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Spiral: From the Book of Saw | Review

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It’s quite a relief to be able to say that the ninth film in a horror franchise is actually pretty entertaining and not completely terrible for once. Most horror franchises start to drop in quality as the sequels keep getting churned out and it was definitely looking like the Saw franchise was heading in that direction after the last few films. Spiral: From the Book of Saw isn’t really Saw 9 and its place within the franchise isn’t quite the same as the many sequels but it’s a turn for the good. It’s not amazing but it’s an entertaining film with enough kills and enough gore to keep you engaged right the way through, even if it never reaches the level of the first two Saw films.

Spiral introduces a whole new set of characters including Chris Rock’s police detective Zeke Banks, and him and his rookie partner are tasked with a dark investigation trying to stop whoever’s out there killing cops. And thankfully, the Saw writers have learnt that not every single story has to link back to John Kramer. The new killer seems to be a Jigsaw copycat that’s playing gruesome games with people but he’s still using some really horrible traps.

As far as the traps and the kills go, Spiral has some of the best in the entire franchise. The kills are brutal and bloody and they’re really inventive and outside the box like we’ve come to expect from the traps in the franchise. But one thing Spiral does really well, and one of the reasons why it’s much better than almost all of the Saw sequels that have come before it, is because it’s not complete torture porn. Yes, there’s lots of gore in this and Saw fans will get what they’ve come to see but, there’s a very strong focus on plot and on the characters and it exists as much more of a film in its own right. Some of the previous instalments in the franchise have felt like pure torture porn; there’s not always a particularly good plot, the characters are never likeable and it’s just complete violence and gore. Whereas Spiral strips that back enough that it stands as a police crime thriller film on its own. But it does still has lots of gruesome murders that fans of the franchise love to see so much.

However, one of the biggest problems with Spiral is the writing. There are quite a few times, particularly earlier on, where the film tries to be quite funny and make lots of jokes, and all credit to Chris Rock for trying to inject a bit of humour into the franchise, it’s just that a lot of the jokes didn’t land and didn’t quite do it for me. Some of them did and some were quite funny, but on the whole the humour felt out of place. Additionally, one of the best things about the first film was the incredible ending and the big twist. Spiral tries to create a big twist except it’s just glaringly obvious. Within the first 25 minutes or so I had already figured out what the twist was and where it was going. Granted, I didn’t work out everything and it was still exciting seeing it play out, but when you can work out who the murderer is very early on, the ending doesn’t pack the same punch as it should.

In terms of the cast, Chris Rock does bring some freshness and some new life to the franchise that it had been lacking for a while. It’s really good that the first film in the franchise without Tobin Bell and without the Jigsaw killer is entertaining and does still work. It’s very excited to see that Samuel L. Jackson is in the film playing Chris Rock’s dad however he’s not in it a huge amount and it’s only really towards the end where he features a bit more prominently so that was slightly disappointing.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is an entertaining and enjoyable film with some really great kills but it is let down by its predictability and the fact that it’s not always as tight and tense as a thriller like this should be. That being said, when you reach the final few minutes and the Saw theme music comes on, you know sh*t’s about to go down!

★★★☆☆

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is released in US Cinemas on 14th May and in UK cinemas on Monday 17th May.

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HORROR

The Boogeyman | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios

The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.

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Genre:

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Release Date:

June 2, 2023

Director:

Rob Savage

Cast:

Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, David Distmalchian

Plot Summary:

The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.

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Entertainment

Olivia Cooke to Play a Nun in Horror Film ‘Visitation’

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Horror has been one of the most profitable genres in recent years due to its low cost to produce scary pics while constantly drawing in audiences. Pair that theory with a fresh star like one from HBO’s House of the Dragon and you might have a hit on your hands. That’s exactly what director Nicolas Pesce (The Grudge, Eyes of My Mother) aims to do with his latest horror film as Deadline is reporting that Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, Ready Player One) will lead Visitation

Visitation will follow a 14-year-old girl named Maria who is sent away to live with nuns while her mother is dying of an illness, however, her stay at the monastery quickly takes an eerie turn as one of her caretakers starts to be enamored with her for all the wrong reasons. Cooke is set to play a nun who is central to the story, but further character details are under wraps for now. Cooke will be joined in the film by other cast members Isla Johnston, Alfie Allen, Penelope Wilton and Stephen Rea.

Cooke is best known for her role as Alicent Hightower in the new hit HBO fantasy/drama House of the Dragon. She has also appeared in supporting roles for indies such as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Sound of Metal as well as supporting roles in blockbusters such as Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Cooke will next appear in the thriller, Mother’s Milk alongside Hilary Swank and Jack Reynor. Alfie Allen is also no stranger to the Game of Thrones universe as he starred as Theon Greyjoy in the HBO series. He most recently appeared in the MGM+ show SAS Rogue Heroes. While Johnston played the younger version of Beth Harmon in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit and Rea most recently appeared alongside Emily Blunt in the Amazon series, The English but is best known for his Oscar-nominated role in 1992’s The Crying Game.

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HORROR

Renfield | Official Trailer | Universal Pictures

Dracula’s henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum.

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Genre:

Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Release Date:

April 14, 2023

Director:

Chris McKay

Cast:

Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina

Plot Summary:

Dracula’s henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum.

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