‘Spiral’ A Tense, Mysterious Continuation of ‘Saw’ Series

In 2004, a little horror movie called ‘Saw’ was released just in time for Halloween and several horror fans enjoyed it. No one had any idea that the 2004 horror feature would eventually spawn one of the most successful horror franchises ever.

The last couple installments of the series (primarily 2017s ‘Jigsaw’) kind of fell flat. Now, the ‘Saw’ franchise is beginning to go in a slightly different direction and this series continuation is definitely worth a look!

A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in ‘Spiral,’ the terrifying new chapter from the book of ‘Saw.’ Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Exekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past.

Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

‘Spiral’ takes this horror series to a new direction and it works. The main plot of the ‘Saw’ spin-off/continuation is really interesting and focuses on a Jigsaw copycat going against corrupt cops.

Unlike a few of the recent ‘Saw’ entries, ‘Spiral’ really delivers the suspense and sometimes reminds me of the movie ‘Seven’ - with the tense psychological thriller aspect. And, yes, since it’s a ‘Saw movie, there will be a bit of a bloody mess. Chris Rock even adds a bit of humor into the thriller, and honestly, doesn’t ruin the movie at all. Plus, you have a ‘Saw’ movie with THE Samuel L. Jackson, so it’s gotta be good!

So, come on down to the Dietrich and have a good time checking out this chilling and clever entry of the ‘Saw’ franchise on the big screen. It delivers the chills, the blood, the twists and turns, and yes, even the twist ending that you would expect at the conclusion of a ‘Saw’ movie. The ending really knocks it out of the park and I’m really curious to see what’s in store for this horror franchise after this installment.

The cast: Chris Rock (FXs Fargo) as Detective Zeke Banks; Max Minghella (Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) as William Schenk; Dan Petronijevic as Det. Marv Boswick; Richard Zeppieri as Det. Fitch, Ali Johnson as Jeannie Lewis; Edie Inksetter (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Det. Kraus; Zoie Palmer as Kara Boswick; Marisol Nichols (CWs Riverdale) as Captain Angie Garza and Samuel L. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far From Home; the upcoming The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) as Marcus.

‘Spiral’ is written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldinger (both writers worked on ‘Jigsaw’ and ‘Piranha 3D’) and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (who also directed a few of the ‘Saw’ sequels).

Talks of a ninth ‘Saw’ movie’ slowly began after the 2017 release of ‘Jigsaw.’ The talks didn’t amount too much and development slowed down. A chance meeting between Chris Rock and the head of the studio Lionsgate invigorated the ninth movie discussions.

After getting the ideas moving, the project was officially announced in May 2019. This is director Darren Lynn Bousman’s fourth ‘Saw’ feature he directed. He also worked on ‘Saw II,’ ‘Saw III’ and ‘Saw IV.’

‘Spiral’ was originally slated for an October 23, 2020 release, but was then moved up to May 2020 so it wouldn’t compete with ‘Halloween Kills’ (another horror sequel that also eventually got delayed). As the result of the pandemic, ‘Spiral’ eventually got delayed once again to this May (the original date of the next ‘John Wick’).

There are currently discussions for a continuation of the movie series as a potential sequel was announced in April 2021 and Lionsgate TV are in the early talks of developing a TV series based on ‘Spiral.’

‘Spiral’ is rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, pervasive language, some sexual references and brief drug use and has a running time of 93 minutes.