It was reported a few years ago that Chris Rock was not only going to reboot the Saw franchise but also star in it. He seemed like a bit of an odd choice to headline a horror movie but anyone who was concerned should know that he has taken the iconic movie series in a new and solid direction. His dramatic turn in the 4th season of the TV show, Fargo, show that his acting was not an accident.

Both he and Samuel L. Jackson bring their comedic chops to the expected bloody and gritty movie. The riff on Forrest Gump at the beginning of the movie is especially entertaining.

As with the other movies in the franchise, the mechanisms of death are interesting and unusual. There are callbacks to other Saw movies with the classic scene from the original with the hacksaw being an especially nice touch.

Spiral is a very entertaining thriller disguised as a horror movie. If you know what you’re getting into, it seems hard to believe you’d be disappointed. In addition, it seems likely that if it has even a slight level of success, there will be sequels to come.