The Saw franchise ran out of gas a long time ago, but all any major horror property needs is a fresh coat of paint and it’s ready to go once more, as we’ve discovered over and over again as virtually any brand with name recognition gets reinvented and updated.
Spiral is an entirely different proposition, though, if only for the involvement of Chris Rock. After all, he really doesn’t take many dramatic roles, never mind as the story developer, executive producer and leading man of the ninth installment in a franchise that devolved into being little more than a gimmick well over a decade ago.
Samuel L. Jackson is also on board, which only increases the curiosity levels, while returning director Darren Lynn Bousman has compared Spiral to David Fincher’s Seven, promising a bold reinvention for the tiring series. The movie was initially supposed to be released last May before being delayed an entire year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, but the latest trailer has now arrived to remind us that Spiral is coming to theaters in just over six weeks.
It’s certainly atmospheric and eerie, but like any self-respecting horror promo, it isn’t giving too much away. The lack of Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw as the focus might be off-putting to longtime Saw fans, but the serial killer’s legacy looks to play a huge part in the narrative nonetheless. It could be just the bold new stab at the mythology that the franchise has been crying out for, and it appears as though Rock is taking things pretty seriously, which isn’t surprising when he’s been arguably the single main driving force behind Spiral since the very beginning of the development process.
