Saw X ending explained

Saw X both honors and enhances the legacy of the franchise, building up to an epic and twisty ending – here’s what happens. 

Set between the events of Saw 1 and 2, the narrative of Saw X – the tenth movie in the series – takes us back to the events before John Kramer’s death. It’s a smart move, allowing viewers to see a whole new side to the infamous Jigsaw killer while also delivering the goods when it comes to gore. 

As Dexerto said in our four-star review: “Director Kevin Greutert scraps the convoluted plots and traps, taking us back in time to focus on the one and only John Kramer. It’s beautiful, it’s brutal, and it’s one of the strongest movies in the franchise.”

Although the past Saw movies have shown us the fate of Jigsaw, there’s still all of the other characters to think about, as well as the fact that the films always feature an infamous final twist. So, here’s what you need to know about the ending of Saw X. Warning: Major spoilers ahead!

Saw X ending explained

At the end of Saw X, John Kramer, with the help of his trusty apprentice Amanda Young, manages to escape what we thought was the final game for antagonist Dr. Cecilia Pederson. He does so by turning the tables on Cecilia and her partner Parker Shears, tricking them into trapping themselves before making his escape with Amanda. 

The plot itself is pretty simple: Kramer is duped into spending $250,000 on a “miracle” treatment for his terminal cancer, only to find out that he’s been scammed by a group of fraudsters who prey on the most vulnerable. The rest of Saw X sees Jigsaw teaching all of those involved a very important – and brutal – lesson. 

At the head of the scheme is Cecilia, who is a truly nasty piece of work, so it’s no surprise Kramer saves her trap until last. Partway through the games, a man called Parker Shears rocks up to the warehouse, demanding to see Cecilia – turns out, he’s another of the victims of her scam. 

Kramer forces him to sit there and watch as the gory events unfold, but right before he gets to Cecilia’s game, Parker pulls a gun on him and Amanda, revealing himself to actually be Cecilia’s boyfriend – he’s not a victim, but rather another one of the fraudsters. 

Holding them at gunpoint, he and Cecilia force Kramer to attach the chain she was wearing around his neck. She sees on the CCTV monitor that the young boy Kramer befriended earlier in the movie is outside playing football, and she decides to force him to take part in the trap. 

Strapping the chain around his neck, Kramer and the boy are tied down to the floor of a platform, with little wiggle room other than to reach for a lever that’s beside them – one that Kramer tells him not to pull. The platform raises up before two pistons come down, and blood starts spurting out, effectively waterboarding them but with the red stuff. 

The reason Kramer tells the boy not to pull the lever is because it causes the other person’s platform to lift up, moving them away from the river of blood. In other words, Kramer doesn’t want the boy to suffer and is willing to sacrifice himself. He pulls it instead, allowing the kid to breathe. However, the boy realizes what’s happening and decides to do the same for Kramer, with the two embarking on a back-and-forth in a bid to save each other. 

But then the boy’s lever gets stuck, and for a moment it looks like Kramer’s not going to make it – but as we know, he’s always got an ace up his sleeve. 

While all of this is happening, Cecilia and Parker go looking for the money they swindled from their scam, believing it’s upstairs in the room where Kramer’s been keeping a watchful eye on the games. 

Cecilia thinks she’s found the stash underneath the cloak of one of Jigsaw’s famous Piggy costumes, but Parker realizes something: if the blood waterboarding trap was the final game, why was Cecilia strapped to it alone? But before he’s had time to say anymore, Cecilia lifts the cloak, which stops the blood pistons, allowing Amanda to set Kramer and the boy free. It also activates the start of the real final game, with the door to the upstairs room locking shut and trapping Cecilia and Parker inside. 

Flashbacks demonstrate how Kramer was able to stay one step ahead, as Diego – the taxi driver who was in on the scam and survives Jigsaw’s game – told him that Parker is involved in the fraud and that he and Cecilia are an item. What’s more, when Cecilia got hold of a phone and made a call earlier on in the movie, Amanda saw Parker’s name in the call history. 

When Parker showed up to the warehouse, pretending to be a victim of Cecilia’s scheme, Kramer switched out the bullets of his gun for duds while he was unconscious, knowing that he’d grab it later. In fact, Kramer predicted their every move, including their hunt for the cash. He allowed them to believe they had the power so that they’d fall into his trap. 

Back in the present, a timer starts counting down as burning gas pours into the room. Cecilia notices there’s a hole in the wall and she puts her head through it, allowing her to breathe in fresh air. But there’s only room for one person, and Kramer lets them know that only one of them will survive. 

They fight to the death, with Parker grabbing a blade from the floor. However, Cecilia is able to overpower him, bashing his head against a desk before plunging the blade into his stomach, causing him to fall back and succumb to the burning gas. 

As this is going on, Kramer and Amanda pack up his things, and in an unexpectedly touching moment, Kramer grabs the bag of cash Cecilia and Parker had been looking for and gifts it to the young boy. “Gracias,” he says with a smile. 

All three of them leave together, making eye contact with Cecilia on their way out. Although she doesn’t have to fight for the hole and has access to clean air, the door is locked and there’s seemingly no way out. Does she die? It seems likely, but this is Saw we’re talking about, meaning she might pop up in the future. 

This is the ending for the film, but there’s also a post-credits scene in Saw X, which you can read about here. 

Saw X is in cinemas now. You can check out our other coverage below:

• Saw X review: A glorious, gory return to form
• Saw X cast: All actors & characters
• Saw X: Everything you need to know
• How many Saw movies are there?
• Saw does spoof of Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad
• Saw fans slam takedown of AMC parody
• Saw X post-credits scene explained
• Saw producers reveal most “horrific” trap
• Saw 11 could happen thanks to “cliffhanger” ending
• Is Saw X based on a true story?
• Why Saw X is the longest movie in the franchise
• Saw X producers clear up timeline confusion