A sadistic mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in ‘Spiral,’ the terrifying new chapter from the book of ‘Saw.
Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran (Jackson), brash detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Rock) and his rookie partner (Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past.
Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Yesterday we had our first glimpse into the next instalment of Saw. Not a sequel to the 2017 movie Jigsaw but a completely new spin-off.
Titled Spiral: From the Book of Saw, the movie has been created by none other than comedian Chris Rock.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman returns to the franchise after many years since directing Saw IV.
The film will also star Chris Rock in a lead role. Other cast members include Samuel L Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols.
Spiral Teaser Trailer Breakdown
Spiral dropped its first teaser trailer yesterday and it was a very impressive trailer indeed. Not giving too much away but giving us just enough clues and pieces of the jigsaw to work with.
With that said I’ve broken down the teaser trailer as much as I can. Not being familiar with your stereotypical breakdown structure you can guarantee that I’ve missed a few things.
Below are just a few things that I found when watching the first teaser from Lionsgate.
The Title
So let’s focus on the title – Spiral for a second.
We saw the inclusion of the incredible spiral trap in the previous movie Jigsaw. One of many incredible Saw movie deaths. A motorbike powered rotating wheel of death that was one of the most imaginative traps we’ve seen in the series for quite some time.
This new title could certainly be a reference to that particular trap. But for me, the spiral has been the main feature of many a trap in the Saw universe so far.
Some prime examples of this would be the Spiral on the shotgun carousel in Saw VI and the railroad kart style trap used by Hoffman in the dream sequence in Saw 3D.
A spiral is also an indication of downward motion. A demise, a fall from grace. A spiral symbolizes a fate, of a situation spinning out of control.
The perfect symbol for our victims as their choices, decisions, and lives are spiralling out of their control and are now in the hands of a killer.
Everything in the Saw movies spiralled out of control when John Kramer died. Kramer gave people the opportunity to escape (Amanda for example) if they followed the rules. When John Kramer died the puzzles were designed to be impossible to escape.
Last but not least, the simplicity of just naming the movie Spiral because it’s a ‘spin-off’ could also be an option.
Spiral Teaser Trailer Breakdown Scene by Scene
Our trailer begins with Max Minghella and Chris Rock driving around talking about cop life and family.
Max Minghella plays the character William Schenk and Chris Rock is playing the role of Det. Zeke Banks.
Will William Be One of the Killers First Victims?
From this opening scene, it looks as thou William has just been made a detective.
In the opening segment, he’s speaking to Zeke about how his relationship with his wife will be strained. No doubt because of this promotion.
It’s here where he pulls out a picture of his family. This section seems to almost be foreshadowing a scene later in the movie.
Why show this particular scene in a teaser if there was no significance?
In the next scene, Zeke and William are called to a crime scene. The start of this new wave of killings.
Fast forward to later in the trailer it is made clear that police officers are being targeted by this mysterious killer.
Could William be one of the first victims of this Jigsaw impersonator?
Railroad Crime Scene
The first glimpse of a crime scene in Spiral is the remnants of some sort of railroad trap. What looks to be some sort of explosion aftermath.
The railroad tracks are reminiscent of a specific trap from Saw 3D.
In Saw 3D Jill has a dream that Detective Hoffman would kill her with a kart style trap with a large spike on the front. Hurtling towards her and splitting her into pieces.
Whether intentional or not, this has a very strong vibe of that trap. In Saw 3D the trap is set up in a warehouse-type structure and not a train station.
Cops Are the Target
In the next scene, we are given the information that cops are being targeted by the killer.
William is still present in this scene so he’s not the victim. Just yet. Although I do have strong suspicions he will be, especially from that opening scene.
Why drip feed us a back story to make us care if nothing is going to happen to him? He’s a secondary character to Chris Rock’s Zeke. He’s totally dying.
New job, new life, ready for a future with his wife. No one ever gets a happy future in Saw movies.
I digress.
In the scene the door of the pickup opens and contains the body of a police officer (I presume).
The bridge in this scene instantly reminds me of the bridge in Jigsaw where the man is seen hanging wearing a bucket head in the Jigsaw trailer.
Spiral is set in a future after the events of Jigsaw so it would make sense seeing graffiti etc where there wasn’t any in the previous movie.
The bridge structures aren’t the same but the greenery around the area reminds me of that casual jogging scene.
Jigsaw’s Lair
This may just be a generic industrial building but could it be the lair and home of Jigsaw? His final resting place from Saw III.
Samuel L Jackson goes to investigate this building and fast forward a few scenes later in this very building, we find a wall that looks vaguely familiar.
I could be clutching at straws with that one as the tiles don’t look identical to the screenshot above from Saw III but we’re also not certain of how much time has elapsed.
Or it could be a simple case of using similar tiles in production than the original. Or just the simple case of I’ve got it completely wrong. Either way. I’m intrigued.
A Mysterious Package Arrives
A mysterious package arrives at police headquarters. With the trailer giving me insane Se7en vibes in terms of visual tone and filter I wouldn’t be surprised if Gwyneth Paltrow’s head was inside there.
Whatever is inside it’s safe to say our killer has good taste. That almost looks like Tiffany’s turquoise box. No expense spared when sending nefarious body parts it seems.
Jigsaw Lair Theory Continued…
If you watch the teaser you might miss this quick little cut.
Hanging surgery style curtains at the end of a corridor adds more evidence to my Jigsaw lair theory. These curtains are much thinner than the old ones that hung up in John Kramers’s surgery/death room in Saw III.
Funnily enough, I actually own one of the blood-stained curtains from the film. Along with many other Saw movie props. I’m a nerd I know.
The new curtains are blood-free. The team looks to be investigating the lair. Could this be the home of the new copycat killer or simply a reference to the originals?
His good taste in turquoise Tiffany boxes and a spot of redecorating. This is a very meticulous killer indeed.
A New Puppet for a New Generation?
In this scene, we see a doll or a puppet sitting on a chair wearing a top hat. Could this be an aged Billy the Puppet wearing his retirement hat? Not likely.
It is more likely to be a new puppet as part of this new direction the franchise is going in.
Another Survivors Meeting or Something More Sinister?
In Saw 3D we had Bobby Dagen (Seann Patrick Flannery) pretending he was a survivor of a Jigsaw trap when in fact he was a fraud.
These survivor meetings were held for people to discuss people’s experiences and encounters with Jigsaw himself. Shown in previous films to be held in buildings this one looks very religious.
Could it be a place of sanctitude or a cover for a cult of Jigsaw? We shall see.
A Robbery?
Confused by the significance of seeing three men (one of them being Chris rock) in ski-masks wearing Maintenance and Repair overalls I tried to zoom in on the company name. Sadly unsuccessful as a 4K trailer hasn’t been released yet (to my knowledge). ‘
These three ‘robbers’ (undercover cops) look to be trying to get into an office block or a hotel room as indicated by the number 1-29 on the right-hand side of the door and the keycard entry system.
Ouch
Well now, we know how the railroad crime scene happened. It doesn’t explain the visible residue around the scene thou which would indicate an explosion of some kind.
A train would naturally just plough straight through the guy and come out the other side. There’s more to this scene I’m sure of it.
Breaking Through Jigsaw’s Lair
Someone looks to be cutting through the wall in this scene. A wall that looks strangely like the divider that Agent Strahm discovers in Saw IV.
A Mechanical Finger Trap
Our glimpse at the spiral wall (mentioned earlier) and an f-bomb from Samuel L Jackson later we have our glimpse at a mechanical finger trap.
As mentioned earlier John Kramer’s traps were mechanically engineered by a professional. The focus on this new trap being well-designed hints at some sort of relation to Jigsaw.
Or at least someone taught by Jigsaw or well skilled in the engineering field.
With some sort of metal glove or skin attachment, this looks a painful one indeed.
Another thing I noticed in this Spiral teaser trailer breakdown is the pooling of blood underneath the victim’s hands indicates there isn’t much left of his fingers in the first place!
This would indicate a copycat’s work making traps that no one can escape from. Giving people glimmers of hope before destroying them in gory fashion.
With the infamous puppet monitor glowing ominously in the background. I’m looking forward to seeing another trap in the Saw world.
Zeke’s In Trouble
In the final sequence of the teaser, we see Chris Rock in a spot of trouble. Chained to a pipe holding the infamous hacksaw in his hand.
He has been captured and like those who have come before him, he must Saw through his body to escape.
Something tells me that he’s going to escape. It’s not going to be that easy.
This looks like a makeshift trap too. As you can clearly see he doesn’t seem to be in a bathroom. More a boiler room type location. That pipe could loose (wishful thinking).
I have a sneaky feeling this is merely a scare tactic of what will happen to him if he decides to investigate further.
Spiral Teaser Trailer Breakdown Overall
So that’s my two cents when it comes to this Spiral teaser trailer breakdown. If I’ve missed anything please do comment below and tell me what you spotted.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing Chris Rock in a serious role and how the old Saw films will be incorporated into this one outside of winks and nods as we’ve already seen.
With Jigsaw already fresh in our minds I have a feeling the relation to that film will be more relevant than previous films before it.
Tobin Bell wouldn’t tell me if he was in this movie or not when I interviewed him but i’m crossing my fingers he appears in some capacity.
If you’re still reading, congratulations on making it this far. Hit the share button and discuss it with your friends.
It’s time to play a game.
On March 30th, 2021 a new trailer was released with a brand new release date of May 17th as more pieces of the puzzle were revealed.
