t bite…hard.