After a four-year hiatus, the Saw franchise is making its blood-splattered return upon the silver screen. Spiral: From the Book of Saw will hit theaters nationwide on Friday, May 14, 2021. The theatrical-only release was going to have a traditional Halloween-time release date of October 23, 2020, but was moved up to May 15, 2020, but the pandemic ended up delaying the film for a whole year.
Spiral will star Chris Rock as a detective who tries to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. Rock is making a venture out into the horror genre and will be joined by a cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Zoie Palmer. The horror film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. Saw franchise creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell are joining Rock as executive producers of the film. Tobin Bell isn’t expected to return as Jigsaw since the film will focus on a copycat killer, but never say never.
Lionsgate has been aggressively rolling out promotions for the film, as they’ve posted the opening scene on their YouTube. With a budget of 20 million, Box Office Pro is predicting that the film will gross 10-15 million over its first 3-day and totaling 20-45 million over its domestic run. To be a financial success, the film will have to double its budget at the box office. If the 9th film of the franchise proves to be a success financially, then it’s likely the upcoming 10th film that is currently in development, Saw X, will get a 2022 release date.
Before you watch the Spiral: From the Book of Saw, cord cutters can watch every single one of the traps from every Saw film on streaming service. Vudu has a full collection of the first 8 films in the franchise. Below is where you can find every single Saw film on streaming services.
Saw (2004)
Based on a story by debuting director James Wan and screenwriter and actor Leigh Wannell, Saw launched a franchise that would go on to make $976 million worldwide at the box office. The first film of the franchise was shot in 18 days on a budget of $1.2 million and made over $103 million at the box office. Saw would go on to be credited as being one of the most influential horror films of its generation and turned John Kramer/Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) into a horror icon.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw II (2005)
Screenwriter and franchise co-creator Leigh Wannell was joined by director and co-writer Darren Lynn Bousman for the second installment of the series. Due to the success of the first film, Saw II was green-lit immediately with a budget of $4 million. The second film was partially based on a script for a film that Bousman wrote and studios rejected titled “The Desperate.” Wannell worked with Bousman to rewrite the script to make it fit within the confines of the Saw series, which ended up drawing nearly $150 million at the box office.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw III (2006)
The third film of the franchise had a budget of $10 million and made $106 million worldwide at the box office. Saw III is noted for being more emotional than the first two films as the film does a deep dive into the relationship between Jigsaw/John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith). Bell was nominated for MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Movie, and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw IV (2007)
The fourth installment explores the legacy of Jigsaw/John Kramer and develops his backstory on why he became the trap-based killer. The film’s $139 box office return was nearly 14x its $10 million budget. This was the first film in the franchise to not be written by franchise co-creator Leigh Wannell.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for 3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw V (2008)
On a budget of $10.8 million, Saw V was a small step back from its predecessor as the film only made $113.9 million at the box office. The film explores the backstory of Jigsaw’s apprentice Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). At the time of its release, Saw V had the lowest critical rating in the series and is currently at 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw VI (2009)
Narratively, Saw VI may be the most ambitious film of the franchise as it explores and provides social commentary on healthcare in the United States. The films’ gruesome traps focused on the effects insurance executives have on the lives of others. With an $11 million dollar budget, the film only grossed $68 million worldwide at the box office; however, critically, the film was received a lot better than its predecessor.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Saw 3D (aka Saw: The Final Chapter) (2010)
Due to the declining box office returns of the previous film, the seventh installment was supposed to be the last film of the franchise (hence “The Final Chapter” sub-title). Lionsgate had plans for an 8th film, but decided to combine elements from the 8th film to Saw 3D to end the franchise. Saw 3D had the largest budget in the franchise at $20 million and grossed $136.1 million at the box office. Even though it was a financial success, Saw 3D is the worst critically-received film in the franchise and is currently at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on HBO Max. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
Jigsaw (2017)
After a six-year hiatus, the Saw franchise returned with Jigsaw, the eighth installment takes place nearly 10-years after the death of the Jigsaw Killer. On a $10 million budget, Jigsaw grossed $103 million worldwide at the box office. Even with negative reviews, the film was received better than the previous film; however, there hasn’t been a new Saw film until now.
Where to stream/rent? Now streaming on Peacock. Available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.
It has been four long years since we’ve seen a Saw film on the big screen and fans are intrigued about what kind of traps we will see next? Find out Friday, May 14, 2021, when Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters nationwide.
Featured Image: Lionsgate