Spiral: From The Book of Saw–the ninth movie in the Saw franchise–is finally debuting in theaters soon. It releases on May 14 after seeing numerous delays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, members of the press who have seen the film prior to its release are discussing their thoughts on the latest Saw movie.
Official reviews will arrive this week, but first responses to Spiral have arrived online. Critics from Bloody Disgusting, The Wrap, and others seem to love the new direction this horror movie takes. Check out some of the quick takes for Spiral below.
I’ve been given the go-ahead to talk about #Spiral & as a #SAW nerd, it absolutely lives up to the legacy of the series & what I wanted out of a movie from the SAW-iverse. It’s a bold & bloody new direction & I’m so excited for y’all to see it later this week. It rules. Hard. pic.twitter.com/9tTOYStr0C
— Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) May 8, 2021
#Spiral delivers. A confident companion piece to what has come before, it moves #Saw lore forward nicely, smartly retooling the guts of the franchise. Chris Rock and Darren Lynn Bousman embrace horror and thriller tropes and don’t squander the legacy, ushering in a new dawn. pic.twitter.com/JLUTtTmimy
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) May 10, 2021
I really dug #Spiral: From the Book of Saw, the first of many sequels to actually have something to say. It was fucking bonkers to see Chris Rock & Samuel L. Jackson in a @Saw, especially one as gnarly as Spiral. It’s downright nasty & I found myself cringing several times over. pic.twitter.com/uQTY15ECXd
— B/R/A/D 📼 (@bradmiska) May 7, 2021
I had a really bad day last Tuesday and then went to see #Spiral and MAN was I in a great mood after. Almost 20 years of the #Saw franchise and they still found new, creative, GORY kills to throw in there.
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) May 10, 2021
#Spiral is the latest film in the Saw franchise, but it’s nothing like whats come before. @darren_bousman crafts one of the best entries by switching up the whole game. It’s like 48 Hours with gore, which is the best combo.
Full review coming to @flickeringmyth on Wednesday— EJ Moreno (@EJKhryst) May 10, 2021
I made a triumphant return to the movies for #Spiral: From the Book of Saw! Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson lead a fresh return to form that evokes both Seven and the original Saw, complete with effectively sadistic traps, topical social commentary, and signature twists. pic.twitter.com/W0e9qF6c0h
— Alex DiVincenzo (@alexislegend) May 8, 2021
The latest installment of the Saw franchise follows Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock as two detectives who have teamed up with a rookie–played by Max Minghella–and come across a string of murders that are reminiscent of Jigsaw. While investigating, Rock’s character has become the focal point for the killer’s next game.
Rock also served as executive producer on the film and had a hand in reviving the franchise–which had its last release in 2017 with Jigsaw, which wasn’t that long ago. Rock told Digital Spy he wanted to bring some iconic traps back for the latest movie. “‘That reverse bear trap could work again, you know, or the one with the needles,” Rock said. “I mean, I was game for that. You can’t half jump into this genre. You’ve got to jump into it, or the fans are going to know. You know what I mean? You can’t be above any of it.”
Speaking of games, a Saw fan account on Twitter had a bizarre back-and-forth with the Spiral account, where the fan account threatened to delete the upcoming movie. Sure, it may have been a marketing ploy for the upcoming movie, but it sure was hilarious. Back in March, fans got a better look at the upcoming movie with a dark and mysterious trailer.