The horror genre has been in an exciting renaissance for years, to the delight of moviegoers. And while a variety of original projects have hit theaters, we've also seen the return of franchises like Halloween, Child's Play, and Scream. This trend will continue with Spiral, which is a spinoff on the ultra gory Saw films. The delayed movie is produced by and starring Chris Rock, and it turns out that his pitch was actually influenced by an iconic thriller: David Fincher's Se7en. And now I'm even more excited for the horror flick.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw will be directed by long-time franchise writer Darren Lynn Bousman, but it sounds like Chris Rock's vision is very much at the heart of the mysterious horror movie. His concepts for the Saw franchise have been teased as revolutionary by those involved, and it turns out that said vision named dropped David Fincher's Se7en. Bousman recently spoke to this dynamic, saying:
Chris came in with a thriller concept. He pitched this very elaborate, dense idea. We wanted it to feel much more like [David Fincher's] Se7en, but it has so many ties to the mythos of Saw ... Gore and violence was the gimmick [for the earlier movies], I think. Gore and violence is no longer a gimmick — it just serves the story. This is much more about character, tension, and fear.
Color me intrigued. While Saw movies have always brought the gore and scares to screen, it's rarely a character-driven story. But that'll change with Spiral, at least according to director Darren Lynn Bousman himself.
Darren Lynn Bousman's comments to Empire are sure to make horror fans very happy, especially those who might be apprehensive about Saw returning to theaters just a few years after the release of 2017's Jigsaw. But Spiral has been teased a story about Chris Rock's protagonist Detective Zeke Banks, as well as his relationship to his father Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson). And considering the pedigree of Se7en, the new movie has the potential to standout in quality to its predecessors.
David Fincher's Se7en hit theaters back in 1995, and continues to be apart of pop culture in the years since. The movie was tense and character-driven, while also including some terrifying moments and that iconic "what's in the box?" scene. We'll just have to wait and see how Spiral channels the flick.
Obviously Spiral is expected to include plenty of gore and violence. After all, that's what the long-running property is known for. But this time the traps will be helping to move a more emotional story forward, rather than featuring unnamed characters being sliced to bits. The specifics remain a mystery, but the first trailer for Spiral is moody and exciting. Check it out below.
Hardcore fans of the Saw movies will notice a few things noticeably missing from that limited first footage for Spiral. Namely Tobin Bell's John Kramer and the iconic Billy the Clown. Despite the character's death back in the threequel, every installment has featured Kramer in one way or another-- especially his iconic voice that is usually instructing his victims.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw was originally supposed to be released last spring, but was delayed a full year when theaters were shut down. The horror flick is far from the only project that went his route, as studios attempt to hold off in order to make a profit at the box office. Hopefully the current date works, and new trailers for Chris Rock's movie arrive soon.
Spiral is currently set to arrive in theaters May 21st. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
