Among the mega-blockbusters we’re still waiting for amid the major Coronavirus pandemic delays, there are other fascinating not-quite-blockbusters that have also been held back too – and few are as intriguing as the reboot of the Saw franchise. Spiral: From The Book Of Saw is a fresh take on the twisty torture-trap horror-thriller series from an idea by Chris Rock, directed by Saw sequels veteran Darren Lynn Bousman, and starring Rock himself alongside Samuel L. Jackson. With cinemas reopening in the not too distant future, the film should hopefully arrive in a couple of months – and a new trailer has dropped to tease exactly what we can expect when it does.
There are elaborate torture devices, freaked-out cops, and a killer who loves playing games – yep, looks like a Saw movie alright. And there are some interesting tidbits in here (even if it perhaps gives away more than you’d want to know). Firstly it seems that this one takes place further down the timeline of the original Saw movies – or, as it’s traditionally known, a ‘sequel’ – since Rock’s cop Zeke notes that the OG Jigsaw killer is dead. Plus, it confirms that Jackson’s character is Zeke’s father and a former police chief, and that the killer seems to have a personal vendetta against our main man. And did you see that shot of Rock chained up by his arm in a bathroom, holding a rusty old saw? Could this be going where we think it’s going?
We’ll find out how it all fits together when Spiral: From The Book Of Saw comes to UK cinemas (hopefully) on 21 May. A big cathartic cinematic scare could be exactly what we all need right now.