It still follows the tried-and-true Saw formula – people face torturous tests of survival, the police attempt to find out who’s behind the killings, there are twists, there are scenes of someone in a pig mask abducting people – so it’s definitely familiar but also feels fresh in numerous ways. Spiral: From the Book of Saw, the latest and ninth installment of the franchise, returns to the roots of the original by being a thriller first and foremost, using its grisly traps sparingly, and taking time to actually flesh out its characters so that we actually care when they meet their demise. Beyond the gruesome trap sequences, the series also incorporates major elements of thrillers (the original film evokes much of David Fincher’s work), slashers, police procedurals, and is almost soap opera-like in the way it reveals a new killer or a character back from the dead with its endlessly intertwining story threads.Ĭhris Rock and Max Minghella in ‘Spiral: From the Book of Saw’ courtesy of Lionsgate Whether this is a fair description is up for debate and largely depends on which individual movie you’re watching. The franchise all but gave birth to the controversial term “torture porn”, which labeled the Saw movies and others like Hostel or The Human Centipede as purely sadistic just for the shock and entertainment of it. As the films went on, they attracted a lot of ire and disgust due to their relentlessly hopeless tone and, of course, their excruciating depictions of extreme violence. If they manage to survive (most do not), they supposedly walk away with a better appreciation for life. The movies follow the dastardly exploits of a serial killer named John Kramer AKA Jigsaw (played by Tobin Bell) and his numerous accomplices as they place their victims in deadly, elaborate traps intended to test their will to live. Created by genre powerhouses James Wan and Leigh Whannell before they found major success with films like Insidious, The Conjuring, The Invisible Man, and Upgrade – the original 2004 Saw launched a saga of exceedingly graphic punishment that’s continued on for eight entries and gone through more twists and turns (no matter how improbable) than M. The Saw franchise is one of the most recognized, quoted, parodied, and often maligned film series to ever grace the big screen.
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