Decadence X a useless sequel to an already bled horror saga The observation is as distressing as it is obvious: it is time to pull the plug on the saga. Decay once and for all, especially after he gave us a particularly painful and prohibitive tenth chapter.
Puzzle is back. There was a time when this phrase filled lovers of hemoglobin and strong emotions with joy. But today we welcome it with a long sigh, discouraged to know that we are still trying to extract juice from an already bled saga.
We still restart the machine for the tenth time, only to bring back John Kramer, the man behind the nickname, and his barbaric torture mechanisms. And to do this, we go back in time to portray the plot of Decay between those of the first two chapters of the series, a time when the character was still very much alive.
Thus we find Jigsaw as he flies to Mexico with the promise of a revolutionary treatment for his incurable cancer. But when he realizes that the instigators of this medical trip have deceived him, he will use his mechanics to teach them a good lesson, accompanied of course by great torture and indescribable physical torment.
The problem? In addition to fueling inconsistencies more than ever, this tenth chapter fits more or less coherently into the narrative framework of the franchise. We quickly realize that this contortion of time-space was ultimately just a pretext to bring back Jigsaw and Amanda Young, two notable figures in cinema. Decay. A good idea on paper, but unfortunately poorly executed.
Overheated smell
Worse still, we feel tired… or lazy? – in the development of the traps into which victims of Decay ; Here they smell overheated, some seeming to be nothing more than vulgar variants or amalgams of those used in previous chapters.
However, hemoglobin fans will be happy to know that it is spilled copiously and in more sinister circumstances than the franchise expects. Decay I got them used to it. Because the excesses of violence are even more barbaric and are presented with a sickening insistence that tests the most sensitive stomachs. On the other hand, these scenes are now devoid of tension or emotional charge: filmmaker Kevin Greutert clearly only seeks to provoke disgust and unease at all costs.
So please, let’s resign ourselves once and for all to letting John Kramer – and his numerous henchmen – rest in peace.
Decay ★☆☆☆☆
A film by Kevin Greutert, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Synnøve Macody Lund. On display starting Friday.
