20 Most Disappointing Horror Movies of the 2020s (So Far)

After 2017's Jigsaw failed to fully revitalise the Saw franchise, it was clear that a radical change was in order, and Spiral looked like it just might be what the series needed.

With a bigger budget, a style and tone clearly inspired by David Fincher's Se7en, and an impressively high-profile cast led by Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, the marketing well and truly made Spiral look like a major breath of fresh air for the well-trod franchise.

But then it came out.

Spiral does get some points for its production values, its attempt to move past Tobin Bell's John Kramer, and a timely storyline revolving around police brutality, but in its fundamentals, this just isn't a particularly effective Saw movie.

For one, the traps and kills are generally among the weakest of the series, and Spiral's big flaw is that its inevitable twist can be predicted a mile away by anyone who's paying much attention.

Even the worst prior Saw films at least managed to deliver a big, WTF surprise, but Spiral was the first to feel thunderously predictable, ensuring it sputtered to a lackluster shoulder shrug of a conclusion.