Despite consistently getting maligned by critics, the Saw franchise just won’t die. The first film directed by James Wan is the only film in the franchise to earn over 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. 2010’s Saw: The Final Chapter was supposed to be the last movie in the franchise but that hasn’t been the case. 2017’s Jigsaw tried to revamp the franchise but that wasn’t the case. That’s what led to the making of Spiral.
The latest attempt to reboot the Saw franchise starred Chris Rock and Samuel Jackson. It was an interesting twist to make it more of a detective movie than just a straightforward horror film but that didn’t lead to better reviews. The film only received a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics enjoyed Rock’s performance but didn’t find the horror movie particularly thrilling.
Luckily for Lionsgate, fans don’t always care about critic reviews. According to Flix Patrol, Spiral is dominating streaming as the No. 1 movie on Hulu right now. With Halloween closing in, it was the perfect time to drop the newest sequel from an iconic horror franchise on streaming. It’s clearly paying off for Hulu. Whether critics like it or not, this is a sign that there will likely be many more Saw films coming out in the future.