With comedy and horror, the key is getting the audience to relax, to think it’s all okay then... bang!
Comedian Chris Rock appears in the latest instalment of the scary Saw film franchise. DANIELLE DE WOLFE talks to its starry cast and director to discover what else we can expect from the gruesome new movie
COMEDIAN Chris Rock is someone you associate with making people laugh, not scream, but the actor is stepping into the horror genre with a starring role in the latest instalment of the Saw franchise.
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw sees Chris as Detective Zeke Banks alongside Oscar nominee Samuel L Jackson as his father Marcus, a celebrated police captain.
They are investigating a series of grisly murders when Zeke finds himself at the centre of the killer’s morbid game.
The Everybody Hates Chris actor says the gap between comedy and horror is not that great.
“With comedy and horror, the key is the set-up and getting the audience to relax and think they are in reality and everything is OK. And then … bang! A joke. Or … bang! A scare. So, we are going for the same thing, we just want different reactions,” he told NT News.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman, 42, the grisly mind behind Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV, is also at the helm of this latest offering.
“I got a phone call from [production company] Twisted Pictures’ Mark Burg and he said, ‘Hey, I sent you a script. I need you back in LA immediately, we’re having you meet with Chris Rock,”’ recalls Darren.
“I said, ‘Who’s Chris Rock?’ I didn’t even process it was that Chris Rock.”
A self-confessed horror fan, Chris, 56, was quick to embrace the gruesome underworld of Saw.
“His knowledge of horror always impresses me,” says Darren of the comedian.
“He was a huge fan of Saw II specifically, which is crazy, ‘cos that’s the one I wrote and directed. He would always reference it in the meetings.
“I was blown away. I was like, ‘This guy likes my stuff!’
“A lot of people give lip service and say, ‘I’m a genre fan’, but the reality is they don’t watch horror.
Spiral also sees The Handmaid’s Tale star Max Minghella as William Schenk, a young police officer partnered with Detective Banks, alongside Riverdale’s Marisol Nichols as Captain Angie Garza.
Taking place years after a sadistic killer called Jigsaw’s reign of terror has finally come to an end, the film opens with detectives believing a copycat killer is on the loose.
Blending the essence of a buddy cop drama with staggering levels of gore, and creativity, where torturous traps are concerned, the script was quick to catch the eye of English star Max, who says there remains a “real appetite” for the franchise.
“I didn’t want to be that guy who shows up in the ninth movie and doesn’t know what he’s getting into,” says Max, 35, of joining the project. “I really wanted to educate myself and have as much context as possible.
“It’s a real tribute to the strength of the franchise that it’s been able to go on for nine movies now. Very, very few stories can continue for that long.
“It says a lot about the mythology of it.” Horror aside, it was the script’s central police theme that proved the hook for Max.
“I love horror movies, but I was really drawn to the detective/buddy cop element. I feel like they don’t make a lot of these anymore.”
Saying that films like Eddie Murphy’s classic cop-comedy 48 Hours are “ingrained” in his DNA, Max says he “grew up watching these films obsessively, and missed them. I feel very nostalgic for them.”
The Saw universe is one held in equally high regard by Max’s co-star Marisol Nichols, 47.
The Riverdale actress says she was “familiar with the franchise” prior to filming and describes the films’ signature human traps as “a whole different character in themselves”. She says she relished tackling the project, even though she admits that the franchise’s success proved “a little bit of pressure”.
“I love a challenge. Bring it on; let’s go. There’s nothing like diving in at the deep end and flying by the seat of your pants,” she declares.
She plays police captain Garza, a woman charged with running a male-dominated police unit. “I didn’t want it to be a novel thing, like, ‘Ooh, isn’t that a fun idea, they made a woman a police captain,”’ says Marisol.
“I wanted it to be real. And I wanted to honour that.
“Who would she have to be to be able to command this testosteronefilled department, have them respect her, have them
obey her? And do it without losing compassion that a female does add to that.”
Despite the pandemic, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw is still expected to be box office gold and it hits screens in the UK just as cinemas are set to reopen.
“What I think is cool about this movie is it works numerous different ways,” says Darren.
“It works if you’ve never seen a Saw movie, and it works if you’ve seen all of them.” Describing the new slasher as a member of the “metaverse”, Darren points out the similarities with Marvel or the Conjuring film universes.
“It’s a standalone film,” he adds. “It’s not a sequel. It’s not a reboot. It’s not a reimagining,”
I love horror movies, but I was really drawn to the detective/ buddy cop element
Max Minghella