Netflix horror film about kinky sex game 'most disturbing fans have watched'
The psychological horror thriller has been adapted from a 1992 Stephen King novel which was long considered to be unadaptable and unfilmable for the big screen.
With a smashing 91 per cent score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Gerald's Game left critics and audiences floored when it was released.
Directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, the 2017 psychological horror thriller is currently streaming on Netflix. With a screenplay penned by Flanagan and Jeff Howard, Gerald's Game is based on Stephen King's 1992 novel of the same name.
Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, King's book was long thought to be unadaptable and unfilmable for the big screen.
Centred around married couple Jessie and Gerald, the film sees the pair arrive at an isolated house for a relaxing holiday.
However, life has other plans as Gerald suddenly dies of a heart attack, leaving Jessie handcuffed to the bed without a key and with little hope of any rescue. Jessie must then find a way to survive her impossible circumstances — all while battling her visceral inner demons.
So highly commended was the film, that Stephen King himself took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: 'Saw a rough cut of Mike Flanagan's GERALD'S GAME yesterday. Horrifying, hypnotic, terrific. It's gonna freak you out.'
Speaking to Buzzfeed about taking on the role, Gugino said: 'It was always considered an un-adaptable book by Stephen King. Also, someone was attached to play the role before. So, from the moment that I spoke to Mike Flanagan to the moment we were filming 'Gerald's Game,' it was literally two weeks.
"So, to come on to that role in that project, in which I was chained to a bed within that period of time, was a real risk. And I thought, 'We're either going to do something really special here, or this is the end of my career.' You know what I mean? There's no middle ground here. I'm so thankful that it was the former.'
With glowing reviews, Gerald's Game is a top-tier watch for those looking to sink their teeth into a psychological horror. One critic said of the film: 'Unsurprisingly, the film is [Mike Flanagan's] most accomplished to date, the result of the years he's spent giving a damn about his characters and their anguish. He's so good at it, he even makes it look easy.'
Another reviewer wrote: 'Finally, after the abysmal The Dark Tower and the overhyped It, we have a Stephen King adaptation that's worthy of the brand.'
While one critic said: 'Writer-director Mike Flanagan and co-writer Jeff Howard have turned Gerald's Game into one of the most compelling, eerie, memorable Stephen King adaptations to date.'
Another said: 'Gerald's Game is a symphony of suspense and scares, spiked with just the right amount of gruesome gore.'
Audience reviews were not far behind in their praise.
One viewer said: 'This movie is an enigma. On paper, it sounds like a boring movie: a woman is stuck, handcuffed to a bed for a long time, she eventually escapes. It was considered unfilmable for quite a while. But Mike Flanagan did a great job with this film and at this point, it's like he's physically incapable of making a bad King adaptation.'
Another audience review added: 'This movie was one of the most disturbing and suspenseful movies I have ever watched, and it was awesome. Sometimes the plot and story were a little slow and boring, but it was worth it to feel the intensity of the movie. Another great adaptation of Stephen King's work! I enjoyed watching it, I highly recommend it for fans of horror and thrillers!'
While one viewer wrote: 'This was a fun movie to watch, the characters felt fully thought out. The story is such a simple one to tell but incredibly rich with back story about our main character.'
Another said: 'One of the best adaptations to Stephen King's works. The substance was there and the story was well developed.'
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Scotsman
5 hours ago
- Scotsman
Inside the "strange and weird" world of Dept. Q with Edinburgh's Chloe Pirrie
Surreal, strange, weird... what happens when you set a Scandi noir crime drama in Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Extraordinary moments, surreal, strange things…' Attempting to describe her favourite part of filming new Netflix drama Dept. Q when we speak ahead of its launch, Chloe Pirrie is immediately tied up in avoiding spoilers, such is the extraordinary turn of events that befall her character. 'There are moments, but I can't say what they were because it'll give it away,' she says, 'strange, weird things…' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An adaptation of the novels of Danish author, Jussi Adler-Olsen by acclaimed showrunner Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit), written with Chandni Lakhani, Stephen Greenhorn and Colette Kane, the nine-part Netflix drama launches this week. Following the tale of Merritt Lingard, a high-flying lawyer played by Pirrie whose fate becomes intertwined with that of detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), who has been kicked downstairs to head up a new cold case department after an investigation went awry leaving his partner paralysed (Jamie Sives), the tense thriller sees them both pushed to their limits. Also starring are Alexej Manvelov (Jack Ryan, Top Dog), Kate Dickie, Kelly Macdonald (Line of Duty, Operation Mincemeat) and Leah Byrne (Call The Midwife, Nightsleeper) and an ensemble cast featuring many Scottish actors. Pirrie is a familiar face from TV and film, appearing in last year's Canadian horror film Kryptic, The Crown, Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, Emma, War & Peace, BBC's miniseries thriller The Victim and as Emily Bronte in Sally Wainwright's To Walk Invisible. Chloe Pirrie stars as Merritt Lingard in Dept. Q, filmed in Edinburgh. | Netflix Raised in Edinburgh, the daughter of a physiotherapist and a lawyer, Pirrie started acting at school in The Cherry Orchard and went on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After a career launching appearance in Scott Graham's award-winning indie feature film Shell with Iain De Caestecker and Kate Dickie in 2010, she was named Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. She soon landed roles in BBC2 Cold War spy thriller The Game alongside Brian Cox, Sky Atlantic's crime series The Last Panthers with Samantha Morton and John Hurt, Oscar-nominated comedy drama Youth with Michael Caine and Rachel Weisz and black comedy road movie Burn, Burn Burn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the start of the series Pirrie's Merritt Lingard is a prosecutor at the top of her game, fighting for justice and described by some as a 'blunt instrument'. Brought up on Mull by an absent father, when her brother suffers a brain injury she becomes his protector and following the biggest case of her career, decides to make a change, with dramatic consequences. 'Merritt operates on a basis of not needing to be liked, doesn't have many friends and is a bit of a mystery to the people around her,' says Pirrie. 'She has very successfully compartmentalised her life in terms of her past and current work situation but is starting to struggle under the pressure of the case she's prosecuting. 'We're seeing somebody who is maybe not as in control as they're used to being. Chloe Pirrie and Mark Bonnar as lawyers in Dept. Q, Netflix's Scottish adaptation of Jussi-Alder Olsen's Scandi Noir series. | Netflix 'This case is more high profile but is coming with baggage she hasn't anticipated. Obstacles start to emerge that she doesn't understand and the frustration is starting to get under her skin. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Alongside this she is receiving anonymous threatening messages.' In terms of preparing for the part of Merritt, the lawyer element was straightforward as Pirrie has experience of playing a lawyer from The Victim in 2019. 'That was less of a thriller and more about depicting and anatomising someone's trial, so that gave me a lot. I did a lot of research for that and you become a bit more acquainted with the differences in the Scottish legal system and I went to the WS society and Signet Library where my dad works and got a bit of insight of the culture and expectations in that legal world. 'Also I watched a lot of murder trial documentaries where you learn so much about how a profession works and I just love doing that kind of research. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And for Merritt, she's somebody who has quite a different background from others in that profession so it was understanding what might be most challenging for her and those encountering someone who does things differently or doesn't conform.' For Merritt, a belief that those who commit a crime don't ever truly get away with it and that through justice, conscience or karma, the universe will see them ultimately punished, helps sustain her on the wild ride on which her life takes her. Chloe Pirrie at the premiere of Under The Banner Of Heaven in Hollywood, California, 2022. |'This may be one of Merritt's blindspots,' says Pirrie. 'She's very hyperfocused on the right thing when it applies to others but has so successfully buried things as she's evolved that I don't think she ever turns the lens on herself. We learn more about that later in the show. It's interesting playing someone who isn't interested in self-reflection. We see that in scenes I have with Mark Bonnar, and her colleagues, where she's butting heads because she is unwilling to listen, and that serves her in some ways but not in others.' Does Pirrie think it's true, that people ultimately get punished? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't know. I'd like to think so. Maybe the gentler version is 'what's for you won't go by you', but I don't know if that is entirely true. You obviously trust in the justice system as much as you can, but we all know it has limitations and is always trying to adapt. It depends what justice means to you I suppose.' Originally a Scandi noir thriller, Scott Frank has transposed the story to a Scottish setting with Edinburgh locations, institutions and fictional characters up front and centre. 'The show does that so successfully, Scott did a fantastic job. Being an American, it's amazing how somebody can assimilate and locate, very specifically, people and qualities and with excellent performances and the right cast, bring something to life that felt very specific to me. For the Edinburgh born and raised actor this was a homecoming. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Because I'm from Edinburgh, it was really cool seeing it on screen, and a full circle moment as I've never worked here before. It was quite magical from that point of view. I just loved that.' Now based in North London, Pirrie's career has taken her all over for work, from Calgary to Prague, but once back in the capital for Dept. Q she enjoyed getting reacquainted. 'Chips and sauce, chips and cheese,' were top of the agenda, as well as catching up with family and friends. 'I had an apartment and it was really nice to spend more time in Edinburgh. I brought my car and my dog and had the freedom of returning as an adult with my own life. It was like discovering the city again, finding new places I hadn't known growing up like The Secret Herb Garden and there are so many restaurants because the food scene's gone insane. I really enjoyed going to old favourite places but also discovering new ones.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And the cast were amazing, some of whom I've worked with before and some who are new. It was great to see all these amazing Scottish actors together.' Chloe Pirrie | Photographer: Josh Shinner Stylist: Fabio Immediato Make-up: Amanda Grossman Hair: Davide Barbieri Now 37, if Pirrie reflects on her career, what would she say to her younger self? 'That it doesn't really get any easier but you're also doing way better than you think you are in terms of how you are navigating it. I'd say continue to try to not compare yourself to others as much as possible. I would tell her you are going to have the fortune to work with some really amazing people so savour the really amazing moments on set - that is the most important thing I think. 'Increasingly the industry is very noisy, there are so many extraneous things, but always return to the work because that's what is important, the time between action and cut. Keep focusing on that, because that's always where I felt 'oh I know how to do this', so keep feeling that way.' What sort of things make the industry 'noisy'? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Things to do with publicity and knowledge about how things are made, which can make it really daunting. When I graduated a certain naivety was possible because whenever I didn't get a job I didn't know how to look up who got it but now there's an overwhelm of information. 'Being able to go into rooms, do an audition, leave and that would be that, was an amazing privilege. It's so rare to go into a room and meet someone in person, which is mad, because your interaction with another actor is such a personal thing. I'd tell my younger self soak up those opportunities to work in a room with people, whether you get the job or not.' Pirrie has worked with the show's acclaimed runner Scott Frank before, on The Queen's Gambit, in which she played Anya Taylor-Joy's birth mother. What insight did this give her into how Frank works? 'The Queen's Gambit was a wonderful job and what happened with the series blowing up was so rewarding. Scott creates an environment that is so special; he's so in control but also very freeing. That's a really amazing quality in a director. The quality of attention on set from everyone there is something you feel like you're part of and that's created by him. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'With The Queen's Gambit I was terrified because it was the first time I'd done an American accent and the first thing I had to do was improvise a load of stuff but it was so supportive. You feel like you're able to do your best work and can also fail and it doesn't matter. He's the best in that sense as a director. So stepping into this which is a role much more on my shoulders I suppose I did feel a lot of anxiety but he'd asked me to do it and I knew I was in safe hands.' Playing everything from heiresses and Mormon wives to petrol station assistants, the particular circumstances that befall Lingard make this role a unique experience for Pirrie and led to some of her favourite on set moments. 'I liked the emotional intensity of it. I have played people in a similar state for a short time - not the same circumstance - but not in such a protracted way. It's such a strange situation… 'And we spent a day on a ferry from Thurso and that was really cool because I'd never been that far north and it was a beautiful experience, to be doing your job on a little ferry travelling, and also the drive up there is really stunning, you pinch yourself. People pay a fortune to do this as tourists and I'm getting to go for my job. There were lots of moments like that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There was also my first day on set walking around Edinburgh and the first thing I did was sit in Princes Street Gardens where I spent so many Saturdays as a teenager. It was quite extraordinary to do that and really full circle.' Chloe Pirrie attends the Vogue x Netflix BAFTA Television Awards 2024 in London. | Getty Images Which roles or people she's worked with have been pivotal in her career? 'Well Shell was my first big job, it was a leading part, and was a really formative experience with Scott Graham. It was my first time being able to play somebody the camera follows through every scene. I had to throw myself into it and didn't really know what I was doing. It was purely on instinct and you're figuring out technique as you go. 'And I would say playing Emily [Bronte] was really big for me, because it was such a freeing thing. Emily's somebody who's surprising to people and working with Sally Wainwright and that cast was amazing so I really cherish that job a lot. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Then The Queen's Gambit I loved for the way it worked. That part was quite small but important, and that's something I love about Scott, that there are no small parts. Even if someone's got one line, there's nothing perfunctory or accidental in the way he works, and that's amazing to be around. 'Under The Banner of Heaven [in 2022, in which Pirrie played a Scottish woman who has married into a fundamentalist Mormon family from Utah who commit a series of murders] which I did a few years ago, was amazing but different because I was playing someone profoundly not free, so that was also a really interesting experience from that point of view. Next up for Pirrie, after a well-earned week in the sun in Greece, is season four of Industry, the HBO hit about a group of junior traders at the London office of a city firm, now expanding its scope to follow the characters in the US. 'I did a little bit in season 3 and I'm reprising that. Industry is really fun, such a different thing. That's something I love about my job, that all sets are the same but also profoundly different and how the energy of a show really translates and how what is required of you can be really different. Industry means playing highly competent people which is hard because there's nowhere to put the vulnerability, you have to hold that together. It's really interesting, highly competent people who are melting down from the inside out is a really niche thing, and Industry definitely runs that concept to its absolute extreme. And then I don't know what I'm doing,' she says and smiles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pirrie is content to take each role as it comes, and doesn't think too far ahead about parts she'd like to play. 'I try to take it as it arrives towards me as much as possible. And when you receive a script that makes you sit up and be forward and hoover up whatever it is, you give it everything you have, regardless of the outcome.' As for genres, she has a surprising penchant, as yet to be explored. 'Ok, so one of my favourite genres is submarine movies. I have a real thing about submarines and I would love to do one of those. And I can ride horses fairly competently - I learnt as a kid - and I've never got to do it because it's often something men do in things, go off into battle. So I'm waiting for that moment where someone says 'could you do that on a horse?' and I'll say 'Absolutely!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I actually made a short film recently that I'm editing now, that's a little bit about when I was young and working at a stables and imagining a life where I continued to do that. Maybe I'm creating opportunities for myself somehow, but I'd love to use that skill in some way. And it would be fun to learn to climb, swim in a particular way, dive, do stunt driving, to really push it.' In the meantime what Pirrie wants most is to be able to talk about Dept. Q without worrying about spoilers, which brings us full circle back to those 'extraordinary moments, surreal, strange things…'
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
The Chase star with surprising new job away from ITV quiz show
It's been revealed that a star of The Chase has recently landed a surprising new job away from the ITV quiz show. Anne Hegerty, 66, better known as The Governess on the Bradley Walsh general knowledge series, has been part of The Chase for 16 years. Since 2010, she has sometimes taken on other work in between recordings, even appearing on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018. Among those other opportunities Anne has taken up is her history of performing in Christmas pantomimes up and down the country since 2014. And it's been announced this week that her surprising job away from The Chase is being picked back up again, with Christmas 2025 shows already booked in. The news was broken by the X account of the Spa Hall in Scarborough, which is an entertainment, conferencing, and wedding venue in the north east town. In a post, the account said: 'We are delighted to announce that back by popular demand for Beauty and the Beast will be The Governess, Anne Hegerty!' The Scarborough Spa then promised more star names, with TV presenter Jake Quickenden among them, playing the role of Gaston in the production. In the refashioned Beauty and the Beast, Anne – 'back by popular demand' – will be playing the Fairy Rose, otherwise known as the Enchanted Rose in the 1991 film. The Enchanted Rose acts as something of a clock for the Beast, with each falling petal reminding him of the time he's got – or hasn't got – left to find his true love. Scarborough Spa's productions of Beauty and the Beast will run from December 6, 2025 all the way through to New Year's Day in 2026. Despite this seeming like a surprising turn for Anne, the truth is that, when she's not playing The Chase as The Governess, she's been performing in panto for years. Starting in 2014, she first appeared in a Northwich production of Cinderella, starring as one of the wicked stepmothers at the Cheshire-based Grange Theatre. More Trending Later on, she starred as the Empress of China in a re-telling of Aladdin in Torquay, before trading the south coast for the north east in a Middlesbrough-born production of Sleeping Beauty. In 2022, she revealed that she started to be approached by panto directors after setting up a Twitter account – back when it was still called Twitter and relatively new. 'I did panto [but] I was really fairly terrible the first time. I was technically bad, I used to miss cues, so I stumbled through it. Then got offered more and I've been doing it ever since,' she told the Swindon Advertiser. View More » She continued: 'I enjoy doing the panto, it's a chance to act and a chance to sing, a chance to act, a chance to be funny more than one gets in The Chase.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: The Chase star points out major issue 'ruining' rival ITV gameshow MORE: TV fans are left 'completely traumatised' over bizarre phone sex scene MORE: 'It was electrifying': All 10 Britain's Got Talent finalists on making it to the end
The Review Geek
9 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Dept. Q Season 1 Review – The best crime thriller of the year?
Season 1 Episode Guide Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4.5/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 9 -| Review Score – 4.5/5 Writing a compelling crime drama that stands out in such a saturated market is not easy. There are so many options to choose from, and with streaming more accessible than ever, competition is fierce. Whether it be the numerous Sherlock spin-offs we get every year, original breakaway hits like Mare of Easttown or one of the many Scandinavian miniseries like The Chestnut Man (honestly, that show is fantastic, add it to your watch-list!), it's hard for newcomers to stand out. In a way, Dept. Q is in an unenviable spot. The story is pretty formulaic and feels like a mash-up of what's come before, and it's also dumped in one hit on Netflix, giving it a bit of a do-or-die flavour. However, beyond its relatively simplistic story is a show that boasts excellent production design, atmosphere, and characterisation — all of which help it stand out from the masses. Created by Scott Frank, the brilliant mind behind The Queen's Gambit, and with a stable foundation coming in the form of the book series as source material, Netflix may just have struck gold with this one — if it can attract a sizeable enough audience. Dept. Q's story whisks us off to the moody, miserable setting of Edinburgh, where we follow Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, a brilliant but emotionally scarred officer recovering from a traumatic ambush that left his partner paralyzed and another officer dead. Relegated to a newly formed cold case unit in the police department's basement, Morck assembles a team of misfits to take on an old case involving the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, who vanished from a ferry four years prior. As the team delves deeper, they uncover a chilling conspiracy and psychological trauma that test their limits. The episodes interweave the investigation into Merritt's disappearance with Carl's shooting at Leith Park, but it's worth noting that there isn't actually any closure to the shooting. You can see the creators' intention to leave this thread open-ended for a potential second season (which hasn't been confirmed at the time of writing), but it's not too much of a detriment given the way this one ends — and how it's handled. It's very much a secondary plot, and one could argue it's used as a way of exploring Carl's trauma and allowing him to grow as a person. The story regularly jumps between past and present, and early on, we learn what happened to Merritt. The structure of the story then shifts to focus on why and how this occurred rather than drawing out the mystery of whether she's alive. It's an interesting framing device, but unfortunately, it's hard not to feel like the series shows its hand way too early. In fact, anyone who has watched a lot of crime thrillers is likely to figure out what's happening as early as episode 3. Not in complete detail, of course, because the show does work in some lovely twists, but I can't help but feel tighter framing — rather than wide angles and establishing shots — may have been a better option. While the story isn't Dept. Q's strongest asset, the show leans heavily on character work — and that's where it truly shines. Matthew Goode's portrayal of DCI Carl Morck is excellent, adding the right balance of snarky sarcasm, rule-breaking, and anti-authority vibes alongside a darker, more emotionally scarred interior that he's keeping from those around him. Carl has a really solid arc across the season, punctuated by important moments at the start and end of the show that feel like mirrors of the same incident, sandwiched around a lot of growth and exploration of inner demons. The series also flirts with the idea of a romance between Carl and his therapist, Rachel, but to be honest it's not handled particularly well. The banter between them is quite strong though, which only makes the decision to half-heartedly pursue this angle all the more baffling. However, one of the more interesting players here is Alexej Manvelov's portrayal of Syrian character Akram. He's very much the dark horse of the ensemble and bounces off Carl really well across the 9 episodes. Rounding out the trio is Rose. While she starts out as a bit player, she becomes more deeply involved in the investigation as the episodes progress. She has her own trauma to process, and the show handles this well — letting her development unfold in a way that never overshadows the main mystery or feels tacked on. The rest of the supporting cast do well in their roles, and it's just as well because many of the sets are quite uninspired, despite being dressed well. We're largely working with dingy interiors — and that's by design. This is a dark, gritty crime thriller that's less interested in sweeping vistas (despite a few establishing shots showing off Scotland's gorgeous natural landscapes) and more focused on the gritty details of the case itself. In that respect, Dept. Q establishes itself as a comfortable and relatively straightforward thriller, with enough red herrings and twists to try and keep you guessing until the conclusion. Again, your mileage with this one will probably vary, but this is not a show to binge in a single day. The episodes are long and often padded with proper investigative work. The investigation can — and does — go down wrong paths or take unexpected turns, often as a way of developing characters or helping them learn lessons. At one point, for example, Rose believes she's managed to link a bird insignia to a past case, tying everything together with a neat little bow. In reality, this is a big reach — and she's called out for it. These little moments aren't insulting to viewers or presented as wasted time; rather, they serve as lessons for our team — reminders to stick to the basics and avoid assumptions. Another time, Carl chooses Rose to butter up a male constable, bluntly leaning into the femme fatale angle. Again, it's a small inclusion, but one that feels grounded in the way these sorts of interviews might realistically play out. Episodes 8 and 9 work in tandem to tie up loose ends, deliver key flashbacks, and clarify any lingering mysteries surrounding the Merritt Lingard case. There are a few clichés that pop up along the way, but they're easy to overlook. Even with its issues, Dept. Q is a solid crime thriller. It's clearly been designed as a springboard to try and capture a bigger audience hungry for a consistent series that can run for many seasons to come. It's gritty, grounded, and boasts some strong characterisation. Based on what's here — and the way the season ends — there's definitely more fuel in the tank, with Dept. Q standing out as one of the best crime thrillers of the year.
