The Movie Guru: Horror sequels better than predecessors

Saw X

If you’ve despaired for the state of the Saw franchise, “Saw X” is here to save you.

Positioning itself as the true sequel to the first movie in the series, “Saw X” features the return of Tobin Bell as the series mastermind Jigsaw. It also brings back the twisted, chilling justice of the first film, dumping the increasingly convoluted mythology that made later films so ridiculous. Though the series has always been more torture porn than classic horror, “Saw X” will at least remind you what drew you to the series in the first place.

When the movie starts, Bell’s John Kramer (a.k.a. Jigsaw) is spending his final days ravaged by cancer. He travels to Mexico on the promise of an experimental cure, only to find that it’s a fraud run by unscrupulous con men. What they don’t know, however, is that Jigsaw has just found a new target for his murderous, revenge-based mind games.

Bell is the best part of the movie, commanding and crazed with occasional moments of real vulnerability. It doesn’t make him good, but it does continue to make him the most interesting figure the series has produced. After slogging through the series so long without him, the feverish adoration of his current acolyte will make perfect sense to “Saw” fans.

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With him also comes a clear-eyed coherence the series has been lacking for a while. While previous movies have devolved into weird time tricks and nonsense plot flourishes, “Saw X” follows a simple formula. Jigsaw finds people he thinks are bad and makes sure they regret it. It’s a formula that made the series famous, and finally brought back some of the old edge.

Grade: Three stars

The Nun II

If you like jump scares, it’s cheaper than a haunted house.

Though “The Nun II” isn’t exactly a good movie, it’s definitely scarier and better made than its prequel. The plot is thin and sometimes veers into absurdity, but the jump scares are well-timed and plentiful enough to keep a certain type of horror fan happy. It’s the first “Conjuring” spinoff to scare up some entertainment value.

In the movie, Sister Irene (Tiassa Farmiga) continues to fight demons for the Catholic Church. This time she has an assistant, the delightful but underused Sister Debra (Storm Reid). When the past returns in the form of her old enemy Valek, however, she must once again face the depths of evil.

Director Michael Chavez has definitely sharpened his skills since his last attempt at a spinoff, 2019’s “The Curse of La Llorona.” This movie has a much better sense of pacing, keeping things engaging enough to never lose the audience’s attention. Part of this is due to co-screenwriter Akela Cooper, who was also responsible for the unexpectedly addictive “M3GAN.”

“The Nun II” is far from the best horror movie you’ll see this year. But it does breathe new life into a franchise that desperately needed it.”

Grade: two stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.