Since two decades ago, Saw had become an icon of the slasher genre when James Wan and Leigh Whannel fronted it. Both of them went on to become successful horror filmmakers through the popular series Conjuring and Insidious. Saw along with half a dozen sequels developed into a cheaply budgeted successful horror machine with different filmmakers. Spiral cannot be called a sequel; perhaps it is more fitting to “spin off” because it does not relate directly to the story with the previous series. Darren Lynn Bousman worked on Spiral with Wan and Whannel as executive producers. This film stars two famous stars, comedian Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. There wasn’t much expectation of watching this film, because I am not a fan of the series. Still, the achievement of this film was beyond my imagination.
A policeman was brutally murdered using the same method and modus operandi as the serial killer “Jigsaw”, who died several years ago. Detective Zeke (Rock), who investigates the case, becomes even more frustrated when the killer instructs the next victims via packages sent to his office. Zeke gradually realizes that the victims are colleagues from his office with whom he had been close and in trouble.
Honestly, I really can’t enjoy the series, which is ultra sadistic and brutal. I admire the concept of the film idea, which is in a limited space with all the mechanical equipment to punish the victims. The only options are live or die! Even if you survive, someone has great sacrifices. Like it or not, it must be admitted that this is indeed the unique characteristic of the series. Spiral is unexpectedly able to use this unique method and package it into one tense investigative story and, at the same time, terrifying. The story is unpredictable, and fans of the series will probably always associate it with the figure of John Kramer (Jigsaw). The plot of the investigation is not at Se7en’s (David Fincher) level. The casting is far from that, but looking at the series, the story is an achievement that is far from bad.
By utilizing a gadget that has become the icon of the series, Spiral has successfully built a solid thriller story with the message “Black Lives Matter”, which is still warm. The climax and ending scene direct the message of the film in this direction. There may be hundreds of corrupt police stories. Still, it seems that no one has been able to collaborate with other popular plot series. Like the Annabelle series, but a detective (not a psychic) who investigates the murder case. The series feels like this film can be a refresher because it uses a different story perspective from the previous series. Fans of Saw may or may not like this transformation. For those who are not fans of the series, this film can still be enjoyed independently without knowing who Jigsaw is.
For ordinary film lovers, this is not an ideal spectacle during Eid. Why should it be released now? The strangest thing is about censorship. The clipping of censors roughly cuts down Mortal Kombat, but this film that is too sadistic can look smooth without a cut. The screams of several female viewers around me were still echoed, which I was not surprised by the presented terrible spectacle. OMG.