Netflix fans left stunned after watching horror film dubbed 'the most disturbing' they've ever seen

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

Netflix viewers were left shocked after tuning into what they described as the 'most disturbing' psychological horror they had ever seen.
Stephen King's kinky 1992 novel Gerald's Game had long been considered a book impossible to transition onto the big screen.
But in 2017, film director Mike Flanagan - who has adapted a number of horror writer King's novels since - emphatically did just that.
Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, the movie released on Netflix later that year leaving film-watchers and critics alike absolutely stunned.
Its plot follows married couple Jessie and Gerald as they embark on a secluded retreat.
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After arriving at their abode however, Jessie is left locked to the bed when Gerald suffers a fatal heart attack during a kinky sex game.
The rest of the plot details Jessie's desperate struggle to survive as she battles against her mental trauma - with the widow forced to overcome a traumatic incident in her childhood in order to leave the bedroom alive.
The movie culminates in a gruesome finale which left many viewers hiding behind their sofas and unable to watch.
In fact, the film was so terrifying that it gained the adulation of Stephen King himself, with the author posting on X: 'Saw a rough cut of Mike Flanagan's GERALD's Game yesterday.
'Horrifying. Hypnotic. Terrifying. It's gonna freak you out.'
And freaks fans out it did, with hundreds taking to social media to express their views about the film.
'This movie is an enigma,' one wrote: '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.'
Actor Carla Gugino said she was 'thankful' that they managed to pull off the 'special' movie during an interview with Buzzfeed
Another penned: '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 another viewer praised its storytelling: '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.'
The movie too gained a host of positive reviews from critics at the time of its 2017 release.
One wrote: '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.'
Speaking about her role in the film, Carla Gugino told Buzzfeed: '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.'
Stephen King's skills as an author coupled with Mike Flanagan's directorship expertise has proved to be a successful combination over the years.
While Gerald's Game was the first book of King's which Flanagan adapted, they have gone onto collaborate on further projects.
Doctor Sleep, which Flanagan adapted from the author's sequel to The Shining, was released to rave reviews in 2019.
And in just a matter of weeks The Life of Chuck is set to come out, a Flanagan adaptation of the King novella of the same name.
Thought to be one of the author's more experimental works, the film follows the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz, a man dying from a brain tumour