New ‘Saw’ Sequel ‘Spiral’ Looks Like One of Year’s Worst Movies

If you’re like me, you watched the first “Saw” all those years ago and thought: “Wow, that was a fun little horror movie.” Never did it cross my mind that we’d be getting a franchise that would feature EIGHT movies with a ninth on the way. James Wan and Leigh Whannell were the creators of the original “Saw” movie and have both gone on to become acclaimed filmmakers. Well, it’s clear that they’ve really had nothing much to do with the franchise for a long time.

There’s never been a truly great “Saw” movie but the masses just eat them up. “Saw: The Final Chapter” was supposed to put the franchise out of its misery but somehow there was another movie after. They didn’t even stop there as now we’re getting “Spiral” this year. The newest movie will star Chris Rock. Yep, you read that correctly. The legendary comedian is playing a hard-nosed detective in a crappy horror movie. If that sounds terrible to you, it sure looks like you’d be right. Lionsgate decided to drop a trailer for “Spiral” on Tuesday and it simply looks terrible.

It becomes clear very quickly that Rock was horribly miscast. There have been plenty of examples of comedians having success in dramatic roles but it’s impossible to buy Rock in this role. The reason Adam Sandler is so great in “Uncut Gems” is that he’s still playing a larger-than-life character. Watching Rock run around a police precinct and screaming at people just feels way off. Then they add the fact that Samuel L. Jackson is playing his father. While Jackson is still a great performer, it’s just a weird combination for a gritty, dark serial killer movie.

Nothing about this movie looks new or interesting. In fact, they couldn’t even find an intriguing director to helm the project. They just hired Darren Bousman, who is responsible for the second, third and fourth “Saw” movies. In case you didn’t know, those movies are all terrible. Look, Rock will go down as one of the great comedic talents ever, but his first foray into horror already looks like a disaster.

If you’re looking for a better horror movie called “Spiral,” check out the one that came out in 2019 on Shudder as it is a solid little horror movie.