William Earl The gruesome “Saw” franchise has grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office — but the original 2004 horror film was destined to be a direct-to-video curio. That is, until a pair of rollicking test screenings saved it. “The first one we did in Camarillo [Calif.] and it scored so well that Lionsgate was convinced that we padded the audience,” franchise producer Oren Koules remembers.
