15 Ways to Stay Warm (and Safe) When It's Ridiculously Cold

1. Bundle Up (and Swap Out the Leggings)

It might seem obvious, but piling on a few extra layers is a great way to stay warm, especially if you have to be outside. Keeping your core warm is especially important when temperatures dip below freezing, so try wearing an extra shirt or two under your coat.

Worried about looking bulky? Many sporting goods companies make cold-weather gear that is slim enough to be worn even under work clothes.

For ladies who love wearing leggings, try swapping them out for long underwear. Several hiking-gear companies make long underwear that has the same look as leggings and will help keep you warm. A bonus: Most long underwear is meant to dry quickly, so leftover snow and slush won't leave your legs damp.

2. Indulge in Foods That Help You Keep Warm

You already know that eating healthfully in the winter is important to fend off colds and the flu, but did you know it might help keep you warm, too? Eating extra healthy fats during the winter can help rev up metabolism, which in turn heats the body, according to Columbia Health.

If your New Year's resolution was to drop a few pounds, don't worry -- you can always skip the extra fat and try eating warmer foods and drinks. Try soups, spicy foods, hot coffee and teas to fend off the chill!

3. We're Sorry: Alcohol Decreases Core Temperatures 

Although alcoholic beverages might make you feel warm, they actually decrease your core temperature and can be dangerous during winter months. 

According to The New York Times and a study by Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, alcohol reverses some reflexes that control body temperature, especially the body's ability to shiver. Alcohol can also make you sweat, even when it is cold, which can lower core temperatures even more. 

4. Keep Your Toes Toasty

Hypothermia is most likely to begin in extremities like your hands and feet, so keeping your toes warm is important. Whether you're walking to work or just around the block, make sure to wear sturdy, insulated shoes that will help prevent slips on slick surfaces and keep your feet dry.

Looking for a pair? Try a good pair of hiking books or, for the fashionista, this article from Glamour offers boots that are cozy and cute. Also, consider wearing an extra pair of socks (here's a helpful article to help you choose the right pair). 

5. Sunglasses... Even in the Winter

If you're walking in the snow during the day, wear sunglasses to protect your eyesfrom the glare.

If you are walking at night, make sure to dress in colors other than white and to wear something reflective on your person to alert drivers to your presence. 

Avoid walking too close to roadways, especially near icy areas where drivers may lose control of their vehicle. 

6. Remember the "Three-Feet Rule"

Space heaters are a great way to add extra heat to colder rooms, but always remember to keep anything flammable at least three feet away from the heater at all times.

Flammable items include clothing, rugs, bedding and curtains. Also remember to place the heater on a hard, non-flammable, stable surface and to turn it off completely before leaving the house. Set a reminder on your phone if you're afraid you'll forget.

7. Watch Out for Furry Friends

You might be jealous of your dog or cat's fur coat when temperatures drop, but they need to be kept warm, too. 

Catherine Blake, owner of Make My Day, Please dog walking services suggests dog walks should be limited to 10 minutes.

"You also have to be careful of ice in their paws because it can act like little daggers," Blake said.

Always remember to bring pets inside when temperatures begin to drop. If you have or know of animals that can't come inside (such as farm animals or neighborhood feral cats that you care for), provide enough bedding and insulated shelter for them to keep warm. If temperatures are below freezing, remember to check their water and replace it if it has frozen.

8. Monitor Fires

It's easy to snooze in front of a roaring fire, but always make sure that fireplace embers are completely out before going to bed for the night. 

Wood fireplaces should always have a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs. 

9. Don't Warm Up Your Car While It's Unattended

Although letting your car heat up before you hop in can be tempting, leaving your car running when you're not around offers the perfect opportunity for thieves to steal it. 

Instead, have a family member wait inside it while you finish getting ready, and then switch "shifts" with them when you have finished. Alternate who goes first to keep it fair.

10. Assemble a Car Emergency Kit

Check the CDC's car emergency checklist to ensure you are prepared in case you have a roadside emergency during inclement weather. 

11. Keep Heat Constant

Setting your thermostat at the same temperature day and night will help prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting. While avoiding a high heating bill might be tempting, you could be protecting yourself from costly repairs from frozen or burst pipes. 

If you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time, don't lower heat below 55 degrees. 

12. Protect Pipes

Keeping the heat on isn't the only thing you can do to protect pipes from freezing. 

State Farm suggests letting your hot and cold faucets drip overnight and opening cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and on exterior walls.

Locate the water shut-off valve in your home in advance of a water emergency, so you know where to go if a pipe bursts, DC Water spokesperson Pamela Mooring advised.

13. Watch Out for Antifreeze

People often use antifreeze on sidewalks and paths to melt ice and snow, but the dangers to humans and pets if it is ingested are serious. 

Know the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning in humans and monitor children who are behaving oddly after returning from playing outside. 

Wipe down pets' paws, stomachs and tails when they come inside so they do not ingest antifreeze when licking themselves. Check symptoms of antifreeze poisoning in animals to ensure you are prepared in case they become sick.

14. Know the Terms

Familiarize yourself with government terms for winter weather emergencies: 

• Freezing Rain - Rain that freezes when it hits the ground, creating a coating of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines.

• Sleet - Rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes moisture on roads to freeze and become slippery.

• Winter Weather Advisory - Winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous. When caution is used, these situations should not be life threatening.

• Winter Storm Watch - A winter storm is possible in your area. Tune in to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for more information.

• Winter Storm Warning - A winter storm is occurring or will soon occur in your area.

• Blizzard Warning - Sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater and considerable amounts of falling or blowing snow (reducing visibility to less than a quarter mile) are expected to prevail for a period of three hours or longer.

• Frost/Freeze Warning - Below freezing temperatures are expected.

Now that you know the terms, check NBC Washington's weather alert page for the latest on weather alerts in your area. 

15. Make Sure Roads Are Safe Before Driving

Online snow plow trackers make it easy to check when roads in your area are clear and safe to drive after snowfall. 

Although the trackers are not live, they do update frequently. Find them here.

10 hurtful things people have said to me about my depression

Depression makes me feel like a total nuisance at times,  so it’s not surprising that these flippant comments don’t help.  Although a lot of the time these words have been said by complete strangers, they still cut deep.

In fact, in some ways, being approached by a stranger and being told to ‘cheer up’ is worst of all. Have you been guilty of saying any of these phrases to a friend with depression? It’s not easy to talk to a friend who’s struggling with a mental illness. Here’s a gentle reminder of what not to say.

 1. Maybe you just need a holiday Ah yes, the old Vitamin D solution. Shall I drag myself through one of my biggest anxieties (flying on a plane) to lie on a sun lounger for a week? And who’s going to pay for this when I’m off work claiming disability allowance? (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk) 

2. There are children starving in Africa Thanks for stating the obvious. Unfortunately there are children starving in the UK too. In fact, there is trauma, poverty and sadness all over the world and some of it just so happens to be consuming my every waking moment. Other people’s suffering doesn’t make mine any less valid. 

3. You take life too seriously Well aren’t you a wise old owl? When you have a mental illness, life is nothing but a string of serious, painful events. The hardest thing is feeling such intense pain at the same time as feeling like none of it matters.

 4. Are you taking your medication? Yes I am, and I’m a fully grown adult who is taking all the advice that the professionals are willing to give me.

5. You just need to let your hair down I looked for a solution to my madness in a few hundred bottles of wine before I realised it wasn’t in any of them. Consider hair previously let down, to no avail. 

6. You don’t look depressed What does a depressed person look like exactly? I mean, you’re more than welcome to come and watch me lie in the foetal position for six hours if you want a closer look. I also look pretty good when I sob in the shower every morning. (Picture: Mmuffin for Metro.co.uk) 

7. You’re being selfish The reason I’m being selfish is because I’ve spent too long using all of my energy saying yes to other people. Being a push over is what got me in this state, and now I have no other option than to be selfish in order to stay alive. 

8. At least you’re not suicidal Sigh. Just because I didn’t attempt suicide doesn’t mean I was happy to be alive.

 9. You’re not a serious case That was pretty crappy visit to a psychiatrist. There’s nothing quite like the self-loathing that comes after a health professional brushes you off like a filthy speck of dust. 

10. Everyone gets stressed Yes everyone does. But feeling stressed is actually a separate issue from being depressed, so what’s your point?

How to Use Ginger to Treat Arthritis Pain

Arthritis is a condition which is characterized by inflammation of the joints in your body usually accompanied by swelling, stiffness and pain. This disease is common among older individuals and is usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.

But did you know that there is a natural medicine that has shown effective cure for reducing joint inflammations caused by arthritis? Ginger is not only known for its uses in cooking, but it is used for centuries to treat various conditions in the body.

What Makes Ginger Effective for Arthritis Pain?

A study by the University of Miami concluded that ginger extract could be an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. The study compared the effects of a highly concentrated ginger extract to placebo ones in 247 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The ginger reduced stiffness and pain in knee joints by 40% over the placebo.

What makes ginger effective? Ginger contains anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, as well as a small amount of analgesic property, that is according to Roberta Lee, MD, vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center based in New York City.

ginger for arthritis pain / pixabay

1. Adding Fresh Ginger to Your Meals

Researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens and Georgia State College & University in Milledgeville reported in the Journal of Pain that a few tablespoons of grated ginger can help ease muscle pain caused by exercise.

You can add a few tablespoons to your diet by grating ginger over a salad or into a stir fry.

You can add fresh ginger to your daily meals. Use finely minced form of ginger and sauté in hot oil with the rest of the ingredients. Ginger also makes a great addition to meals such as soups and stews for its smell and taste.

2. Ginger Drink

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
1 inch grated ginger
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
1. Boiled 1 cup of water in a pan.
2. Add the grated ginger.
3. Boil the water for 10 minutes.
4. Strain it.
5. Add 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
6. Add 1 teaspoon honey.
7. Drink 2-3 cups daily, until the pain subsides.

3. Ginger Oil Massage

Ginger essential oil have chemicals which have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It helps in relieving arthritis pain by acting on the vanilloid receptors, which is located on the nerve endings of sensory nerves.

Directions:
1. Take 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add 3-4 drops of ginger essential oil.
3. Allow the oil to cool down just a bit.
4. Massage the mixture in affected joints and muscles for 10-15 minutes.
5. Massage the painful areas with the mixture at least 1 to 2 times daily.

For additional benefits, you can add ½ teaspoon turmeric into the mixture.

Note: Use gentle strokes while massaging the joints to prevent any pain or damage.

Lose 15kg In 15 Days With This Diet!

15 DAYS DIET PLAN

The breakfast is the same throughout the whole diet plan

• 1 fruit (orange, pear, peach, melon, watermelon,but no bananas or any grapes)
• 
  

DAY 1

Lunch

• 1 orange
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 cup yogurt (about 200ml)

Dinner

• 2 tomatoes or 2 dl cooked tomatoes
• 2 boiled eggs
• 1 small piece of lettuce or ½ cucumbers
• 2 pieces of rusk

DAY 2

Lunch

• 1 orange
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 cup yogurt (about 200ml)

Dinner

• 125 gr boiled beef
• 1 tomato
• 1 orange
• 1 rusk
• 1 cup of tea or coffee without sugar

DAY 3

Lunch

• 1 orange
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 cup of yogurt (about 200ml)
• 1 piece of lettuce or 1 cucumber

Dinner

• 125 gr boiled beef
• 1 orange
• 1 rusk
• 1 cup of tea or coffee

DAY 4

Lunch

• 125 gr cow milk cheese
• 1 tomato
• 1 rusk

Dinner

• 125 gr boiled beef
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 apple
• 1 rusk

DAY 5

Lunch

• 200 gr boiled meat or fish
• 1 tomato
• 1 rusk

Dinner

• ½ kilos boiled vegetables (carrot, peas, potato)

NOTE

The meat and the vegetables are cooked with no or just a pinch of salt.

The 6th and 7th day you should stop the diet, and then continue it at day 8 in the same order.

You mustn’t consume any alcohol during this diet plan.

After the 5th day you’ll lose 5 to 10 pounds, and after the 2 days break, the diet plan should be repeated 3 times ( 5 days + 2 days break) and you’ll have no health consequences and still lose 30 pounds. If you continue eating regularly every day except Mondays, you won’t gain back the pounds. On Mondays, you should eat this:

Breakfast: 1 cup of lemon juice without sugar

Lunch: 1 apple, 1 rusk

Dinner: 1 boiled egg, 1 tomato, 1 rusk

All these foods can be taken hot or cold, but it’s important to be taken in the right order and not to omit any.

Jigsaw 2017 film

Jigsaw is a 2017 American horror film directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, and starring Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Clé Bennett, and Hannah Emily Anderson. 

It is the eighth installment in the Saw franchise, picking up over a decade after the death of the eponymous Jigsaw killer, 

during the police investigation of a new succession of murders that fit his modus operandi. Saw 3D (2010) was originally deemed the final installment of the series, before Lionsgate Films commissioned the production of Jigsaw from a pitch by Stolberg and Goldfinger.

Filming began in November 2016 in Ontario, Canada, with post-production following in January. The film was released in the United States on October 27, 2017, received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $32 million worldwide.

Plot

A criminal named Edgar Munsen manages to evade police and is pursued onto a rooftop, where he activates a triggering mechanism. He is shot and severely injured by police detective Halloran and his fellow officers.

Elsewhere, five people are held captive inside of a room in a run-down barn, each with a metal noose around their neck leading them to a wall of buzzsaws. A taped recording from John Kramer explains that to escape, they must give a sacrifice of blood and will eventually need to confess their past sins. The chain nooses begin to pull them towards the saw blades. Four manage to survive by offering blood via purposely cutting themselves on the saws, though one man who was still unconscious during the message and only woke up moments before the ending of the game appears to die. The next test reveals that one of the group-members, Carly, inadvertently caused the death of an asthmatic woman by stealing her purse, which had her emergency inhaler inside. A trio of syringes are revealed; one contains an antidote for a poison in her system, another a saline solution, and the third a potent acid. She must inject one into herself in order to save the rest from being hanged. Eventually, volatile group-member Ryan stabs all three into her to save himself, partially melting Carly's face and killing her.

During the games, Halloran and his partner, Detective Hunt, begin to investigate the matter, especially with the discovery of bodies that appear to belong to the unnamed man and Carly, who were both killed in the barn. Halloran becomes suspicious of forensic pathologists Logan and Eleanor. Though in turn Logan, a military veteran and former doctor whose wife was killed two years prior, is suspicious of Halloran's motives. Munsen is kidnapped from the hospital by an unseen assailant. When the police captain orders John Kramer's grave be exhumed, Munsen's body is found inside.

In another room, Ryan tries to cheat by escaping through a door marked "No Exit", and his leg is trapped by razor-sharp wires, immobilizing him. Fellow group members Anna and Mitch discover an unlocked door leading into a grain silo, but are quickly trapped inside. A taped message explains that Anna and Mitch will be buried in grain and then killed by falling debris unless Ryan pulls a lever that will free him from the wires around his leg. Ryan eventually agrees, but upon pulling the lever, his leg is instantly severed, though Anna and Mitch survive. Mitch is tested next. A taped message reveals that he sold a motorcycle with a faulty brake to a young man revealed to be John Kramer's innocent nephew, which resulted in his death in an automobile accident. Mitch will be lowered into a spiral-shaped blade, unless he can reach for a brake lever. However, he is unable to complete the task and is subsequently killed, with his body being shredded.

Logan and Eleanor speak in a bar about their distrust of Halloran, before Eleanor takes Logan to her "studio", revealing that she is an obsessive fangirl of the "Jigsaw Killer" case, and has built replicas of many of his previous traps, which she worries could incriminate her. Detective Hunt has followed them and informs Halloran of the studio. Halloran orders the two be arrested, though Logan is able to convince Hunt, an old friend, that Halloran is actually to blame, given his past dealings with Edgar Munsen. Logan and Eleanor depart for the barn after Eleanor is able to deduce the location of the game. Halloran manages to pursue them.

Anna tries to cheat and slip through a doorway to freedom, only to be captured. She awakens with a gravely wounded Ryan, each chained up in a room with a hooded figure. The hooded figure removes his robe to reveal John Kramer. John reveals that Anna, an old neighbor of his, suffocated her infant child in a fit of rage, and threw the blame on her husband by planting the body next to him while he slept. Her husband later committed suicide in a fit of grief, thinking he accidentally smothered his own baby. John explains that the two have not yet earned their survival, and have gotten his message "backwards." He places a loaded gun between them, telling them it is the "key" to their survival. Anna misinterprets John's message and attempts to shoot Ryan, only for the gun, which is revealed to be rigged, to backfire and kill her. Ryan begins to cry upon realizing that keys to their chains were hidden inside of the gun, and destroyed when Anna pulled the trigger.

While Logan and Eleanor investigate the barn, they are ambushed by Halloran. Eleanor escapes, and while pursuing her Halloran is drugged and knocked-out by an unseen assailant. Logan and Halloran both awaken inside of collars rigged with laser cutters. The two are told that they must confess all of their sins or else they will die, and they will have the choice of who will face their test first. Halloran forces Logan to go first. Logan confesses that he made a mistake and mislabeled John Kramer's X-Rays, which caused his cancer to go un-diagnosed until it was too late. Despite confessing, Logan appears to die. Halloran confesses at the last second, admitting that he has allowed criminals and murderers to walk free for personal gain.

Suddenly, Logan's body stands up, stating that he faked his death in order to get Halloran to confess, and revealing that the barn game takes place ten years in the past. He was the unnamed man who appeared to die in the first game of the barn trap, but because he was unconscious when the first message was delivered, John Kramer saved him, feeling Logan should not die out of error. John subsequently took Logan on as his apprentice. The bodies that were found were actually the bodies of criminals that Halloran allowed to walk free, and they were placed into the same tests that Logan was meant to face ten years prior. Logan also reveals that Munsen, one of the criminals Halloran let go, was responsible for murdering his wife. However, because Halloran refused to confess all of his sins, and because he selfishly broke the rules and forced Logan to go first, he will die, and be framed as the new Jigsaw killer. Logan tells Halloran that he "speaks for the dead", and reactivates the laser-collar around his neck. Logan slams the door as Halloran's head is sliced apart, killing him.

Cast

For more details on the cast and characters, see List of Saw cast members and List of Saw characters.

• Matt Passmore^[10] as Logan Nelson^[11]
• Callum Keith Rennie^[10] as Det. Halloran^[12][11]
• Clé Bennett^[13] as Det. Keith Hunt^[12][11]
• Hannah Emily Anderson^[10] as Eleanor Bonneville^[11]
• Laura Vandervoort^[2] as Anna^[12][11]
• Paul Braunstein^[13] as Ryan^[12][11]
• Mandela Van Peebles^[3] as Mitch^[12][11]
• Brittany Allen^[10] as Carly^[12][11]
• Josiah Black^[10] as Edgar Munsen^[11]
• Shaquan Lewis^[10] as Officer Solomon^[11]
• Michael Boisvert^[10] as Lee James^[11]
• Tobin Bell as John Kramer / Jigsaw^[10][11][14]

Production

Development

Saw 3D was intended to be the final film Saw film.^[15] The film was set to be split into two parts, but Lionsgate Films only allowed the filmmakers to make one more film after Saw VI under-performed at the box office. According to Saw 3D writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, because of the change, "the big reveal of Dr. Gordon was a bit underserved ... Perhaps creating more questions than answers. There were several ideas we never quite figured out. But I don't want to say what they were, because you never know what might happen in the future."^[16]

After the conclusion, Lionsgate ceased making Saw films, while waiting to hear a pitch that they thought made it worthwhile to resurrect the series. Jigsaw was conceived when writers Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, who had spent two years pursuing the opportunity to write a Saw entry, proposed their vision.^[4][17] It became known in July 2016 that brothers Michael and Peter Spierig would direct the film.^[7][18]Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who produced all of the previous entries in the Saw series, produced again.^[3] Composer Charlie Clouser has described the film as a "reinvention" of the series, opining that "the Spierig brothers can deliver a fresh take on the material that will establish a new story line and new characters that can carry the saga into the future."^[19] The directors further detailed their approach as being "Saw for 2017", and Michael Spierig explained, "It's perhaps not quite as vicious, and more fun. But it's still full of gore, that's for sure. It's got a really great mystery, and there's very interesting twists."^[13]

Filming

In October 2016, production was confirmed to have commenced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, under the working title of Saw: Legacy.^[20] The film was shot in November 2016, and entered post-production by that January.^[3] On March 2, 2017, Bloody Disgusting revealed the first plot details and a full actor list, confirming that Tobin Bell would return in the role of John Kramer.^[10] In June 2017, the Motion Picture Association of America listed the film under the official title of Jigsaw, rating it R, for "sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and for language".^[21] On 14 August 2017, the film passed uncut in the United Kingdom with an 18 Certificate by the BBFC.^[21][8] In regard to the new title, writer Josh Stolberg clarified that "when a writer is writing a movie, they put something on the cover page to separate it from other films. So when we were writing this film, the title read Saw: Legacy but it was never official or 'decided'."^[22]

Marketing

Poster releases

On September 16, 2017, Lionsgate released five posters to promote Jigsaw.^[23] The posters show off people in the traditional Billy the Puppet makeup, captioned "He is Everyone". The release of the posters was Lionsgate's way of reasserting the series' dominance over the Halloween season.^[24]

Halloween Blood Drive

The Annual Blood Drive is the series' tradition, where before the release of the films in October, mobile blood stations are set up around the United States, where fans who donate blood receive a free ticket to see the respective film of that year.^[25] The tradition started in 2004, after the overwhelming success of Saw, and continued for each of the sequels until it stopped in 2009 before the release of Saw VI. Due to the arrival of Jigsaw in October, the blood drive was revived for another year, promoting the film with eight posters being released by Lionsgate, featuring "Nurses" Grae Drake, Dan Rockwell, Susanne Bartch, Nyakim Gatwech, Shaun Dross, Mosh, Mykie and Amanda LePore.^[26]

As of September 2017, 120,000 pints (57,000 L) of blood had been donated, which has lead to over 360,000 lives being saved.^[27]

Music

Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous entries in the Saw series, returned to score Jigsaw. Clouser re-imagined the music of the Saw franchise, following the six-year hiatus between Saw 3Dand Jigsaw. Clouser stated, "this will be an opportunity for me to re-imagine how I approach the score, and I'll be trying a more stark, bold, and stripped-down approach that will be more in line with the strong vision that the Spierig brothers are bringing to the table."^[19]

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2017, and the United States on October 27, 2017.^[28] It was featured in IMAX screenings for the first week of its theatrical run.^[29]

Box office

As of November 2, 2017, Jigsaw has grossed $21.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $32.4 million, against a production budget of $10 million.

In the United States and Canada, Jigsaw was released alongside Thank You for Your Service and Suburbicon, and is projected to gross around $20 million from 2,941 theaters in its opening weekend.^[30] It made $1.6 million from Thursday night previews at 2,400 theaters, just below the $1.7 million Saw 3D made from midnight screenings seven years prior, and $7.2 million on its first day. It went on to open to $16.2 million, finishing first at the box office but marking the lowest debut of the franchise.^[31]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 34% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Jigsaw definitely won't win many converts to the Saw franchise, but for longtime fans, it should prove a respectably revolting—if rarely scary—diversion."^[32] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film holds a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.^[31]

IGN the film a 4.5/10, writing "The good news is, Jigsaw is not the worst horror movie of the year. The bad news is, it's still bad enough that that's the good news...[It] doesn't capture what made the Sawfranchise work in the first place."^[34] Darren French of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C", calling it disappointing and overly long.^[35] Bloody Disgusting gave the film two and a half out of five, saying the film "while being a fun ride, fails to justify its existence with a story that is overly familiar and a twist that doesn't live up to most of its predecessors."^[36]

Variety's Owen Gleiberman found the film "garishly rote" saying "For 92 minutes, it more or less succeeds in sawing through your boredom, slicing and dicing with a glum explicitness that raises the occasional tingle of gross-out suspense but no longer carries any kick of true shock value."^[37] io9 largely panned the film saying "is one of the better films in the franchise. Unfortunately, that's not saying much.