There’s nothing audiences love more than a good villain. If the character is properly developed, we can love, hate or sympathize with them, sometimes all at once. From the cold, emotionless computer HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey” to the delirious Norman Bates in “Psycho,” villains have a way of remaining in our consciousness better than most protagonists.

Audiences are introduced to a crafty new villain in “Saw.” He’s referred to as the Jigsaw Killer since his trademark is cutting a small piece of skin from his victim’s bodies in the shape of a jigsaw puzzle.

But that’s far from the worst thing he does. He traps his victims in gruesome situations, usually resulting in death. For instance, he forces a woman to cut open a man’s stomach to retrieve a key to unlock a contraption that will rip off her jaw in a few minutes. As we find out, the man was paralyzed and forced to watch his own execution.

Not for the light-hearted, the film is an effective thriller with an emphasis on gore. The film has a few pitfalls — mostly due to budgetary constraints — but “Saw” will still be able to grab and captivate the audience with its strong story, surprising plot twists and solid acting.

The film starts as we see the killer’s latest victims wake up in a decrepit bathroom. The audience is introduced to Dr. Lawrence Gordon, played by Cary Elwes, and Adam, played by screenwriter Leigh Whannell.

The two men are chained to pipes by their ankles on either side of the room. Laying in the center of the room is a dead man with a pool of blood surrounding him and a hole in the back of his head.

Gordon and Adam must figure out how they got here and, more importantly, why they are there. They are given a message from the Jigsaw Killer, which tells Gordon he must kill Adam by 6 p.m., or else his family will die.

Instead of trying to break down new barriers, “Saw” jumps from one horror movie convention to the next.

For the most part, this can be a bad thing. We all know the motions by now: dark rooms, eerie music that jolts us more than any action on screen, and so on.

Yet it would be pretty hard for “Saw” to find itself outside of horror clich‚s with its small budget. Estimated to be around $1 million, the director and crew stretched every penny, and it looks as if it cost 10 times as much. Unfortunately, $1 million couldn’t afford decent lighting for some scenes or decent actors for smaller, vital parts.

But when it comes to the bigger parts, the film has some talent. Elwes, in his first leading role in a while, is generally good. However, he has to go through a range of emotions, from calm to anger to sadness, and it seems strained at times. Whannell, in his feature debut, shows himself to be a true actor, and by the end you sympathize with his character.

The standout role goes to Danny Glover as the detective following the Jigsaw Killer.

Glover’s character is a perfect example of the power behind “Saw.” The movie does not deviate from the conventional detective that’s in every horror film, but twists it into a meaty role that the right actor can bring to life and scare audiences as much as the main villain.

There are strict guidelines when one makes a horror thriller. Most movies fail when they try to veer outside of these, or when they think they are above clich‚s. Every now and then, a film like “Saw” comes along and reminds us why we keep coming back.