Netflix Horror Movie Review: Gerald's Game

Happy October, everyone! You all voted for me to review Clive Barker's horror book, The Scarlet Gospels. This is what this post is meant to be, so let's talk about Gerald's Game! Should you see it, and if you've seen it, what did you think?

Gerald's Game is a Stephen King adaptation directed by my actual son Mike Flanagan, who I didn't know directed this, but it completely makes sense. For context, Flanagan is one of my favorite modern directors. Gerald's Game, by comparison, is probably not just one of my favorite Flanagan films, nor is it one of my favorite horror films of 2017, but it is the best movie I have seen in a long time. Period. I hadn't heard of this film, but one of my favorite horror review YouTubers gave it her first 10/10, so Gerald's Game skyrocketed to the top of my to-watch list. I also haven't read the original story, but based off Cujo, King excels at bottle stories, or stories that involve characters trapped in one setting.

The story revolves around Jessie and Gerald, her older lawyer husband. Their marriage isn't working out well and they want to spice things up. After discovering Gerald only becomes aroused during sex when he restrains her, Jessie agrees to go on a short vacation with him and try sex while being handcuffed to the bed. However, during the brief foreplay, which is a rape fantasy, Jessie grows uncomfortable and refuses to go further. This spurs an argument that leads to Gerald dropping dead of a heart attack. Since Jessie is still cuffed to the bed with no way to reach the phone or the cuff keys, she's trapped with no one to save her and must learn how to survive while contending with past trauma and hallucinations (or are they?) brought about by the attempted nonconsensual fantasy.

The movie is, no pun intended, quite restrained with how it deals with blood and sensitive topics. However, with the former, there is a scene during the climax so discomfiting I had to cover my eyes. Get this: I haven't closed my eyes or looked away from a movie since one scene in Cannibal Holocaust. This movie isn't a cannibal boom exploitation film. It is a contained horror-thriller, and yet it is visceral not through dramatics, but sheer grittiness. Without spoiling too much, there is also the exploration of past sexual abuse, but it is explored in as tasteful a way as possible. Again, the film's restraint helps it out here. However, if you are triggered by this issue, just keep this aspect in mind.

Much like Flanagan's 2013 film Oculus, Gerald's Game excels because it is, as Spooky Astronauts stated in the review I linked above, "so deep, but so simple." Jessie is a fully realized character you will root for and feel her pain every step of the way. Flanagan excels at taking a minimalist premise and creating engaging and introspective character relationships. The cinematography is incredibly deliberate and nightmarish while maintaining that realistic grit.

This movie disgusted me, enthralled me, and nearly made me cry. For me, the beginning, middle, and end were all perfect. Especially the ending. If you have Netflix, please watch it. Today. You'll see the tensest instance of someone getting a glass of water ever.

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