Spiral: From the Book of Saw is essentially your average Saw sequel but with a bit more personality. The characters, while pretty cliché, just manage to hold your attention. The twists and revelations, when compared to those of previous sequels, are a bit more original and the trap sequences are gruesome as always.

Set in the world of the long running horror series, Spiral focuses on detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) as he’s paired up with a rookie (Max Minghella) to investigate a number of murders committed by a Jigsaw copycat. Zeke soon realizes that he himself is of great interest to the killer in a way that will destroy his sense of duty and morality.

The Characters

Zeke is every grumpy cop we’ve ever seen. The only thing that makes him slightly unique is the fact that he’s played by Chris Rock. He’s had issues with women, doesn’t get along with his colleagues and is infuriated when he learns he has to show a rookie the ropes. He’s mostly just a vehicle to navigate us through the plot so we can get to the gore. The only thing about him that’s sort of intriguing is his relationship with his father Marcus (Samuel L. Jackson).

We learn that the father and son have both served in the police, Marcus once being a prestigious police chief. Zeke is anxious working in the shadow of his father hence, in addition to other grievances, he and Marcus are often hostile to each other. You won’t care about either of them but it’s interesting to see a Saw film dedicate this much time to establishing the personal relationships of a single character.

The rest of the cast are mostly there to act as suspects for the killer. I wasn’t exactly stunned or surprised when the killer was revealed but I can imagine smarter people seeing it from a mile off.

On paper the characters of Spiral aren’t that different from those of previous Saw films. However, what makes Spiral’s characters (and the film overall) unique is the tones they’re presented in. This is both the film’s greatest strength and weakness.

The Tone

Spiral has comic relief and it’s used well. It occurs in the casual interactions Zeke has with his colleagues and his father. While undercover, Zeke banters with criminals about how Forest Gump could never get made today. When with his father, who is also his landlord, Zeke moans and complains about his rent costs. The comic relief doesn’t dilute the tension like in some recent horror films, not intentionally anyway. Similar to Get Out, the funny bits create a good contrast with the trap scenes, resulting in a more compelling experience had the film remained serious and straight-faced all the way through.

When it’s funny on purpose and gruesome on purpose, Spiral’s really not bad. However, due to certain scenes and how they’re executed, there are times when the film becomes ‘so-bad-it’s-good,’ which is clearly the last thing Spiral wants to be.

A good example of this is in a flashback where we see Marcus when he was a police chief. If his comically thick 70s’ moustache doesn’t make you giggle then Samuel L. Jackson’s over-the-top performance will. Any interest you had in the plot will evaporate, the scene’s just too funny. There are similar moments which aren’t as bad but that flashback certainly took me out of the film for a while.

If you’re a big Saw fan then you’ll love Spiral and appreciate the fresh take it has on the franchise. If you’re someone like me however, who believes the series had done all it could after its fourth instalment, you’ll also appreciate Spiral’s originality but will be weary of its cliché characters and unintentionally funny moments.

I give Spiral: From The Book of Saw a decent 5 out of 10.