Jigsaw, the most recent entry in the long-running horror movie franchise Saw, wasn’t a bad movie, exactly. It was something worse: boring. A movie about a killer who uses physiological torture (and grain silos) to test his victims, and speak to them through a clown puppet riding a tricycle, should never be boring, but it was clear that if Saw was going to continue, it needed new blood and fresh ideas. Enter: Chris Rock.
The stand-up comedian not only stars in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Max Minghella, but he also came up with the story. “When Chris Rock came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in,” Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group chair Joe Drake said. “Chris conceived this idea and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision, and passion for this classic horror franchise.” Based on the teaser trailer, Spiral will up-end buddy cop tropes, while also still trapping Chris Rock in a basement with a rusty saw. To paraphrase SLJ, I am ready to watch this movie, motherf*cker.
Here’s the official plot synopsis.
A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks, and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw opens on May 15.
