Movie: Gerald's Game (2017)

Netflix is becoming a bigger and bigger player in the original movie and series game, and I've rarely been disappointed with their horror/ thriller/ suspense genres. I've blogged about a couple in the recent past like The Babysitter and 1922 and I've watched Stranger Things and the Santa Clarita Diet. I recommend all of them, so when I heard they were doing a film adaptation of Gerald's Game from Stephen King, I was interested to see how they would spin it and how much they would show. It is written and directed by Mike Flanagan the same person that wrote Hush. It ended up being much more suspenseful than horror, unless you include the horror of relationships!

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

You get thrown into the storyline pretty quick and it's a basic premise, Jess and her husband Gerald are heading up to their lake house for a romantic getaway to save their marriage.  I like that they are an older couple just trying to work things out. Along the way they encounter a stray dog eating road kill. Jess is sympathetic while Gerald couldn't be bothered and he almost runs it over.

Once at the lake house, Jess is still concerned about the mangy dog and cuts up a Kobe rib eye steak that's in the refrigerator, puts it on a plate, and takes it outside while calling for the dog. Gerald pops a viagara, finds her outside and reprimands her for using the expensive steak. They laugh it off while he coaxes her inside to start their first round of lovemaking.

The whole time Jess seems very nervous and unsure of herself. Both brought things to "spice" up the bedroom. She bought a fancy new satin slip gown and Gerald had other plans ~ he brought handcuffs. Not just fuzzy novelty handcuffs, but ones that look like the real deal. Well that escalated quickly. He must have measured them out beforehand because they fit the bed posts without coming off and the chains are the perfect length for her arms in the center of the bed. Seems like he has a hidden kinky side, she didn't know about!

He wants to role play a rape fantasy because one time when they were going to have sex he couldn't get it up, but then started to strangle her, and he more than got it up, he went to town. She never objected, so he assumed that handcuffs would be ok. He got so far as handcuffing her this time around, but she was uncomfortable, didn't feel sexy, and wanted to talk their relationship though ~ and ladies when you don't feel sexy, nothing will fix it. Am I right?! Before he could take the handcuffs off he dropped dead with a heart attack ~ right on top of her! This is a little TOO kinky.

Now Jess is stuck handcuffed to the bed in a remote lake house, and guess who shows up? The stray dog appears and begins to eat Gerald. This dog must be ravenous and for the first time we get a glimpse inside her head. She begins to hallucinate that Gerald is alive and talking to her along with her other, more confident self.  Both acting  like an angel and devil on her shoulder. The vision of Gerald discourages her from trying to get out and keeps telling her nothing will work, she should just give up. The vision of her inner self keeps her focused and eventually she escapes, but not without reliving memories of her sexually abusive father. They show only one scene, but it's implied that it happened more than once. She finally realizes her whole life she's been shackled. As a child by silence and as an adult by comfort in a man very similar to her father.

There's another figure she sees that she calls the "Moonlight Man", that gazes at her from across the bedroom, which by the end of the movie it's still left to question if the dog was also the Moonlight Man?

Her life goes on by facing her past secrets head on and it ends on a very happy note.

The acting is outstanding. Jess is played by the beautiful Carla Gugino, Gerald is played by Bruce Greenwood,  young Jess aka "Mouse" is played by Chiara Aurelia and Carel Struycken from Twin Peaks is the Moonlight Man. The most unrealistic thing about the whole situation is that Gerald has a hot old man bod. There I sad it, judge me all you want.

There's even a Stephen King reference to Cujo!

Here's the trailer...