Gerald’s Game (2017)

Starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Carel Struycken

Director: Mike Flanagan

In this latest Stephen King adaptation from Netflix, a couple head to a remote hideaway to have a weekend together. But when Gerald handcuffs his wife Jessie to the bed as part of a sex game, they argue and he has a heart attack and dies. With no one for miles and no way to free herself, Jessie might die before anyone finds her. And then the corpse start to talk.

It’s a film where the main character is stuck in one place, which could make for a dull film adaptation, but like many of these Netflix Originals, this film manages to be really entertaining. Jessie starts to see things in her distress, and argues with herself and her dead husband, as well as seeing other terrifying things. The film also makes Jessie look back into her past, where she starts to put things together and face her own past and the truth about her marriage and her husband.

It’s a pretty dark film. The subject matter is dark, the situation is dark, and it just all gets darker. King is a real master at plots like this, and it’s a well paced thriller. I think that for a lot of people, this film will be too dark. So it’s not for all of you. It’s also not a supernatural thriller or horror, as you might expect, but more in the vein of Dolores Claiborne or Misery.

I’m not sure whether I liked this film, in a way. I think it may have been a bit dark and sad for me. But it certainly has really great central performances, pacing, escalation, mystery and chilling moments. It also goes in directions that you won’t expect, which is really good. If you like Stephen King or thrillers, you’ll definitely get a kick out of this one.

See It If: a great Stephen King adaptation and a chilling and well paced thriller, this one may be a bit dark for some, but is certainly chilling and gripping.