What Happened to Spiral: From the Book of Saw? The Story Behind the Saw Spin-Off

Tyler

If there’s one thing that’s going to help your struggling franchise, it’s A-list actors. But how in the hell did Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson get involved in a horror movie? What trap had to have more than two minutes cut because the MPAA thought it was too violent? And why did director Darren Lynn Bousman almost get fired? We’re about to find out all this and more, because we want to play a game and figure out what happened to Spiral.

Development: How Chris Rock brought a new Saw movie to Lionsgate

The first inkling of Spiral came when comedian Chris Rock met Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns at a wedding in Brazil. Rock mentioned that he wanted to make a horror movie as the next step in his career. He eventually took an official meeting with Lionsgate, where he had the perfect franchise to explore: Saw. Rock wanted the movie to be more of a police procedural, with the wit and humor you would expect from a comedian of his stature. He didn’t want things to go the Scream or Scary Movie route. Instead, he wanted to play it straight, allowing natural humor to emerge from the situations and provide some levity that wasn’t usually present in the series.

The idea of Chris Rock headlining one of their biggest franchises had Lionsgate executives practically drooling. They had already tried to soft-reboot the series with Jigsaw, but its failure to connect with audiences meant they were open to a different approach.

Jigsaw writers Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg had been unsuccessfully pitching concepts for a new sequel that would function more as a prequel, featuring Tobin Bell as John Kramer in a more prominent role. Everything came to a halt when they were informed of Rock’s concept for a new film that had no Jigsaw whatsoever. When they met with Rock, he asked them to imagine him handcuffed to a pipe and consider how that would play out. They eventually combined elements of Rock’s pitch with some of their own ideas for the finished screenplay, which would feature familiar elements from the franchise while trying something new.

Rock specifically asked the writers not to write jokes for him. He simply wanted a cop movie, and he would naturally inject the humor. The example he kept returning to was that if Eddie Murphy replaced Robert De Niro in Heat, the movie wouldn’t change overall; it would just be funnier. That’s what he was shooting for.

Darren Lynn Bousman returns to the Saw franchise

Darren Lynn Bousman really got his career started with Saw II. For those who don’t know the story, he wrote a spec script unrelated to Jigsaw but similar enough to Saw that it could be rewritten as the first sequel. He also earned himself the director’s chair and stayed with the franchise through Saw IV. He would go on to make films like Repo! The Genetic Opera, 11-11-11, and The Devil’s Carnival, but nothing made the career impact that Saw had.

Seven and 48 Hours were two films that served as guiding lights for both Rock and Bousman and were frequently referenced during development.

Chris Rock brings Samuel L. Jackson into the Saw universe

As if Rock wasn’t already the biggest name the Saw franchise had ever landed, Samuel L. Jackson then agreed to appear as his father, Marcus. The filmmakers have been very upfront that the only way they were able to get Sam was because of Rock’s involvement.

Jackson has said he’ll do anything as long as it features an interesting death, which Marcus certainly gets. Hilariously, on Jackson’s first day, Bousman tried telling him what to do for a shot, only for Jackson to say no and do something else instead. Bousman was immediately worried, but later discovered that Jackson was simply testing him to see if he’d fight for his own vision.

In a decision that would come back to haunt the production, Tobin Bell would not return as Jigsaw for this entry, making it the only film in the franchise without his presence. It’s hard to imagine a Saw movie without Bell, and many fans agree, with Spiral feeling even more like a spin-off than a main-series entry because of his absence. This was ultimately a decision made by Bousman, who felt that previous Saw films using Jigsaw in flashbacks were a bit of a copout given the character’s original death. Bell’s involvement was heavily debated all the way until the final day of filming.

The part of the captain was originally intended for a male actor, but Marisol Nichols impressed the filmmakers enough that they changed the character to Angie Garza. Max Minghella had been starring in prestige pictures such as The Social Network and The Ides of March, but he had been looking for a franchise he could sink his teeth into. He was a fan of buddy-cop films and felt the script checked all the boxes.

Genelle Williams was cast as Zeke’s ex-wife, Lisa, who was intended to have expanded roles in any sequels.

With a production budget of $20 million, filming began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in July 2019 and wrapped the following month.

Mr. Snuggles replaces Billy the Puppet

Billy the Puppet was replaced by Mr. Snuggles, a marionette pig who takes Billy’s role as the on-camera spokesperson for the killer. But this isn’t about following Jigsaw; it’s about the Spiral Killer, so Tobin Bell’s voice isn’t even heard here. The filmmakers tried out numerous voices, ranging from men and women to even children. They eventually settled on a computer-generated voice with a bit of femininity to it, which brings a lot of unintentional comedy to the traps. It really highlights how pivotal Tobin’s voice was to the franchise’s success, even when he wasn’t appearing on camera very often.

The pig head was a complete detriment to any actor performing underneath the mask. They couldn’t see and had to be guided around by another person while wearing it. This meant scenes involving the masked actor had to be shot multiple times and reblocked to allow as little movement as possible.

Story: What happens in Spiral: From the Book of Saw?

We open on a fair that’s absolutely filled with people, a pretty unusual sight for a Saw film. Hilariously, the production actually filmed this at a real street fair in Toronto and was promptly kicked out when organizers realized there had been a miscommunication and the filmmakers didn’t actually have permission to shoot there. They had to quickly get the shots they needed. Thankfully, we’re just following Detective Marv Bozwick, AKA Boz, as he chases a thief down a manhole.

Bozwick’s subway trap nearly gets Darren Lynn Bousman fired

Since they didn’t have the budget, the filmmakers had to get creative when shooting the subway sequence. The set is actually much smaller than it appears, and a matte painting makes the tunnel look considerably deeper.

The trap itself almost got Bousman fired, as he was a stickler for wanting the traps to actually be feasible. Originally, Boz was supposed to be hanging from hooks in his tongue. Bousman changed it to a vise because he knew the hooks wouldn’t be able to hold his weight. But when a producer showed up on set, he was pissed to see the change, and there was a ton of tension because of it. Of course, Marv is too late and gets absolutely smashed by a train. All of this had to be accomplished with visual effects, as the subway was actually a set. They couldn’t find a real subway tunnel that would allow them to film, so any movement you’re seeing from the train is CGI.

Chris Rock’s Detective Zeke Banks investigates the Spiral Killer

We get introduced to Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks in a pretty interesting way: he’s in the middle of a heist. It’s got quippy, very un-Saw-like dialogue, but I guess that’s why you hire Rock in the first place. It’s ultimately pointless and just seems like a way to make Zeke look cool while showing that he has a complicated relationship with the other cops. At the station, Zeke gets assigned a new partner, William Schenk. They investigate the subway death, which ended up being the only time Bousman and Rock got heated with each other on set.

Rock kept contending that, since he was so close with Boz, he would immediately recognize his body, even if it was mutilated. Bousman felt the body was so messed up that Zeke wouldn’t recognize him. They settled on Rock delivering his lines as though he’s slowly figuring out that it could be Boz.

Regardless, it’s immediately clear that the modus operandi is very similar to the Jigsaw Killer. While Jigsaw is certainly referenced in the film, our focus is on the Spiral Killer, who is really just taking Jigsaw’s ideology and making it worse in just about every way. But we’ll save that for the twist.

The walk-and-talk between Zeke and Schenk was originally intended to be presented as a three-minute oner, and it was actually shot that way. But during editing, the filmmakers realized it lost the audience and felt a bit slow, so it was cut up in the final film. This happened several times, as the long, unbroken takes seemed to grind the movie to a halt.

The humor of Chris Rock can tonally clash with the more serious setting, but Zeke is very motivated to find the killer, as Boz was apparently the only other cop who treated him kindly.

The Spiral Killer targets corrupt police officers

We come to find that the Spiral Killer’s motivation is to reform the Metro police, claiming the first victim refused to be reformed. The killer leaves little notes and flash drives for Zeke to find, along with a tongue. There are plenty of clues for Zeke to hunt down, including spirals appearing on various features around town. The targets are the police themselves.

Our next trap finds homicide detective Finch placed in a device that rips his fingers off. If he doesn’t allow them to be ripped off, the rising water in his basin will become electrically charged and electrocute him. It’s a vicious death. Unfortunately, this sequence ended up being severely trimmed down, losing nearly two minutes. That means we don’t see most of the skin ripping, knuckle breaking, and finger snapping shown in the original cut.

Zeke gets a target painted on his back because Finch had once failed to answer his call for backup, almost resulting in his death. So Zeke has pretty obvious motivations for wanting to kill the guy. And it’s not like Zeke has been the most cordial person, as he has complicated relationships with just about everyone in his life.

We get to see an awkward exchange with his ex-wife and even discover that, despite living in the same building as his father, he hardly speaks to him. We also find out that the reason the other cops don’t like him is that he turned in a dirty cop for killing a witness. Remember that, as it’s important later.

Zeke’s father and the history of police corruption

Come to find out, Zeke turning on a fellow cop is what strained his relationship with his father, but not in the way you may expect. Marcus was so pissed about Finch failing to respond to the call for backup that he pistol-whipped him, losing his job as chief in the process.

And it’s not like every cop is just evil for the sake of evil. Even Zeke’s former partner, the guy he ratted on, has gotten out of jail and acknowledges that what he did was wrong. He’s trying to turn his life around and do better. Hell, when Zeke finds him, he’s in a church, seemingly cleaning up chairs after a meeting. He’s trying to do right.

This scene actually ended up being one of the moments when Rock was able to throw his weight around a bit. Originally, it took place in a basement, but Rock wanted something else. Bousman told him they didn’t have the budget for anything different, and Rock ended up finding a church around the corner that agreed to let them shoot there. I guess it pays to be Chris Rock.

Captain Angie Garza’s deadly trap

Zeke continues to get packages from the killer, with the latest featuring the Mr. Snuggles puppet and a piece of skin with a tattoo. But not just any tattoo, as we see it’s the same one Schenk showed earlier in the film. This leads them to a butcher shop, where they seemingly find Schenk’s skinned corpse, along with a tape that says “Play Me.” Oh, Jigsaw is definitely suing for copyright now.

Next, Captain Angie Garza gets ambushed by the killer while down in evidence storage. And peep the name on the door: “Vincent and Jules,” a fun homage to the hitmen from Pulp Fiction.

She’s tied up and told that she must sever her own spinal column with the blade against her neck or be killed by boiling wax aimed directly at her face. She’s being targeted because she enabled corruption under Article 8, which allowed cops to commit crimes under the guise of “cleaning up the streets.”

Zeke tries his best to reach her in time, but sadly, despite the fact that she severs her own spine, her injuries are too severe and she dies. Originally, her entire face was going to peel off, but the filmmakers had to cut away early to get an R rating.

The final traps: Zeke faces the Spiral Killer

Meanwhile, Marcus tries to take matters into his own hands and investigate the Spiral Killer himself. This leads him to an abandoned warehouse, where he’s ambushed and abducted.

One of the main themes of Spiral is police corruption, and that’s never more evident than in its finale. Zeke wakes up in a warehouse, handcuffed to a pipe, with a hacksaw laying nearby. I think we all know what the killer wants Zeke to do. Thankfully, he’s got some skills and is able to get out of the cuffs using a bobby pin. I’m sure Dr. Gordon really wishes he’d taken Lockpicking 101.

Zeke comes across another trap, this time for his former partner Peter Dunleavy, the cop who got Zeke into all this mess. Zeke can walk away and allow the broken glass to shred his former partner. We see that he’s actually a good person by trying to save Dunleavy. It doesn’t work, and he even takes a massive glass shard to the arm for his efforts. There were originally four stages of the detective’s back breaking apart, but the filmmakers ended up cutting one of them out.

The Twist: Who is the Spiral Killer?

We come to find out that Schenk is behind all of this. He even faked having a baby to throw off suspicion and skinned the thief from the beginning of the film to serve as his own corpse. The man definitely isn’t right in the head.

It turns out that the witness Zeke’s partner murdered was actually Schenk’s father, and his real name is Emerson. He witnessed the entire incident. Police corruption killed his father, and he wanted to make sure it didn’t happen to anybody else. But the reason Zeke has been in his sights isn’t because he wants to kill him. He wants Zeke to join him as an accomplice.

We also find out that Marcus covered up all sorts of dirty cops during his time as police chief and was actually the man who created Article 8. He’s revealed to be suspended high in the air, with IVs running all over his body and draining his blood into various jars. Schenk gives Zeke a gun with a single bullet and two options. He can shoot Schenk, leaving Marcus to die as his body drains of blood. Or he can shoot the target on the wall, which will lower Marcus but give Schenk enough time to escape in an elevator.

In typical action-cop fashion, Zeke thinks he can do both, shooting the target and tackling Schenk into the elevator. They quarrel as a SWAT team breaches the building, hitting a hidden tripwire. Marcus’ body is controlled like a marionette, rising up and revealing a gun. The SWAT members shoot Marcus as Zeke screams into the night in that classic Saw-style ending.

Roll credits.

At one point, the writers even toyed with having John Kramer show up in an end-credits sequence, meeting a young Schenk and giving him the Mr. Snuggles doll. This would imply that he was yet another secret protégé. Ultimately, the filmmakers decided against giving the Spiral Killer any direct connection to Jigsaw. It was determined that Emerson would have been a child when John was operating, making their partnership a bit ludicrous.

Post-Production: The music, violence, and MPAA cuts

Charlie Clouser returned to score the film, bringing back some classic Saw music cues for the trap scenes while mixing in some action beats. He also utilized a waterphone-like instrument, which created very eerie, unnatural pitches.

One big difference was that the film actually used licensed music, featuring a very hip-hop soundtrack curated by 21 Savage. Tobin Bell actually recorded a Johnny Cash cover that was intended to play over the end credits but was cut because it felt too gimmicky. Though you can check it out online, and it’s awesome.

The original cut of the film was around two hours long, filled with the traditional in-scene transitions and an absurd number of oners. Then there was the violence. It took Bousman 11 submissions to the MPAA before they finally gave the film an R rating. But seeing as how we get people literally being skinned on camera, I’d say they managed to get away with plenty.

Release: How did Spiral: From the Book of Saw perform?

Worried that the title wouldn’t stand on its own, Lionsgate added the subtitle From the Book of Saw to the film.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw was released in the United States on May 14, 2021, breaking the franchise’s tradition of an October release. As much as COVID can be blamed for the film moving from 2020 to 2021, it was still planned for May either way. It would have come out in October 2019 if it had made its original release date.

The film earned $8.8 million during its opening weekend and finished its theatrical run with just $40.6 million. While a portion of this can certainly be blamed on the COVID pandemic, as moviegoers weren’t quite comfortable returning to confined spaces, its reception certainly didn’t help. The film earned a 39% rating from critics and a more favorable 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus was: “Spiral: From the Book of Saw suggests an interesting new direction for the Saw franchise, even if the gory sum is rather less than its parts.”

Sadly, we never received a director’s cut, which is too bad, as it sounds like there was a lot of violence cut from the theatrical version. Not to mention the various alternate versions of jokes that Rock would say. Even Bousman says there’s definitely a longer version out there, but he’s not sure if it’s better, just longer. So maybe the deleted scenes we do have are good enough.

What Happened to Spiral? Will the Saw spin-off get a sequel?

While Spiral ultimately didn’t entirely work, it’s extremely exciting to see massive actors like Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Max Minghella in the Saw universe. In a time when horror is finally being treated with respect, it makes you wonder which other heavy hitters could potentially join the series in the future.

Until then, let’s just hope that the Spiral Killer stays far, far away from our screens.

And that, my friends, is what happened to Spiral.

A couple of previous episodes of this show can be seen below. For more, check out the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel—and don’t forget to subscribe!