Gerald's Game (2017)★★★★★

So, I think this movie wins for making me cry the hardest of any movie I’ve watched this year. Actually, I don’t recall crying for ANY other movie I’ve written about this year. And I’m a BIG crier, especially for movies.

This is a Stephen King novel I had already read and liked, turned into a movie by Mike Flanagan who I’ve generally liked, starring Carla Gugino, whom I absolutely love. And she was great in this, which is important since much of the movie is her talking to herself (quite literally).

It’s a bit slow to get started, but once it does, it doesn’t let go. There are some changes from the novel, like the removal of a few characters, which I think makes sense for the film adaptation. You’ll see some other familiar Flanagan faces pop up, like Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, and Bruce Greenwood. There’s a cute little nod to Flanagan’s Midnight Mass (and Hush) as well.

There’s a bit of blood and gore here, especially in the last few minutes, but otherwise this is something more like a family drama than most of what I’ve watched this year. You know how much I love movies about family and love and loss, though, so it’s fitting. And the scenario as a whole is definitely horrifying.

Anyway, as I said, I cried a lot at the end of this movie. I think Flanagan’s changes (and Gugino’s performance) made the film even more impactful than the novel was for me. It may not be a five-star SCARY movie, but this is definitely a five-star film for me.