If you have listened to our show at all, you are probably aware how much we love Stephen King stories. Having said that, we are the first to admit that many adaptations of his work are not good (looking at you, The Dark Tower). Keeping that in mind, it looks like September is going to be a great month for King fans, with both It and Gerald’s Game being released within weeks of each other. Diehard King constant readers will be familiar with Gerald’s Game, this might be the first introduction for a lot of moviegoers, so we’re happy this tale is in the hands of Mike Flanagan.

Watch the newly-released TrailerTown for Gerald’s Game and then read our Top 5 thoughts about it below:

Top 5 Things About the Gerald’s Game Trailer

  1. We Like Mike – When anyone says they are going to adapt a Stephen King story, we get a little nervous, given the history of those adaptations; but when someone like Mike Flanagan talks about being obsessed with the book for years and wanting to create a movie about it, that perks our ears up. Flanagan directed last year’s underrated Hush, and it came out later to be a proving ground for him to get the rights to direct Gerald’s Game, and given the similarities between the stories, we’re pumped to see what he can do with the property.
  2. Honor Among Thieves – The fault in many adaptations is how far they stray from the source material. It almost feels like viewers have been robbed of what they wanted to see/experience. The other fault is sticking too closely to the source and not realizing that different mediums create different experiences. From the TrailerTown, it looks like Flanagan has found a way to honor the isolation, paranoia, and fear of the novel, while finding a way to give viewers something to watch for 90 minutes that’s not just a woman handcuffed to a bed.
  3. Gugino’s Best – The story of Gerald’s Game lives and dies by the character of Jessie Burlingame, played here by Carla Gugino. If she doesn’t give a stellar performance, we are going to be bored. If this TrailerTown is any indication, Carla looks like she knocks it out of the park. Hell, if Colin Farrell can do it in a phone booth, Carla Gugino can do it on a cabin bed.
  4. The Bruce is Loose – It’s time for all of you to give Bruce Greenwood the god damn respect he deserves. Yes, that’s a little aggressive, and most people agree that Greenwood is the shit, but we don’t talk about him enough. From his stints in the new Star Trek movies, to American Crime Story, all the way back to First Blood, Bruce is a character actor we never tire of seeing.
  5. It’s All in Your Head – The novel Gerald’s Game plays a lot with your head, never letting you know if what is happening to Jessie is real or if it’s all a hallucination brought on by dehydration/starvation. This is a tough aspect to get right in a film, but by using Bruce Greenwood’s voice in Carla’s head and the dream-like blocking of the scenes, it appears that Gerald’s Game will be playing the same games with our heads.

Get your handcuffs ready and join us in our cabin later this September when Gerald’s Game is released on Netflix. If you have the balls, that is.