The Jigsaw Killer (or someone pretending to be him) returns for Spiral, another entry in the horror film franchise Saw, which debuted at theaters in 2004.
The official trailer for the new movie, which is the ninth in the series, feels somewhat different than past versions, although filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV is back at the helm. Screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, who wrote the last sequel, Jigsaw, in 2017, have also returned.
What is obviously unusual about this movie is the fact that the lead role has been filled by comedian and actor Chris Rock (TV’s Fargo). Rock stars as Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks, a detective who finds himself in the middle of a morbid game with someone that seems to be following in the footsteps of the Jigsaw Killer, who is now dead.
The film also stars Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) as an ex-police officer and Zeke’s father, Max Minghella (The Social Network) as a rookie cop and half-Mexican American actress Marisol Nichols (TV’s Riverdale) as Captain Angie Garza, who is also featured in the trailer.
Garza and her police force seem very concerned when a mysterious package (another Se7en “What’s in the box?” scenario, perhaps?) is delivered to their precinct. This kicks off a series of grisly murders in the city reminiscent of how the Jigsaw Killer operated with a series of games that usually led to someone’s demise.
“Find him,” Garza tells Banks. “We have hours, not days.” Later she tells Banks that he “can’t do this alone.”
Something tells us that it’s not going to be that easy chasing a killer who wears a pig head as a disguise.
Spiral premieres at theaters May 14.