Review of Netflix’s “Gerald’s Game”

If you like Stephen King books, and have for a while, you’re probably familiar with Gerald’s Game. It’s a little bit sexier than most of his work, but don’t let that edginess fool ya. It’s still dark, distributing and laced with just the right amount of eeriness.

The first time I read the book, the thought of being stranded handcuffed to a bed in an isolated lake house terrified me. All because your husband decided to get kinky and then died? What a premise!

But of course it’s never just about the face value story line with King. The heroine has dark secrets of her own, not to mention there’s always something lurking in the dark. In this case, the Moonlight Man. (Although, I believe in the book the heroine, Jessie, thought of him as “The Space Cowboy.”)

Like I am when I see any of Stephen King’s novels being transformed into movies, I was excited to see Gerald’s Game coming out right on the heels of It. No ticket needed even. Just a Netflix subscription.

Skeptical

Netflix has been hitting many projects out of the ballpark lately, so I had faith if anyone could do the story justice, they could.

Still. Gerald’s Game? Really? How were they going to pull that off?

Well, first they adapted the book into a fantastic script (which was accomplished by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard).

Then they combined that with just the right director (Mike Flanagan) and brilliant actors (including the amazing Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, both of whom couldn’t have been cast better for their parts.)

The result?

Stunning Brilliance

Nailed it. In every possible way they nailed it.

It’s uncomfortable. Chilling. Heart-wrenching. Creepy. Unnerving. Anger-inducing. But ultimately satisfying.

As I did in the book, I felt empathy and compassion for Jessie. (Maybe even more so in the movie.)

I loathed Gerald in the book, but the movie had me feeling a little sorry for him.

I was fascinated by the Moonlight Man in the same way I find snakes, sharks and crocodiles  fascinatingly terrifying.

Although that’s probably my only complaint. In the book it seemed he played a larger, scarier part. Still a small one,  but a bit bigger than the one in the movie.

Still, that’s not ruining it for me at all.

Gerald’s Game is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. And definitely one of the best Stephen King movies I’ve seen. Hoping Netflix might tackle more such projects.

Rating

This one is a five out of five skulls for me. What about you? Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?