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[Review] ‘Gerald’s Game’ Hits ‘Misery’ Levels of Cringe-worthy Tension

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Out of the several Stephen King adaptations released this year, Netflix’s Gerald’s Game may feel the smallest. Directed by genre maven Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush), the film begins when Jessie and Gerald Burlingame, played by Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, respectively, head to a remote lake house in hopes of rekindling their relationship. Wasting no time, Gerald handcuffs Jessie to the bed posts and begins unleashing his wildest fantasy. Jessie becomes uncomfortable and asks Gerald to stop, causing the two to bicker back and forth about their troubled relationship. Mid-fight, Gerald has a heart attack and falls dead to the floor. Jessie is trapped, for the entirety of the film, on a bed with no food, no help, and a hungry dog chewing on the remains of her now dead husband.

Flanagan, a lifelong fan of King’s 1992 story, delivers unadulterated tension from the get-go and at no point lets the audience off the hook. If you thought the trailer was intense just wait until you have to experience this for a full hour and a half. Gerald’s Game is as cruel to Jessie as it is to the audience, punishing both through a series of hallucinations and flashbacks that are equally terrifying as they are heartbreaking. It’s also clear that Flanagan looked to King’s other works with Gerald’s Game, hitting Misery levels of cringe-worthy tension. The atmosphere, vibe, and pure energy in the room reach up and just barely touches Rob Reiner’s 1990 adaptation that I personally consider one of the best horror films ever made.

Flanagan never leaves the room, forcing the audience to experience Jessie’s pain with the only escape being her horrid memories, appearing like little flashes before her eyes. Just when you think being trapped on a bed was harsh enough, King’s story dives deep into Jessie’s past in which she was sexually abused by her father. Gerald’s Game takes on so many different levels of pain, offering a unique perspective on the abuse a woman goes through in her lifetime. Interestingly told from a male perspective, both King and Flanagan’s (Jeff Howard also has a writing credit), the film plays more as self-reflection than a cautionary tale. Can we be better to our significant other, or other loved ones in our lives? But I digress, Gerald’s Game is also meant to be empowering for women and offers a maybe too on-the-nose button to end the film.

While Flanagan has already proven himself to be one of the new masters of horror, Gerald’s Game shows that he’s more than a one-trick pony. He’s taken a nearly unadaptable story and turned it into an emotional, thought-provoking, intense, and even more so important powerhouse of thriller that will prove to be as timeless as Misery.

Gerald’s Game will be streaming on Netflix Friday, September 29, 2017.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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