Jigsaw (2017)



The weather outside today is absolutely miserable and I have until tomorrow for my trip to Haunted Hills Estates. While I could have sat and watched some type of horror flick, instead, I decided to head out to the theater to see the next entry in the Saw franchise, 2017s Jigsaw.


Plot/ Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for ten years.


I was fun being back in the theater for one of my favorite franchises. For me, it has been too long, with the last time being for the Halloween re-release of the original a few years ago. While this one did not quite reach the level of the originals, there were many facets that left me again wanting more. The pacing was perfect, with the layered storyline continually moving forward instead of wavering during the non-action sequences, the storyline was interesting and tied into the series in a perfect way, the characters again were diverse and amazing, and the way the layers of the storyline worked together to create a subtle mystery was again refreshing. In fact, for me, those layered aspects of the story have always been one of the strong points of the series and often go unnoticed or are underappreciated by those that are watching the series. While all of those aspects worked, the performances were a touch uneven with the delivery of some of the well-placed humor in the script falling short, the graphic elements that made many entries of the original series were lacking by comparison, and the overall tension seemed a bit flat (which again falls on the uneven performances). In the end, while this one does not rise to the original Saw or Saw 3, it does do a great job at bringing the storyline back to life and hopefully, allow for more entries in this series. Is it perfect? No, but it was much better than many of the recent horror flicks I have seen over the past few years and a great way to bring some blood back to the Halloween season. Plus, it wasn’t PG-13, a fact alone that should make horror fans happy.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Serial Killer Theresa Knorr: The Disturbing Truth Behind The Afflicted

Image
There are times when you watch a movie that is based on a true story, that you scratch your head and just say no way. Some of the depraved, disgusting and violent acts depicted in movies just cannot be true. One such film that left me feeling this way was The Afflicted from Midnight Releasing. However, after a couple emails with them on another subject, the passed on the name of the actual person and case which the movie was based. Yes, it seems, as some of the flick was fictional (the ending), but the majority of the story was indeed based on fact. This lady, Theresa Knorr, was that immoral and evil. Born in 1946, Knorr was convicted of torturing and murdering two of her children and was sentenced to two-consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to save herself from the Death Penalty. Incredibly, some of the most intense parts of movie are in fact true. The story arc of the mother shooting her daughter, leaving her to rot in the bath tub handcuffed to the s
Read more

Creep (2004)

Image
Last night, I decided to get back into some horror movie enjoyment by hanging out on Netflix. After some time and debate, I decided on the British horror flick Creep from 2004. Plot/ Trapped in a London subway station, a woman is being pursued by a potential attacker as she heads into the unknown labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city's streets. When I saw this on Netflix, I could not put a finger on why I was not truly excited about watching this one. Now that I have seen Creep, I can understand my lack of excitement. This movie is not creepy at all; in fact other than the isolationism fear it creates, it lacks a gripping atmosphere. This linear, cliché driven storyline is decent and does feature a touch of violence. However, there is not much more to offer. The acting and script are only OK, and the ending does nothing. Really, there is nothing that makes this film stand-out in the crowded horror genre.
Read more

Super Shark (2011)

Image
If you are avid reader of my blog, than you have read that, my daughter Jillian loves animal attack flicks, especially ones that have sharks in them. Fortunately for us, the SyFy Channel, The Asylum and other production companies have gone overboard recently with a plethora of shark attack flicks for us to choose from. Unfortunately, many of those feature hideous CGI and laughable to terrible storylines for our viewing pleasure. I guess it could be worse; she could be a Twilight fan. With another request for a shark movie pending, we decided to sit-down and watch 2011s, Super Shark. Plot/ An offshore drilling accident triggers the release of a giant prehistoric shark. When marine biologist Kat Carmichael arrives, she runs up against corporate front man Roger Wade, who plots with Stewart to disrupt her investigation. Yet another cheesy SyFy Channel low-budget shark attack flick is just what I needed, and to top it off, this one may be the worst of the bunch
Read more