By Maria Lewis
A reboot of the Saw franchise, just seven years after the last film? On paper, it sounds like a mess – not a hot mess, just a mess. When it was first announced, horror diehards were barely moderately warm on the idea. Yet then it was revealed who the directors were. Identical twins, boundary pushers and all-round charming Aussie geeks the Spierig Brothers, Michael and Peter.
The German-born, Brisbane-raised duo have made a name for themselves over the past 15 years, both in Australia and abroad. Kicking off their careers by writing, producing, directing, editing, sound designing and visual effects-ing (?!) zombie flick Undead in 2003, the brothers have gradually been expanding their vision. With sci-fi horror Daybreakers in 2009, they truly caught the international market’s attention and in 2014 they stretched limits even further with the time- and gender-travelling Predestination. With Academy Award winner Helen Mirren at the forefront of their highly anticipated Winchester – due for release in 2018 – they had just enough time to slip in the eighth installment in the $1B Saw franchise.
When the first Jigsaw trailer dropped last month, it became exceedingly clear the Spierig Brothers were not fucking around. In fact, it can be said of their career so far that they have never fucked around: every project has been ambitious and filled to the brim with a combination of enthusiasm and deep love of genre cinema. There’s also something sweet and symbolic about the Spierig Brothers being the ones to take on Lionsgate’s baby, after all, it was two Aussie nerds who first created one of the most successful horror universes.
Jigsaw’s trailer seemed to combine the things people loved most about Saw films: a tightly wound mystery, horrific puzzles and gore. Lots of gore. Like a grimy, survivalist Hellraiser, it’s those elements that first drew audiences to the cinema for the debut Saw film in 2004 and kept them coming back long after the returns had diminished with Saw 3D in 2010. From a technical perspective, Jigsaw could be considered a working holiday for the Aussie twins, given they only direct the movie. Directing is not a job you coast through usually, but these are two guys who are used to wearing everything from writer and producer hats on their projects, right through to doing the score and visual effects. They do not hand jobs off lightly.
That is why many are considering Jigsaw somewhat of a warm up, although it looks like the Spierig Brothers have done anything but sleep on it. Their baby – if you could call it that – is Winchester, due for release towards Halloween season in 2018. With Helen Mirren in the lead role as historical figure Sarah Winchester, it could be one of those rare horror films that crosses the commercial and critical fence. Think The Exorcist, The Sixth Sense and Silence Of The Lambs: not only did they make money, they made waves during awards season with Oscars and Golden Globes won. Winchester is one of the few horror projects Mirren has selected in her 50-year career and there’s obviously a reason for that. It also packs the added punch of Jason Clarke, a revered performer.
“There have been few haunted house stories that have captured our imaginations quite like the legend of the Winchester House,” said the brothers, when the project was first announced last September. “Sarah Winchester was an eccentric pioneer, an inventor, a woman plagued by her family’s legacy, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Helen Mirren bring this fascinating character to life.” With shooting having wrapped in Melbourne and Winchester officially in post-production, it’s only a matter of time before audiences get their first glimpse of what the Spierigs have been cooking. Based on a super weird and super fascinating true story, it might be the flick that takes the twins from being one of Hollywood’s best kept secrets to legitimate heavyweights.
Jigsaw is in cinemas November 2, 2017 and Winchester is in cinemas February 22, 2018.
Maria Lewis is a journalist and author previously seen on SBS Viceland’s The Feed. She’s the presenter and producer of the Eff Yeah Film & Feminism podcast. Her debut novel Who’s Afraid? was released in 2016 with the sequel – Who’s Afraid Too? – out now. You can find her on Twitter @MovieMazz
