There have been many words used to describe the Saw franchise over the years, but ‘funny’ has definitely never been one of them. The horror series became famous for the elaborate and gruesome traps concocted by evil mastermind Jigsaw over eight installments between 2004 and 2017, but like almost every other brand in the genre that churns out so many sequels, the law of diminishing returns inevitably set in.
Before it was delayed for an entire year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, ninth entry Spiral was shaping up to be the most exciting Saw movie yet, simply due to the talent involved. Having Chris Rock play the lead role, executive produce and develop the story for the latest chapter instantly increased the curiosity factor, which then doubled when it was announced that Samuel L. Jackson had also joined the cast.
Series veteran Darren Lynn Bousman is returning behind the camera for the first time since Saw IV in what will mark his fourth directorial effort in the franchise, but the filmmaker knows full well that he’s far from Spiral‘s main selling point. In fact, in a recent interview, the 41 year-old promised a fresh twist on the mythology, and even revealed that for the first time ever, a Saw movie is going to have people laughing in the theater.
“I can tell you that it feels like a Saw movie at times, and at other times it’s its own completely different thing. It furthers the Saw mythology, yet it takes it in a completely fresh direction. I’m really excited. We did an early screening when we thought it was coming out and it was so awesome sitting in the theater because Chris Rock is hilarious as a person, obviously, but the movie is not a comedy. But there are a couple of really amazing hilarious things that take place, because it’s Chris Rock. In sitting in the audience, I’ve never heard people laugh at a Saw movie, it doesn’t happen, and you hear this uproarious laughter, and then this immediate silence, because it turns on a dime. The tone is so fresh and new and different and Chris is just amazing in the movie.”
When you’ve got two charismatic talents like Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson at the forefront of your movie, it would be foolish not to lean into their strengths, even when the project in question is still a horror flick. And based on those two names alone, Spiral stands a good chance of being the finest entry in Saw canon yet when it finally arrives in May of 2021.