Since the first movie in 2004, the Saw franchise has gained a massive following of horror fans. With its notorious penchant for blood and gore and famously twisting plot, it’s of little wonder the series has reached an almost cult-like status.
With three years having passed since the last release, Spiral: From the Book of Saw has fans waiting in giddy anticipation for its first screening in May of this year.
In a very surprising revelation, the trailer shows us that Chris Rock both directs and plays the lead role. Playing cop, Zeke Banks, Rock is joined by rookie partner William Shenk (played by Max Minghella) to investigate a series of gruesome murders that, in the wake of the Jigsaw Killer, bear all of the hallmarks of the city’s infamous murderer.
I was also over the moon to see that none other than Samuel L Jackson will also play a huge role in Spiral as Zeke Banks’ father. I get the impression that Jackson is a retired policeman and has a previous history with Jigsaw. Expect to see Jackson’s part in the movie to tell a tale of revenge.
What the Trailer Shows us
While the trailer is only 90-seconds long, it still does show a lot more about Spiral than first meets the eye. At the moment, I can do nothing but speculate on what I have seen, and form conclusions based on what I saw in the trailer.
Two Storylines: Watching the trailer closely enough will show that Jackson and Rock’s scenes contrast largely. When Chris Rock is on the scene, the screen is awash in color and has an almost warm tone; while on the flip-side we see Jackson’s appearances met with washed-out colors and a filter that’s blue in hue. This is a well-used technique that allows the viewer to easily differentiate between the two stories.
Jigsaw is only Targeting Police: “He is only targeting cops”. While the Jigsaw that we all know and love preyed on what he saw to be wrong-doers, it seems that police are now his sole target. Maybe he has an innate dislike for the Boys in Blue or maybe his mission is to trap corrupt police in his twisted traps. Only time will tell…
Church Meeting: Towards the end of the trailer we are briefly shown a church meeting that looks like a group therapy session. My guess is that this is a support group for previous victims of the Jigsaw Killer. If this is correct, then we may possibly see some faces from the previous films. After all, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is set in the same universe as all of the rest.
Conclusion
With a franchise like Saw to follow, Spiral: From the Book of Saw needs to bring something special to the table. After watching the trailer, I have high hopes and a strong feeling that Spiral will deliver. Chris Rock has been a lifelong fan of the Saw franchise from the start. Hopefully, this will mean he won’t want to make too many changes to the concept that has worked so well over the last 16 years. While I’m looking forward to a fresh direction, I strongly hope the premise won’t be distorted beyond all recognition. The trailer does hint at the use of the iconic classic traps, so it is looking likely that Spiral will keep old, gore-gorging fans happy.
I am counting the days until this reboot of the highly esteemed series. I just hope Rock knows what he’s doing with the direction of serious movies and, indeed, acting in them.
