The Reverse Bear Trap is "Saw"s greatest contribution to horror film history (Lionsgate)

Every Tuesday, Jeremy Fuster analyzes a critical scene from a popular film. Join him every week as he delves into what exactly makes these critical scenes so memorable and successful.

As Halloween rolls closer, we seem to be seeing a changing of the guard. As the spooky season arrived in years past, there was always one film that would get moviegoers cramming into seats and had horror fans gushing with praise. In 2013, it was the super-gory reboot of the "Evil Dead" franchise. 2012 had "Sinister," along with the continued hype of "The Cabin In The Woods" from earlier in the year. In 2011 "You're Next" gave us possibly the greatest heroine in the history of the genre.

But what are this year's big horror films? "Annabelle," another creepy doll film, and "Dracula Untold," an attempt to show an old horror icon AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. Meanwhile, the public turns to their living rooms for frights, as TV continues to become the epicenter of daring new storytelling. "The Walking Dead" continues to smash ratings records -- and Universal Studios ticket sales -- as it charges into its fifth season, while "American Horror Story" continues to draw its own batch of crazed fans and critical acclaim as it kicks off its "Freak Show" saga.

While there's always been at least a few quality horror films released every year, it seems that their hold on pop culture seems to be eroding. Really, think about it. What was the last horror film to produce a truly iconic character that transcended the genre's hardcore fan base and lingered in the public consciousness?

That would be the father of torture porn…the "Saw" franchise.

Now let me be clear -- said the writer in his best Obama impression -- this will not be a nostalgia-driven plea to resurrect that tired old series for an eighth film. Beyond the cult fandom that eagerly looked forward to the next overly elaborate death contraption the series had to offer, "Saw" quickly earned derision for its reliance on gore and shock value to keep people coming back, and rightfully so. The death of the original Jigsaw Killer midway through the series left the directors and writers relying on a boring replacement killer to keep the story going. Not even flashbacks of the original killer, played magnificently by Tobin Bell, could save it. The last film's trailer just reeks of desperation. "LOOK!" it seems to cry. "Jigsaw set up a game in a storefront window! And it's in 3D!"

And then "Saw," much like 3D, finally met its end.

But before it was sucked dry by the sequel machine, "Saw" was easily one of the best horror films of its generation. The first two films were a masterwork of intrigue, mystery, scares, and character design. They established a signature cinematic style that would run throughout the series. They built up atmosphere beautifully, making the gore feel like an extra rather than something the film needed to rely on to have any effect on the audience. But most of all, it gave us the icon that horror films need today. John Kramer (the psychopathic Jigsaw Killer) became the Hannibal Lecter of the 21st century. His twisted motives, undeviating M.O., and cunning mind games were all brought to life by Bell's foreboding voice, leaving us all wondering how an elderly man with terminal cancer could become so skilled and dangerous. And of course, speaking on Kramer's behalf is his infamous puppet, Billy, whose white and red visage has now become as famous as Freddy's claws or Jason's mask.

Let's look at the scene from the first "Saw" that established all these memorable elements: The Reverse Bear Trap scene. This scene was originally designed for a nine-and-a-half minute short film created by directors James Wan and Leigh Whannell to shop the feature film around to studios. Here, the woman in the trap is a drug addict named Amanda, who is the only known person to survive one of Jigsaw's games. Up to this point, we've seen the end result of traps where victims have suffered gruesome deaths; but here, for the first time, we see that Jigsaw gives his targets a chance to survive. It is also here that Billy makes his chilling debut.

This scene does such a great job of using juxtaposition of camera techniques to ratchet up the adrenaline and terror, even though we know that Amanda is going to survive this ordeal. It starts with lingering shots of the Billy video explaining the trap and Amanda's terrified reactions. Once the game starts, rapid fire shots of Amanda struggling in the chair flash on the screen. The camera spins around the chair, creating a disorienting effect. This style would be used in trap scenes throughout the series, reflecting the victims' terrified state of mind. When she does break free, the timer stops on the collar, and everything just…freezes. Then the spinning shots return before we return briefly to the police station where Amanda is telling her story.

From here on out, the rest of the trap is shown with long, lingering static shots. The frantic terror of the ticking clock is replaced by the slow reveal of Jigsaw's boundless sadism. The question mark, Amanda's eyes, the knife in her trembling hands, the "dead" cellmate, and the question mark on his stomach are all shown with slow, agonizing detail before Amanda does the hideous deed that Jigsaw demands of her in exchange for her life.

Finally, Billy slowly rolls into the room on a tricycle, a half light shining on its ominous face as it advances on a horrified Amanda. It seems at first like Amanda is about to be forced into something even worse, but then Billy congratulates Amanda on surviving and reveals why Jigsaw is doing these tests: to force those he feels are wasting life to prove they are worthy of it. His words almost seem to have a sense of pride in Amanda, as if he truly believes he has helped her. And the creepiest thing? Amanda agrees with that sentiment.

In this scene, "Saw" sets up the rules by which its entire story follows. It introduces the Billy puppet and provides a first glimpse into Jigsaw's mind. It introduces Amanda, whose status as a test survivor makes her a key element of Jigsaw's plans and legacy and who later becomes another tool through which the films explore Jigsaw's psyche. But most of all, it is more riveting to watch than any other trap that comes after it. In almost every successive trap, the victim is practically guaranteed to fail and suffer a brain-bleach-inducing demise. Even if they do survive, they either die in a later trap or bear no lasting impact on the story. This trap, and the fallout from, it has a rippling impact throughout the story, and on its own, it leaves an incredibly lasting impact thanks to Amanda's PTSD and Billy's dramatic appearance. Perhaps a death at the hands of Jigsaw's machinations is better than a trauma-filled life after surviving it.

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