I’ll admit that I was taken aback by the announcement that comedian Chris Rock would be acting in, as well as serving as executive producer for, the upcoming Saw film. Tentatively, this film is called The Organ Donor, a darkly comic title for the ninth installment of the most commercially successful horror franchise in history. Then again, when you stop and think, you can probably count the number of “funny” moments, gallows humor or otherwise, in the entirety of the series on one hand (or, if you prefer, severed foot).
And yes, I include the “fifteen hooker gangbang” line from the first film in that count.
Anyone worried about this new film getting too ridiculous can breathe a little easier, as Chris Rock spoke with David Griffin from IGN about the project, and Rock said the following:
"A lot of times I go to a movie or I watch a TV show and I go, ‘Wow, you know, two jokes would have made a big difference in that.’" Rock explained. "I love Saw, but I was like ‘wow, it has almost no humor at all.’ So, it seemed like a good place…good fertile ground…by the way, the new Saw, I’ve seen like a rough cut. It’s still Saw…it’s bloody, it’s gory, but there’s like a sprinkling of humor here and there. We’re not revamping it, it’s not Scary Movie, it’s Saw."
As someone who touts Saw as their favorite horror franchise of all time, I welcome this invitation of a little bit of humor in the film, whose predecessors sometimes get too serious for their own good. Self-aware horror can work well when it’s done right, and if it’s not going to the lengths of parody, it could definitely work within the Saw universe. Personally, I get the feeling that the opening weekend for The Organ Donor could be a big one based on curiosity alone. A splatter flick with a bit of humor thrown in could be what the doctor ordered for the spring movie season.
The Organ Donor is due out in theaters on May 15, 2020. No trailer has been released yet. Expect more details, including the reveal of the film's official title very soon!
