When Lionsgate revealed they were reviving the Saw franchise based on a story by Chris Rock, I thought “those are a collection of words I didn’t expect to hear”. Then, Rock announced he would be producing and starring in the film alongside Samuel L. Jackson, and all of a sudden a Saw revival was an intriguing prospect. While intended to be released in the traditional Halloween slot the franchise had occupied for years, Lionsgate’s faith in the film was so strong the bumped it up to May.

I’ll get this out the way now; Spiral is a great title, Spiral: From The Book of Saw is a hot mess of a title. The first trailer has arrived, and it looks pretty good by all accounts. Directed by Saw regular Darren Lynn Bousman, Spiral could be just the thing to revitalise the franchise. Only a could of years ago the belated sequel Jigsaw tried, but by stitching the story to past events in the franchise, it failed to leave much of an impact. I enjoyed the first film; it was an effective low-budget horror/thriller, but all the sequels were a different matter. Each passing sequel upped the torture porn levels, increased the gore, and made traps Edgar Allan Poe would class as a bit much.

Spiral spins into cinemas on May 22.

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 (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max 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.

SPIRAL stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is produced by the original SAW team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg & Pete Goldfinger.