Pratik Handore
‘Spiral‘ (also known as ‘Spiral: From the Book of Saw’) is an attempt to reawaken the interest in a long-dormant franchise. ‘Saw,‘ the first installment from filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, spawned a sprawling world of psychological thriller films with extreme gore and violence that pushed the boundaries of storytelling. Since the original film, a total of 7 installments followed, all of which increasingly deviated from the first film’s unique approach and failed to capture the original’s magic.
The ninth installment in the franchise, ‘Spiral,’ can be seen as a spin-off instead of a direct sequel but is still firmly set within the same universe as its predecessors. Directed by franchise veteran Darren Lynn Bousman, the movie stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, and Samuel L. Jackson in the lead roles. It follows an arrogant NYPD detective, Zeke (Rock), who is caught in a deadly game of life and death perpetrated by a Jigsaw copy-cat killer. Initially, the film unfolds like a murder mystery that is a fresh perspective for the franchise but quickly takes on the form of a horror film.
Given the franchise’s history and potential, it is likely the studio and creative voices behind ‘Spiral’ have ambitious plans for future installments. One way of teasing these plans is a post-credits scene that has become a staple of franchise filmmaking. So if you are wondering whether you should stick around until after the credits have rolled to get a tease of a sequel, we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know.
Does Spiral Have Post-Credits?
No, ‘Spiral’ does not have a post-credits scene. The film moves along swiftly and has plenty of plot points to wrap in its taut 93 minutes runtime. It delivers on the promise of gnarly murders and heart-pounding scares one expects from a ‘Saw’ franchise film. The opening minutes set up the central mystery: the identity of the new “Jigsaw” killer. The ending does reveal the identity of the killer but ends on a massive cliffhanger.
In the climax, the killer is revealed to be William, Zeke’s partner. The reveal is surprising but not entirely unpredictable, as William’s off-screen death earlier in the movie provides some clues to this twist. The new Jigsaw manages to evade the police by tricking them into shooting and killing Zeke’s dad, who we are misdirected into believing is the killer. Zeke also survives the climatic events and suffers a personal loss that opens up a new potential storyline for a sequel.
The ending gives Zeke a more personal reason to go after the killer. It is an interesting direction to take the franchise in as it detaches ‘Spiral’ from the legacy of Jigsaw. Unlike the original Jigsaw’s apprentices seen in previous films, Willaim is merely copying his modus operandi and shares no direct connection to the serial killer. The new installment serves to help the audience invest their time and attention to Zeke and Williams’ character arcs. The ending wraps up the movie’s central conflict while still leaving the door open for the lead characters to return for new stories. The ending in itself works to set up a sequel and does not require a post-credit scene for the purpose.
Read More: Where Was Spiral Filmed?
