**** out of *****

It’s Halloween, which means one thing — another Saw movie.

Six films into the franchise, it would be easy to pass off the latest installment as more of the same (i.e., just another crappy gore-filled horror movie). Surprisingly, Saw VI is actually good — and not just in comparison with past Saw films.

The story is finally coherent (which was one of the bigger problems with Saw IV & V). The original Jigsaw killer is dead (expertly played by Tobin Bell), and so is his helper, Amanda (although they both appear by way of flashbacks in the current installment). Lt. Matt Hoffman (introduced in Saw III), balances his time between being a detective and killer, setting up evil traps to spread Jigsaw’s message of the life appreciation.

In Saw VI, Hoffman finally holds his own as the new Jigsaw killer, providing a performance of the calm and cool renegade detective who might just snap at any second. Although it still seems strange that a detective would emerge as the Jigsaw killer, at this point it’s something that viewers just have to accept. (Also, watch for actor Darius McCrary, known for his role as Eddie Winslow on classic ’90s sitcom Family Matters, playing a minor role as one of Hoffman’s victims.)

The story line for this film (written by UI alumni Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan) focuses on William Easton, a health-insurance executive who came up with the equation used to distinguish between patients who do and do not qualify for health-care coverage. The all-too-obvious references to the current health-care debate flow throughout the movie, but it actually makes for an thought-provoking premise. Easton becomes the new target of a deadly game of survival when it’s revealed he has ties to the original Jigsaw.

As always, the mainstays of the Saw series are the vicious traps that victims must escape in order to live. Saw VI’s opening number (involving the shedding of body parts), is one of the series’ most brutal and over-the-top. Not for the squeamish, most of the film’s grisly situations are memorable, culminating in a six-person spinning trap that is simple yet ingenious — and one of the coolest in the Saw franchise history.

And of course, the film wouldn’t be complete without a twist ending (once again, one of the best in Saw history). Though the last few twists in previous Saw movies were predictable, this one not only leaves the viewer guessing until the very end but also sets up an awesome premise for Saw VII.

Yes, Saw VII. (In fact, the writers are already done continuing the story through Saw VIII. Oh, and the next film is going to be in 3-D.)

Any of the casual/disenchanted Saw fans who are still reading this should go check out the film. It is a great, blood-soaked addition to the series that fits right alongside the series’ best (Saw and Saw III) — with an intelligent story as a bonus.