Gerald’s Game has gotten a bit of buzz as a gotta-see Netflix original movie. Carla Gugino is one of my favorite actresses and Bruce Greenwood is a decent character actor. I knew a little bit going in about a couple that is getting away for a weekend to try to bring a spark back to their marriage. I’m glad I didn’t know more because sometimes even the smallest detail can sway your thinking and change your expectations.

Not knowing where the original story came from was important and would have made the mindset going into it much different. Some of the other actors involved are significant names and that would have foreshadowed their storyline. If you go into a movie and see a bigger name in the opening credits, you wait for them to appear on screen and expect that they don’t just have a throw-away role. (aside from very few exceptions) So, if I’m being a little cagey about the plot, it’s for that reason. Go into it knowing as little as you can so that each thing that pops up will maintain the intended surprise.

The genre is labeled as “Drama, Horror, Thriller” and I think that is pretty appropriate. It’s very much a psychological thriller, more along the lines of Saw than The Silence of the Lambs. Ok, that’s as much as I’m going to give away. It’s a little slow in spots but you could certainly do much worse.