Summary

Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King's "Gerald's Game" for Netflix is a suspenseful and emotionally layered horror film that delves into a woman's fight for survival and her confrontation with past traumas.

Abstract

"Gerald's Game" is a 2017 Netflix film directed by Mike Flanagan, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. The story revolves around Jessie Burlingame, who finds herself handcuffed to a bed in a remote lake house after her husband Gerald dies from a heart attack during a sex game. As Jessie struggles to escape, she is confronted by hallucinations of her dead husband and a manifestation of her own psyche, while flashbacks reveal a traumatic childhood event. The film is praised for its compelling narrative, strong performances by Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, and Flanagan's skillful direction, which creates a sense of realism and suspense. Although the movie extends beyond what some may consider its best ending, it provides a thorough resolution to Jessie's psychological journey.

Opinions

The reviewer acknowledges Mike Flanagan's growing reputation in the horror genre, citing his previous successful films like "Oculus," "Hush," and "Ouija: Origin of Evil."
"Gerald's Game" is considered a significant addition to the list of Stephen King adaptations in 2017, which includes "The Dark Tower," "The Mist" TV series, and the record-breaking horror film "It."
The film's concept is described as a perfectly simple yet twisted idea that is characteristic of Stephen King's storytelling.
The reviewer appreciates the depth added by the flashbacks to Jessie's childhood, which provide context for her complex feelings about men and sex.
While the reviewer finds the sudden appearance of Gerald's ghost post-death somewhat silly, it is seen as a minor issue in the overall context of the film.
The film's body horror elements are noted to be particularly intense, with the reviewer citing a scene that was difficult to watch.
The performances of Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood are highlighted as marvellous, drawing the audience into Jessie's harrowing situation.
The reviewer suggests that the film could have been shorter, specifically questioning the need to explain a supernatural aspect towards the end.
Despite these criticisms, "Gerald's Game" is commended for its suspense, emotional layers, and Flanagan's ability to craft unnerving visuals, making it one of the better King adaptations.

Film Review

Gerald’s Game (2017) • Netflix

While trying to spice up their marriage, a woman must fight to survive when her husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her handcuffed to the bed.

Mike Flanagan’s been quietly making a name for himself in the film industry, directing a string of horror movies that either found an appreciative audience on DVD or found acclaim as Netflix exclusives. I was a fan of his haunted mirror movie Oculus (2013), enjoyed the spin he put on slasher Hush (2016) with a deaf heroine, and not every low-budget prequel like Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) overshadows its predecessor. Flanagan may not be a household name yet, but he’s someone to keep an eye on.

Flanagan’s latest is another Netflix Original Movie, adapting Stephen King’s 1992 novel Gerald’s Game. It’s strange nobody’s adapted this story until now, as the concept lends itself perfectly to a ’90s straight-to-video release or TV-movie-of-the-week. 25 years after it was published, it’s become perfect material for an SVOD platform looking to boost their portfolio of original features.

2017’s turning out to be quite the year for Stephen King. Gerald’s Game follows in the wake of a big-budget adaptation of The Dark Tower, The Mist TV series, and It becoming the highest-grossing horror movie ever made. The first two may have been commercial and critical failures, but I’m pleased to say Gerald’s Game won’t have the same problem.

Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald Burlingame (Bruce Greenwood) take a trip into the countryside, hoping their “dirty weekend” at a remote lake house will rejuvenate their marriage. Gerald is particularly keen to act out a sex fantasy, which begins innocently enough after handcuffing his wife to the bed, before turning more uncomfortable after he starts playing the role of a rapist. In the midst of this failed attempt to spice up their sex lives, Gerald suffers a heart attack and promptly dies, collapsing onto his poor spouse and making it impossible for Jessie to now uncuff herself.

This is a beautifully simple, twisted, and enthralling idea that oozes Stephen King from every pore. It may also stir memories of Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours (2010), which dramatised a real event that also echoes a key aspect of this story. What’s interesting is how the plot of Gerald’s Game develops and in seeing how it manages to last the full 103 minutes. I’ve never read the book, so went in expected a tight and straightforward ‘what would you do?’ tale about a woman having to escape from her own bed. In retrospect, that was never going to be the case. Instead, Jessie almost immediately starts seeing the “ghost” of her dead husband (who becomes a spiteful presence trying to crush her spirit), and even a doppelgänger of herself as a more positive influence.

That alone might seem enough to keep the story chugging along, but I was again surprised that Gerald’s Game uses flashbacks to delve into Jessie’s childhood. We learn about a traumatic experience she has involving her father, which she’s kept buried for decades, and thus gain an understanding of Jessie’s conflicted feelings about men and sex. And if that weren’t enough, there’s also a frightening entity known as “the Moonlight Man” (Carel Struycken) who haunts the dark corners of Jessie’s room each night, apparently waiting for her to slip away. And did I mention the starving dog?

Gerald’s Game is certainly one of the better adaptations of a King story, blessed with marvellous performances from Gugino and Greenwood as a dysfunctional couple. You’re instantly drawn into Jessie’s present-day situation, partly because of how plausible and thus frightening it seems, and the flashbacks to what happened with her father Tom (Henry Thomas) give everything more substance than expected. And while I found it silly that Jessie starts having visions of dead Gerald talking to her, minutes after he croaked, this was only a minor gripe in the big scheme of things.

What begins as a simple story of escape grows richer and more compelling with every minute, which makes a moment of excruciating body horror all the more intense when it happens. It’s perhaps true the movie continues 10–15 minutes past a better ending, and in the process makes the debatable mistake of explaining away one supernatural aspect, but this comes down to personal taste. On the other hand, having an extended denouement means there’s a fuller conclusion to Jessie’s lifelong issues with “nice men” who wish to control her.

Flanagan has a good eye for beautiful shots, can draw excellent performances from his actors, and has a particular skill when it comes to crafting unnerving visuals and sequences that make you squirm. Tolerances will always vary, but I had to leave the room and pace around during one particular scene. That hasn’t happened since Hard Candy (2005). Gerald’s Game isn’t a perfect movie, but what is? But it’s riveting for many periods, portraying a nightmarish scenario with a sense of realism tempered with outlandish moments that aren’t too jarring. Deceptively deep and emotionally layered, Flanagan again shows he has an unerring sense of suspense, and Gugino reminds us why more filmmakers need to make good use of her talents.

Cast & Crew

director: Mike Flanagan. writers: Jeff Howard & Mike Flanagan (based on the novel by Stephen King). starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Chiara Aurelia & Carel Struycken.

Originally published at www.framerated.co.uk on October 1, 2017.