The Stephen King Sexy Thriller On Netflix That Will Make You Scream
Iconic horror author Stephen King is known for works like Pet Sematary, Carrie, Kujo, It, and many other harrowing tales of the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. But, in 1992, he brought a different kind of terror to his devoted readers when he penned the psychological and sexual novel, Gerald’s Game. Like many of King’s other classics, Gerald’s Game received an on-screen adaptation which is now streaming on Netflix.
From the brilliant mind of Mike Flanagan, Gerald’s Game stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood who audiences may recognize from Flanagan’s latest Netflix series, The Fall of the House of Usher. The movie follows a married couple trying to rekindle the spark in their romance by taking a holiday trip to a remote home.
Planning to put a little extra spice in their retreat, the husband packs a pair of handcuffs, but upon playing their sexy game, the husband has a heart attack, leaving his wife handcuffed to the bed, forced to not only plan an impossible escape but also battle a sinister presence.
Along with Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, Mike Flanagan has also backed a handful of other horror films
Due to the nature of Gerald’s Game, it wasn’t at the top of the list for studios to sign on to adapt it for an on-screen audience. But, Intrepid Pictures’ Trevor Macy saw the potential in the production with Netflix quickly jumping on another Flanagan-helmed project. With a slew of positive ratings, the film is considered to be a major success and another staple in King’s ever-expanding collection of movie adaptations.
Along with Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, Gerald’s Game also starred the likes of Henry Thomas (The Haunting of Hill House), Carel Struycken (Twin Peaks), Kate Siegel (Midnight Mass), Chiara Aurelia (Cruel Summer), Bryce Harper, and Adalyn Jones. Like many of his projects, Flanagan’s call sheet consists of familiar names in his cinematic universe with over half the cast of Gerald’s Game appearing in at least one of his other titles.
Mike Flanagan And Doctor Sleep
Following his 2017 team-up with Stephen King in Gerald’s Game, Mike Flanagan again jumped on the opportunity to bring another one of the famed author’s literary works to dazzling live-action life. In 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures paired with the director to distribute Doctor Sleep, a follow-up to King’s iconic work, The Shining, which received its own film via Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie of the same name.
In Doctor Sleep, Ewan McGregor stars as a grown-up Danny Torrance who is still struggling with his gift and has his life in shambles at the beginning of the film. As the story progresses, audiences watch Danny mentor a young girl with incredibly powerful abilities and put an end to a group of murderers who use “the shining” for their own sinister purposes.
Bringing in Bruce Greenwood from Gerald’s Game, the film also starred Rebecca Ferguson (the Mission Impossible franchise), Carl Lumbly (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Kyleigh Curran (The Fall of the House of Usher), Zahn McClarnon (Reservation Dogs), and Emily Alyn Lind (Gossip Girl).
Along with Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, Mike Flanagan has also backed a handful of other horror films including Absentia, Oculus, Hush, Before I Wake, and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Known for creating eerie moments with plenty of jump scares, the director also uses broad and vibrant color palettes to build his films and is known for tossing a twist or two into his productions.
Gerlald’s Game boasts a 91 percent critic score and a 70 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although movies like Gerald’s Game and Oculus have earned Mike Flanagan heaps of critical acclaim and a dedicated fandom, it’s his TV shows that have really driven his star. In 2018, he kicked off what’s been lovingly dubbed the “Flana-verse” in a deal with Netflix that would see him signed on to create a slew of content for the streamer.
Off to a very successful start, The Haunting of Hill House was the premiere title to come from the pairing with audiences enthralled by the spooky story which was an adaptation of the book-turned-films of the same name.
Next, Flanagan dropped The Haunting of Bly Manor, which was in no way connected with Hill House but still had its fair share of terror and trauma. After that was Flanagan’s take on religion in Midnight Mass, with an adaptation of Christopher Pike’s book, The Midnight Club to follow. Although Flanagan and Netflix had a successful run with these shows and Gerald’s Game, he and his partners are moving onto the greener pastures of Amazon Prime Video, with the recently released The Fall of the House of Usher to be his last Netflix collaboration.
Check out the sexy psychological film, Gerald’s Game now streaming on Netflix.
