Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, themed to the Saw horror-film franchise. When it opened on 14 March 2009, it was billed as the world’s first horror-movie-themed roller coaster — and its 100-degree first drop was the steepest coaster drop in the world at the time.
Built by Gerstlauer as a Euro-Fighter model, Saw combines an indoor dark-ride section full of film-inspired traps with an outdoor 100-foot vertical lift and beyond-vertical plunge.
Key Stats
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Length | 2,362 ft (720 m) |
| First drop angle | 100° |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Max g-force | 4.7 |
| Duration | about 1:40 |
| Manufacturer / model | Gerstlauer / Euro-Fighter |
| Opened | 14 March 2009 |
A World First for Horror Fans
Thorpe Park and Gerstlauer wrapped the coaster in the grim industrial world of the Saw films: riders board in a derelict warehouse stalked by Billy the puppet, and the indoor section springs swinging blades and other traps before the train ever sees daylight. It was the first coaster in the world themed to a horror-film franchise, and it remains one of the UK’s best-known scare brands outside of Halloween season.
The Ride Experience
After the indoor section, the train engages a vertical chain lift and climbs 100 feet while riders lie on their backs. At the top, the track bends past vertical into the signature 100-degree drop — steeper than straight down — before hitting 55 mph and sweeping through three inversions, including a dive loop and an Immelmann, across 2,362 feet of track.
The ride squeezes up to 4.7 g out of its compact layout, enough to rank among the highest g-force roller coasters in the world. And while its 100-degree plunge has since been beaten, it still sits comfortably on any list of the steepest roller coaster drops in the world.
From World Record to Cult Classic
Saw’s steepest-drop world record was short-lived — steeper Gerstlauer drops followed within months — but the ride’s blend of dark-ride theatrics and legitimate coaster intensity has kept it a fixture of Thorpe Park’s lineup alongside Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Stealth and the newer Hyperia.
FAQ
How tall and how steep is Saw – The Ride?
The lift tower stands 100 feet tall and the first drop is angled at 100 degrees — ten degrees beyond vertical. It was the steepest coaster drop in the world when the ride opened in 2009.
How fast is Saw – The Ride?
The train reaches a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) and pulls up to 4.7 g across roughly 1 minute 40 seconds of ride time.
Is Saw – The Ride really themed to the films?
Yes. It opened in 2009 as the world’s first horror-movie-themed coaster, complete with an indoor trap-filled section and appearances by Billy the puppet.
Photo: Stefan Scheer via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)