From The Book Of Saw Explained

"Spiral: From the Book of Saw" is pretty specific about why Schenk commits murder, but a little less clear on why he decides to become a Jigsaw copycat in particular. And make no mistake, Schenk rips off John Kramer's playbook almost completely. He subjects his victims to potentially deadly, and always bloody, tests. He taunts them via video tape. He uses puppets to create fear, and he wears the same kind of pig mask that Jigsaw and his accomplices used during their murder sprees.

Both "Spiral" and Schenk himself give an explanation during the film's big reveal scene. "John Kramer was right," Schenk says. "The spiral — a symbol of change, evolution, progress." That reasoning is a little confusing, though. If you haven't seen another "Saw" movie, you may not know what Kramer's philosophy is. If you have, you realize Schenk's explanation only sort of holds up.

As revealed in "Saw II," John Kramer tried to kill himself after he was diagnosed with cancer. He failed, but emerged from the experience with a newfound love for life, and vowed to share that revelation with others. He ultimately decided to spread his message by kidnapping people who were wasting their gifts and taking life for granted, then torturing them until they either died or proved their desire to live, but his goal — at least in his mind — was noble.

That's not quite the same as what Schenk's trying to do, which is scare people into behaving better. The spiral was never one of Kramer's major symbols, either. Still, both Schenk and Kramer were trying to transform their victims, and spirals are traditionally associated with change, so it kind of works. Also, Schenk is a psychopath. Logic isn't really his strong suit.