Review of Gerald's Game (2017) by Jarrett G — 24 Oct 2017

Quite honestly, it's very rare that a film unsettles me, so this is big of me to say, but I actually had to turn my head throughout my viewing of this film. Now streaming on Netflix, Gerald's Game is the latest Stephen King novel to receive a feature film adaptation, and while I probably won't find myself ever revisiting this movie, it's worth a watch if you can stomach it. Movies like the Saw sequels that have mindless and senseless gore will audience members in laugher, but when a film really brings you into its atmosphere and makes you care about what's happening, the gore can feel very realistic, which is why I caution my recommendation of this movie as a whole. Here is why Gerald's Game is impressively hard to watch.

Although it may seem impossible to spoil a movie like this, the over-arching story is actually a spoiler itself. To put it simply, Gerald's Game is about a wife and her husband as they travel to a lake house in order to juice up their marriage. After handcuffing his wife to the bed in hopes of pleasuring her, a series of events lead to her being trapped on the bed, alone. Exploring her tragic backstory, while simultaneously showing her struggles throughout her current situation, there's absolutely nothing pleasant about this viewing experience. This is actually quite an impressive piece of storytelling.

While this dark and twisted story will leave many probably not wishing to finish the movie, there's no denying that director Mike Flanagan has crafted another tense film. Helming solid horror flicks like Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil, I knew that this film was in good hands, even though I truthfully didn't know much about it when going in. Flanagan does a wonderful job in sucking you into this premise, and I believe this easily could've been a very boring idea, even though my experience of this overall film did drag a bit. Although that should be a minor complaint, this aspect is precisely what will keep me from watching it a second time.

I'm all for a movie taking its time to tell a worthwhile story, but I found myself bored quite often throughout the majority of the film. By the time the third act had hit, I was still very intrigued with what was going to happen next, but I wasn't as invested. Yes, the conclusion is satisfying, but even for a mere 100 minute runtime, I think it could've been shaved to about 80. From it's near silent score, to great direction, everything about this movie is atmospheric and well-done, but I wasn't sucked into this premise like I wanted to be.

In the end, this is a hard movie to recommend, because even though the premise itself is interesting, it's very slow and it has some pretty brutal imagery that I even have issues with, and that never happens to me. Gerald's Game is a nice little thriller that's meant to unnerve its audience, and while it does just that, it's also a tedious experience in my opinion. There isn't much I can say without ruining the movie, but I'll warn you by stating that my description of it is unsettling at times won't even begin to cover it for some people. Overall, this is a well-made film with a solid ending, but I just wasn't invested enough to ever feel the need to watch it again. It's worthy of the praise that it's receiving, but it just wasn't for me.