Nightmare Fuel 2017 Day 19 – Gerald’s Game

As it turns out, while I wasn’t looking, Mike Flanagan went and released another film, this year’s Gerald’s Game, based on the novel by Stephen King.  Thanks to Netflix and GoodBadFlicks, I was able to catch wind of it and give it a go.

The plot centers on married couple Gerald and Jessie, who are headed to a secluded house to spice up their marriage a bit.  What this includes is a couple pairs of handcuffs in bed, part of Gerald’s apparent rape fantasy role play.  Jessie reacts negatively (can’t say as I blame her), but before she can be unshackled, Gerald suffers a lethal heart attack.  Stuck to the bed with no hope of aid and memories of abuses past flooding back to her, Jessie has to find a way to get out of her sticky situation.

Most of the film comprises Jessie conversing with imaginary versions of herself and Gerald, and Flanagan is more than up to the task of making this simplistic design work out here.  Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood are great in their roles here, as one would expect, and even Flanagan’s wife and collaborator Kate Siegel (remember her from Hush?) makes an appearance in Jessie’s flashbacks as her mother.  Things get decidedly uncomfortable at several points, but Flanagan doesn’t really flinch, allowing the real horror to grasp our minds.  Cinematographer Michael Fimognari is back here, with a warmer palette than usual, but his characteristic slickness and mild atmosphere shining through.

References abound here, from other Stephen King works like Dolores Claiborne, The Dark Tower series, Cujo, and Bag of Bones, to past Flanagan films: aside from Seigel’s appearance, the headboard of the bed formerly served as the lower half of the Lasser Glass from Oculus, and a book in the bedroom is apparently written by Siegel’s character from Hush.

This was another winner from Flanagan and company, further proof that he is certainly among the up-and-coming elite of directors these days.  This is definitely worth a watch, though the themes and use of a dog may upset some of the more squeamish (fair warning, kids), though it’s not all that much.  Can’t wait to see what Flanagan has up his sleeve next.