Gerald's Game (2017)

A couple tries to spice up their marriage in a remote lake house. After the husband dies unexpectedly, the wife is left handcuffed to their bed frame and must fight to survive and break free.

Director:

Mike Flanagan

Writers:

Mike Flanagan (screenplay by), Jeff Howard (screenplay by)

Stars:

Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carla Gugino	...	Jessie Burlingame
Bruce Greenwood	...	Gerald Burlingame
Chiara Aurelia	...	Young Jessie
Carel Struycken	...	Moonlight Man
Henry Thomas	...	Tom
Kate Siegel	...	Sally
Adalyn Jones	...	Maddie
Bryce Harper	...	James
Gwendolyn Mulamba	...	Judge McGarnagle
James Flanagan	...	Court Clerk
Dori Lumpkin	...	Teenage Girl
Natalie Roers	...	Reporter #1
Nikia Reynolds	...	Reporter #2
Bill Riales	...	Reporter #3
Chuck Borden	...	Court Officer #1

Storyline

When a harmless game between a married couple in a remote retreat suddenly becomes a harrowing fight for survival, wife Jessie must confront long-buried demons within her own mind - and possibly lurking in the shadows of her seemingly empty house.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | fight for survival | hallucination | survival | handcuffed to a bed | 

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Taglines:

Some games you play, some you survive.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gerald refers to the dog as Cujo, which is a reference to the Stephen King book by the same name.

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Goofs

Even though there for days, there were no references of needing the toilet.

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Quotes

Gerald Burlingame: People are safe from ghouls and ghosts and the living dead in the daylight. And they're usually safe from them at night, if they're with others. But a person alone in the dark... women alone in the dark are like open doors, Jessie, and if they scream for help, who knows what might answer. Who knows what people see in the moment of their solitary death. Is it so hard to believe that some of them might have died of fear? No matter what the words on the death certificate say... died of fear... ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In each of the main credits' screen, a letter G, O, C or N is styled with the bright half-circle of the eclipse, which defines the color of the fonts: Letters to the left of that one are "lit up" in yellow, less bright the farther they are; the other letters are red. The remaining credits also have an unusual lighting, scrolling over a bright circle so that some letters are suddenly clearer.

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Connections

Referenced in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown: Episode #19.6 (2020)

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Soundtracks

Darling I Need Your Love
Written by L. Stuart & Joseph Newell
Performed by The Chips
Courtesy of Tru-Gems Records, LLC

User Reviews

Gerald's Game: A heartbreaking let down

Gerald's Game is one of my favorite Stephen King books, it's so unlike anything else he's done and I find it an outstanding piece of literature. Upon finding out it was to be a live action film I was excited as I figured it would translate to the screen so well.

Well cast with the always excellent Carla Gugino (Who perhaps is at her career best here) it certainly captures the feel of the book, looks great and is a well crafted film so why the low rating?

Honestly I find it hard to pinpoint, though the film is solid I found myself underwhelmed. Was it the pacing? Was it too short? What went wrong?

Gerald's Game is not a bad film by any means, maybe it was my high expectations that killed it.

For those unaware, Gerald's Game tells the story of a middle aged couple who decide to spice up their marriage by taking some time out to get a cabin in the woods. Miles from civilisation the husband decides to handcuff his wife to the bed, only to have a heart attack and die.

Now his wife is trapped, handcuffed to the bed and alone. No chance of a rescue, and because of this her thoughts begins to wander. She battles her own mind, the side that tells her to fight and the side that wants her to fail. She must survive a hungry dog that has found itself into the house and another ominous unseen force.

Geralds Game is perfectly watchable and may really impress those who haven't read the book. I just expected more.

The Good:

Carla Gugino

Well made film

The Bad:

I don't know! It's just not that great

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Not sure I'll ever been able to look at Henry Thomas the same way again after this!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Netflix

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gerald's Game

Filming Locations:

Mobile, Alabama, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Intrepid Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1