Film

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Name: Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Released: 2021
Cast: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols, Dan Petronijevic

Spiral is a grimy police procedural slasher that inherits the Saw franchise's love of elaborate death puzzles but trades philosophy for detective work. Chris Rock plays a cynical cop pulled into a killer's game that mirrors unsolved murders from his past. It's functional torture-horror with cop-buddy dynamics, pitched somewhere between procedural TV and body-count spectacle.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like Saw-style puzzle horror where the gore is a means to an investigation, and you enjoy a cop story with a cynical, wisecracking lead who gets dragged deeper than he wants.

Skip it if you want the franchise's ingenious traps and rigorous plotting; this one leans on rushed reveals and a jokey tone that can undercut the dread the series is known for.

What it asks of you: It runs about ninety-three minutes and moves briskly, with a steady drip of gruesome set pieces and bursts of banter, so it asks you to keep up rather than settle into slow-building unease.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Se7en1995

Detectives hunt a serial killer working through biblical themes in a rain-soaked city. Meticulous crime-scene work, moral decay, and a partner dynamic that hinges on opposing personalities. The template Spiral consciously follows.

But Bleak in a way that doesn't reward. Three decades old and feels heavier each time you watch it.

Saw2004

The original torture-puzzle film that spawned the entire franchise. Two men wake in a bathroom and must solve their captor's logic games or die. Claustrophobic, inventive, and genuinely unsettling on a shoestring budget.

But The sequels diluted what made this work. This one holds up; the others feel like homework.

Mystic River2003

Three childhood friends—now cops and criminals—collide after a young girl's murder in Boston. Character-driven noir about guilt, violence, and how the past refuses to stay buried. Haunted and deliberate.

But Moves at its own pace. Eighteen years old and uninterested in giving you what you expected.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Spiral: From the Book of Saw

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Memories of Murder2003

Both films center on detectives haunted by unsolved murders and drawn into a killer's logic. Memories operates at a higher level—it's what Spiral aspires to be, which is why it belongs here.

A South Korean serial killer thriller spanning years and detective obsession. Masterfully constructed, visually sophisticated, and morally complicated in ways American crime films rarely attempt. Bong Joon-ho's breakthrough.

But Subtitled. The pacing is patient; payoff is ambiguous. Some viewers resent not getting the answer they came for.

Prisoners2013

A man takes a missing girl's suspected abductor captive when police progress stalls. Moral geometry that shifts with each scene. Jake Gyllenhaal's detective work is precise and agonized.

But Sits with dread for 153 minutes. The ending divides people hard.

Insidious2011

A boy falls into a coma; his parents discover he's trapped in a supernatural realm. James Wan's direction finds genuine scares in suggestion and sound. Economy of means, maximum payoff.

But Sequels chased diminishing returns. Some scares land; others feel obligatory.

The Killing2011

A methodical Swedish murder investigation unfolds across a season. Rain, bureaucracy, and the slow accumulation of evidence as the city closes in. Influenced half of prestige crime television that came after.

But Subtitled, deliberately paced, and the ending frustrates viewers who wanted catharsis instead of life.

Uncut Gems2019

A jeweler in debt to a gangster must navigate the 2012 NBA Finals. Perpetual tension, tight spaces, Adam Sandler doing his best work. Relentless forward momentum.

But No relief. The pressure never lifts. Exhausting by design.

Angel Heart1987

A private detective investigates a missing-person case in 1950s New Orleans and descends into occult horror. Atmospheric, sweaty, and weird. Mickey Rourke at peak confidence.

But Tonal whiplash between noir and supernatural. A slog for viewers who need genre clarity.

Brick2006

A high school murder mystery told in hard-boiled detective language. Teen noir with sharp dialogue and genuine intrigue. A debut feature that feels fully formed.

But Self-conscious style can wear. Not everyone embraces a movie this confident in its own joke.

Mayhem2017

Both pit an individual against a system through spectacle and violence. Mayhem revels in anarchy where Spiral plays cop-procedural, but they're the same engine running different code.

A disgruntled office worker uses a virus outbreak to destroy his workplace and his boss. Workplace horror-comedy with genuine stakes. Fast, absurd, and unafraid to be trashy in service of rage.

But Stupid-fun isn't everyone's speed. Treats corporate violence as cathartic entertainment.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer2021

Both are about obsessive investigators pulled into ritualistic crime. The Night Stalker proves you don't need torture sequences for dread—atmosphere and mystery do the work. A lesson Spiral learned incompletely.

A journalist investigates the supernatural for a Las Vegas newspaper. Anthology-adjacent procedural that finds genuine dread in the mundane. Perfectly paced hour-long episodes. The granddaddy of prestige genre television.

But Fifty years old and made for television. No gore, all suggestion. Some viewers find it slow.