"Hello Zepp" is the original name of a piece of incidental music that was composed by Charlie Clouser for the first installment in the Saw film series. The piece's appearance in the first film was timed to bring a dramatic tone to the end of the film, in which Zep Hindle, is revealed to actually be a victim of the real antagonist, the Jigsaw Killer (the character's name in the script is spelled 'Zep', whereas the music titles are spelled 'Zepp'). As the series continued, the piece was reused in all the films, often being renamed and remixed to accommodate the changing situations and characters in each film. The song, which is written in the key of D minor, is now the theme of the entire series.
Saw - The tune appears five times in Saw. The first plays during the reveal that Detective Tapp has been spying on Dr. Gordon's apartment. The second plays during a flashback as Tapp watches a Billy tape. (Because the first two pieces have not been officially released, the names of the two tracks are not known) The third, titled "X Marks the Spot", and plays during a conversation between Adam and Dr. Gordon. The fourth and most well-known version appears at the end of the film, when the identity of the Jigsaw Killer was finally revealed to be John Kramer, the cancer patient, rather than Zep Hindle, who was participating in the abduction of Dr. Gordon's family as a part of his own test, beginning when Adam Stanheight began to play Zep's tape, of which the first words were "Hello, Mr. Hindle. Or as they called you around the hospital: Zep." The fifth is the theme "Zepp Overture", which also appeared at the end of the short film.
Saw II - When Darren Lynn Bousman was signed on to direct Saw II, Leigh Whannell, the original screenwriter for Saw who played Adam Faulkner, rewrote Bousman's original script, and included another major plot twist that Bousman and Wan decided "Hello Zepp" should be applied to. The tune appears three times in Saw II. The first remix is played when Amanda Young reveals she has been tested by Jigsaw before and is titled "Played." The second plays when Xavier cornered Amanda Young and Daniel Matthews in the bathroom from the original movie, and began to cut the back of his neck off for part of the combination to the safe upstairs, and is titled "Cut Necks". For the film, only the ending was used while the original "Hello Zepp" was remixed for the scene. The final remix appears at the end of the film; titled "Hello, Eric", it played when Amanda revealed to Eric Matthews that she had become Jigsaw's apprentice.
Saw III - In Saw III, it plays seven times. The first occurrence is titled "Amanda" and plays when she arrives at Jigsaw's new lair and wheels Dr. Lynn Denlon in to meet a cancer-strickened Jigsaw. The second is titled "It's Begun" and appears when Amanda tells Jigsaw that Jeff has broken out of the box. The third is titled "Be Surprised" and plays during a flashback of Jigsaw setting up Amanda's Jaw Trap. The fourth occurrence, titled "Prep" is a loose mix and plays just prior to Jigsaw's surgery. The second remix plays over a flashback sequence, which sheds more light on the design of the bathroom trap from the first film. The tune was named "Shithole" after a line in the original film and was later rearranged as "The Shithole Theme". The sixth occurrence of the track is titled "Your Test" and is a remix of the "Hello Eric" theme, playing as Jigsaw explains his test design to Amanda. The final is at the very end of the film, and plays over the tape that Jigsaw has prepared for Jeff Denlon. This remix is titled "Final Test". At almost two minutes, "Final Test" is the shortest ending version of "Hello Zepp" seen in the films.
Saw IV - In Saw IV, it is played eight times. The first, titled "Just Begun", which was when Hoffman plays the wax tape found during Jigsaw's autopsy. The second tune occurs 2 times (3 in the Director's Cut) during the film, titled "Help Them". It plays first when Eric Matthews remembers how he survived his confrontation with Amanda after escaping the bathroom, second when Jill has her miscarriage, and last when Strahm confronts Jill with various pictures (after an inserted deleted scene uses the preceding musical track). The next occurrence plays while Strahm and Perez investigate Ivan's trap (and later Rex and Morgan's), titled "Step Back" and "New Game." The third mix, titled "Lesson", plays while John follows and abducts Cecil for his track. The final version plays during the twist finale. Titled "Let Go", it plays to a tape Art played for Rigg, telling him he failed his test.
Saw V - In Saw V, it plays four times. The first is a combination of "X Marks the Spot" from Saw and "Lesson" from Saw IV, which plays during a scene in which Jigsaw and Hoffman set up the House Trap from Saw II. The second plays over Jill Tuck and Agent Erickson's scene. This variation of the theme has not been released. The third, simply titled "Zepp Five", occurs when Strahm is trapped in the compactor room, and is very similar to "Let Go" from Saw IV. The first half of the song is more foreboding, implying the impending doom of Strahm. The second half becomes more action-oriented, beginning with a rising theme (similar to the one heard in "Final Test") and culminating in a brass ensemble (similar to the one heard in Saw IV) played intensely alongside a screeching string instrument as Strahm is crushed to death. The remix is two and half minutes long. The final version plays during the credits, and is one of the unused "Just Begun" mixes.
Saw VI - In Saw VI, it plays four times. The first is a remix of "Step Back" and "New Game". Entitled "Jill Drives", it plays when Jill Tuck drives to the hospital. The second is played on a piano accompanied by a chorus and plays when Hoffman discovers the note written to Amanda in Saw III and the subsequent flashbacks. The third, titled "Zepp Six", is the longest ending variation of the "Hello Zepp" theme (over six minutes long) and split into two halves. The first half (beginning similarly to a low-pitched "Hello Eric" and heavily featuring William's Theme) begins during William's final test and as Jill sets up Hoffman's test and ending as William is killed. The second half begins as plays as Hoffman tries to escape from the Reverse-Beartrap. This version is heavily action oriented (using the Double Bass portions of "Your Test"/"Shithole" and the rising brass theme from "Hello Eric", "Your Test" and "Let Go") before the brass ensemble from "Let Go" reappears, playing heavily and more dramatically before pausing at the last shot of Hoffman screaming.
Saw 3D - In Saw 3D, it plays seven times. The first is a distorted piano version, played when Dr. Gordon is crawling through a hallway and cauterize his stump. The second, a remix of "Step Back (from Saw IV)", plays during Jill's interrogation by Gibson. The third plays when Bobby Dagen reveals his fake scars to the Jigsaw survivors. The fourth is a remix of "New Game (from Saw IV)" and plays when the police investigate the aftermath of the Garage Trap. The fifth briefly plays during the autograph flashback scene. The fifth is a remix of "Zepp Six" with a section from "Let Go", playing when Hoffman places the original Reverse Beartrap on Jill. The sixth, another remix of "Zepp Six", plays when Dr. Gordon is revealed to have been a Jigsaw accomplice. The final mix is a remix of "Zepp Five" with a choir and plays during the final scene between Dr. Gordon and Hoffman, with a partial remix of the ending of "Zepp Six".
Outside of the Saw franchise, the original version of the composition is used in Homestuck as part of a Flash sequence.
In the film series, there are currently thirty-one versions or mixes of "Hello Zepp".
Saw: "X Marks the Spot", "Hello Zepp", "Zepp Overture"
Saw II: "I've Played Before"/"Played", "Cut Necks", "Conscious", "Hello Eric"
Saw III: "Amanda", "Be Surprised", "Shithole", "Your Test", "Final Test"
Saw IV: "Just Begun", "Just Begun (Alt.)", "Just Begun (Alt. 1)", "Just Begun (Alt. 2)", "Help Them", "Help Them (Alt.)", "New Game (Alt.), "Step Back (Alt.)", "Lesson", "Let Go"
Saw V: "Saw V Title", "Zepp Five"
Saw VI: "Jill Drives (Mix 1)", "Jill Drives (Mix 2)", "Severed Hand (Mix 1)", "Severed Hand (Mix 2)", "Zepp Six", "Zepp Six (Alt.)", "Hoffman's Zepp"
Saw 3D: "Cauterize", "Only You", "Support Group", "Junkyard", "Autographs", "Jill's Zepp", "Dr. Gordon Montage", "The Final Zepp"
Twelve versions or mixes of "Hello Zepp" have been released on various Saw soundtracks.
Saw: "Hello Zepp", "Zepp Overture"
Saw II: "Don't Forget the Rules"
Saw III: "The Shithole Theme" (rearranged & renamed), "Final Test" (renamed on Soundtrack as "The Final Test")
Saw 3D: "Cauterize", "Only You", "Junkyard", "Support Group", "Autographs", "Dr. Gordon Montage", "The Final Zepp"
