Synopsis

Two strangers awaken chained inside a filthy bathroom, with a dead body lying between them and a tape explaining that one must kill the other to escape. As they piece together clues about their abduction, detectives investigate a series of brutal tests designed by a killer who claims to punish people for wasting their lives. Their desperate struggle exposes disturbing secrets and a carefully engineered final trap.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay began as a project by James Wan and Leigh Whannell in 2001. After they struggled to find financing in Australia, they made a short proof-of-concept film featuring one of the story's traps, which helped attract producers in Los Angeles.

• The feature was made for approximately $1.2 million and filmed in only 18 days. Much of the production took place at the Lacy Street Production Center in Los Angeles, where existing industrial spaces were adapted into several locations.

• The bathroom sequences were filmed in chronological order. This allowed the performers to follow the characters' physical and emotional deterioration without having to recreate the progression out of sequence.

• Billy the Puppet was built from inexpensive materials including clay, papier-mache, black ping-pong balls and paper towel rolls. Early movement was achieved by pulling the puppet along with fishing line rather than using elaborate animatronics.

• The film was initially considered for a direct-to-video release. Strong reactions at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival helped persuade Lions Gate Films to release it theatrically instead.

• The Motion Picture Association of America initially assigned the film an NC-17 rating for graphic violence. After re-editing, it was released in the United States with an R rating.

• Lionsgate promoted the theatrical release with a blood drive called "Give Til It Hurts," which collected 4,249 pints of blood for the Red Cross.

• Made on a micro-budget, the film earned more than $100 million worldwide and launched a major horror franchise. Its commercial success also helped establish Twisted Pictures as a prominent genre production company.