“Spiral” Review: One of the Worst Films of 2021 So Far and a Failure of a Horror Film

Spiral is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and is the latest entry in the popular “Saw”franchise. This time around it stars Chris Rock as Zeke Banks, a detective who takes charge of an investigation into grisly 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. The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson and Max Minghella.

Having not seen any of the previous films in the franchise, I had no expectations going into this film. Running at only 93 minutes, I was simply going into this film expecting a scary, bloody, and fun film. However, while the film moves at a lighting pace, it's also filled to the brim with extreme issues.

My second main issue with this film is that it simply is not very scary. The number one quality I love about horror films is the constant tense feeling, not knowing what will happen next. This film does not provide that at all, and I actually found myself checking the time quite a bit.

Another big issue I had with this film is the performances. For those who've been around since the beginning of Matthew's Movie Reviews, you would know that I very rarely criticize performances, but 99% of the acting in this film felt incredibly sloppy, overdone, and phoned-in. Chris Rock is extremely miscast here, and he truly doesn't add any kind of oomph or irresistibility to this film. The only true standout I noticed was film veteran Samuel L. Jackson. He made the most of his 10 minutes on the screen, and did the best that he possibly could've done with the material.

Something else I truly despised about this film were the poorly filmed, overacted torture sequences. While the VFX work wasn't half bad, these scenarios are just beyond illogical, and horribly executed. My number one issue with this film is the final 10 minutes. I'll admit, the plot twist was somewhat unexpected, but the total abrupt feeling to the ending makes this unforgiveable. If they had included perhaps 1-2 more scenes, I would’ve passed this whole film off as a mediocre thriller. However, the final frame before the credits is so inexcusable and quite frankly, is an insult to the audience.

All in all, this film is terrible. While the unexpected twist, VFX work, and pacing are something to note. This film is boring, poorly acted, and closes with an unforgivable and anger-inducing ending. I do not recommend watching this trash ever and I'm still struggling to figure out why this was delayed for over a year.

Final Grade: D

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Spiral is now playing in theaters and will be available on PVOD soon.