As a massive fan of the horror genre, the 2000s offered two things – remakes & Saw films. Starting in 2004 with James Wan’s Saw, the franchise became the decade’s standard, with sequels releasing almost every year. I recall all the commercials during that time always having the same tagline, “If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw!” In a similar vein to the Friday the 13th franchise that spawned eight films throughout nine years, Saw had seven sequels over six years and one “reboot” in 2017, which ultimately led to franchise fatigue.
Fast forward to 2019, when the news broke, Chris Rock was working on a new reboot of the franchise, and the first question I had was Why? At the time, the franchise, like Jigsaw himself, was dead and buried, and I had zero desire for more entries. Original feelings aside, the film’s first trailer added some intrigue as it looked like the movie was moving away from the “gore-porn” aspect of the franchise into a more character-driven story.
I can happily say that Spiral does that exactly. What makes Spiral such an exciting inclusion in the Saw franchise is the minor adjustments it makes in changing the tone and moral lessons of the series.
Spiral is directed by Saw alum Darren Lynn Bousman who returns to the franchise after controlling Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV. Bousman returns Jigsaw screenwriter Josh Stolberg, and both add a fresh take to the story. There is no Jigsaw but a new killer and puppet with their eye on a corrupt police department this time around. The film’s timely release and themes revolving around police corruption remain at the forefront of the conversations in today’s society, adding to the film’s lasting impact (death traps aside).
One of the film’s biggest strengths is finding a way to inject mystery back into the franchise. While the traps are still a part of the film, they are not at the forefront. The audience will care more about deciphering who is committing these crimes, rather than the “what traps will Jigsaw create for this installment?” Bousman and company essentially put the genie back into the bottle and rebuild the mysterious persona of this serial killer by acknowledging Jigsaw’s death and confirming this is someone new, and we don’t know who it is.
While Spiral replaces the “teachable moments” for “justice,” it does not take away the impact of all the traps, which in this film are a lot harder to beat than they were in the previous installments, which make for quite the compelling watch.
While Max Minghella and Chris Rock are both quite good in the film, Samuel L. Jackson is essentially playing Sam Jackson, and the father-son dynamic between Marcus (Jackson) and Zeke (Rock) is never really developed. Along with that, Marisol Nichols didn’t quite work for me in her role as Captain Garza.
Despite the changes that did work for the film, the franchise connective tissue they did keep intact was one I’ve disdained from the original series. It’s the fact that they use multiple editing cuts when showing the deaths in the film instead of one long shot.
If you’re hoping for an ending with “Game Over” playing over Charlie Clouser’s iconic score, Spiral is sure to be a front-runner for your new favorite finale of the series outside of the first entry.
Spiral was quite the surprise and a film that warrants an in-depth analysis of its themes more than any other in the franchise. The film is sure to spark conversations where it should live within the Saw rankings, but for me, there is no denying this is a top-tier Saw film, and I am looking forward to future entries in this new world within the Book of Saw.
