Gerald's Game and a Goodbye from me

GERALD'S GAME 2017

 
"If there's a monster under your bed it won't bother you if you're asleep," Gerald whispers to Jessie, and in that moment Gerald's Game is summed up in one beautiful sentence.

First of all, Gerald's Game is one of my favorite Stephen King novels. I read it far too young at a tender age of 12 where I learned far too much about the scary world of adults. But it has always stuck with me. I learned a lot from Gerald's Game that didn't scar me, life lessons that I subconsciously carried with me as I grew up. I re-read the story when I was 18 and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Gerald's Game had taught me to fight so incredibly hard despite the odds. And in the tumultuous year where my Dad had left my family and my Mom had mentally checked out and I had to drop out of college....I never once stopped fighting. Because when I was 12 I read a book where a woman was in a lose/lose situation and against all terrifying odds, she fought and battled her inner demons and came out triumphant. And that woman never left me.

That might sound dramatic, but there's a reason I'm such a huge Stephen King fan, because I'm not exaggerating when I say his books have changed my life.

Tonight I watched the new adaptation, Gerald's Game, directed and written by Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard. And I am happy to say that this film exceeded my expectations and kept what was the most important about this story and brought it to the screen.

Jessie and Gerald are a married couple who are slowly falling apart, they decide to escape up to their cabin for the weekend and play a sexy game where Jessie is handcuffed to the bed. But when things get quickly out of hand, and Gerald has a massive heart attack, dropping dead on the floor, Jessie finds herself in an impossible situation she must escape from. Or else she'll die, whether it be from dehydration, her organs shutting down, or that wild, starving dog that's sniffing around.

Ultimately this story is about survival, but it also speaks to the lengths we go to keep our darkest secrets buried. Jessie experienced something when she was younger that she has never told anyone, and without realizing it, it controls every decision she makes in her adult life. It isn't until she's locked in this situation that she's finally forced to deal with her trauma. It's an important lesson that we all learn in life, that holding secrets will slowly destroy us from the inside out. This film is incredible at how it handles the dark story line. It touches just hard enough that you completely understand what's going on, but not enough that it discredits the careful line its walking.

The story is also one about the fear that you never truly know the ones you love the most. You can be married to someone for ten years and one day they'll say something or do something and you suddenly realize you don't know that person at all. That maybe they were also keeping a deep dark secret they didn't want you to know.

Stephen King always understands the darkness that lies within every person. And Flanagan has brought that to life in this amazing adaptation.

I'm going to get into a little bit of spoilers here so skip ahead if you need to:

First of all, I'm so thankful that Flanagan kept the Dolores Claiborne reference in this film. It's so important to the story and it's a nice little nod for hardcore King fans. There was also a fun little Cujo reference which I appreciated.

Secondly, I want to talk about the horror element of it - there's some real creepy scenes in this movie that keeps the tension high and keeps the story going. Raymond Andrew Joubert, played by Carel Struycken, is incredibly creepy and his first scene caught me totally off guard. I also loved the final court scene with him. Obviously, I also need to touch on the wrist cutting scene. Reading it in the book had me squeamish but seeing it come to life...wow. I was completely unprepared. It was one of those moments where I realized I was yelling out loud and clutching my face, and actually had no idea how long I'd been yelling for (once again, I'm so sorry to my neighbors). I had been pondering how they would pull that off and they WENT THERE. The camera did not pan away once. It was horrific and so well done. An absolutely amazing scene!

Thirdly, I want to talk about the acting performances. Carla Gugino plays our lead Jessie with perfection. From the losing of her mind to the multiple personalities showing through to the final scene, this was an award winning performance. She was so believable, and raw, and emotional, and tough. Bruce Greenwood plays Gerald and it's another great performance. The scenes where Gerald is taunting Jessie, just hanging over her in bed whispering anxieties into her ear were so realistic and such a great portrayal of how having chronic anxiety really feels. Such great casting.

End of spoilers...

Flanagan is proving to me that he can't make a bad movie. This man is a powerhouse who, in my opinion, has already cemented himself as a master of horror. Gerald's Game is just another notch on the belt of a near perfect career and I honestly can't contain my excitement for whatever he has coming next.

Overall, Gerald's Game is a stunning, almost perfect adaptation of an author who many people have struggled for years to adapt. I will aggressively recommend it to everyone I know.

Solid 10/10

 Now, I have some sad news. This will be my last review on this blog....

BECAUSE I'VE BOUGHT A DOMAIN NAME FOR HORROR BOUND AND AM MOVING TO A REAL WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've wanted to create my own horror site for awhile now but wanted to do it the right way. In April I bought the domain name for my birthday and I've spent the last few months creating the site. It will officially go live this Sunday on October 1st for the 31 day horror movie challenge.

It's time for Horror Bound to go big and not be just a little blog anymore. I've spent almost 6 years writing on this blog so I will be sad to not come here anymore and yell at everyone about how great horror movies are. I will keep this archived though for those of you who want to read old reviews, and mostly for my own nostalgia.

Going forward, you will need to visit horrorbound.net for all your horror bound needs. A MASSIVE thank you to those of you who have visited this blog over the years. It's been so much fun to watch my stats grow and have you reach out on twitter about my reviews. It's helped me blossom into a real writer and move into writing for other great websites like morbidlybeautiful.com and addictedtohorrormovies.com and now my own website! I hope you follow me over there.

As always, follow me on twitter, follow me on instagram, and on Sunday, October 1st, check out the new and improved and OFFICIAL Horror Bound.

Stay spooky forever,

Top Ten Stephen King Cameos!

TOP TEN STEPHEN KING CAMEOS

Stephen King is obviously a huge part of our culture and has been for decades. He's also my hero and just an all around great guy. His 70th birthday is coming up so I've rounded up some of his best cameos so you can keep an eye out when you re-watch! 

In no particular order:

#10 - Band Leader in The Shining miniseries

There was a Shining miniseries I hear you asking? Yes my spooky friends, there was a miniseries. Mick Garris directed this three part series for ABC in 1997 who would only adapt it if King promised to not bad mouth the film version. Both Sam Raimi and Frank Darabont cameo in it too! But King shows up as the creepy mustache wearing band leader named Gage Creed and it's pretty great.

#9 - Hoagie Man in Knightriders

I think this is his first on screen cameo and it's Romero's 1981 film Knightrider. Romero and King have a really cute friendship and it all started here. He plays a heckler at a medieval parade, uttering the phrase "you know, I don't have the balls to wear a thing like that!".

 

#8 - The Cleaner in Sons of Anarchy

King was a huge fan of SOA and was thrilled when he got to cameo as Dick Bachman aka The Cleaner in a 2010 episode. He gets to ride a motorcycle, wear a cool leather jacket and show he's always going to be a total bad ass. In the show he's the go-to man for cleaning up the messes and listens to 80's music while doing so.

#7 - Jordy Verrill in Creepshow

One of my favorite Creepshow stories, King reunited with Romero to play the title character in the anthology Creepshow. King shows some serious acting talent here playing a redneck who gets consumed by alien vegetation.

#6 - Truck Driver in Creepshow 2

King was invited back for the sequel and in this round he plays a hillbilly trucker with a couple of lines. Romero wrote the screenplay for the second film and Michael Gornick directed it.

#5 - Asshole at the ATM in Maximum Overdrive

One of the craziest films I've EVER seen is Maximum Overdrive, a cocaine fulled nightmare. King's directorial debut and his only ever attempt at it, he also claims this is the worst adaptation of all his books. But that was before Cell was made....I JOKE, I JOKE! This is one of my favorite cameos.

#4 - Cemetery Groundskeeper in Sleepwalkers

Written by Stephen King and directed by Mick Garris, this cameo is epic because it includes Tobe Hooper and Clive Barker. THE HOLY TRINITY. Sort of.

#3 - Minister in Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary is one of my favorite King books and one of my favorite adaptations. It came out in 1989 and is directed by Mary Lambert. Never forget how TERRIFYING Zelda is....
King plays the Minister overseeing the funeral of Gage Creed and there's something really spooky about that performance.

#2 - Teddy Weizak in The Stand

Probably one of King's adaptations that most people talk about fondly and absolutely a fan favorite book. The Stand was a TV mini-series that played in 1994 and King gets to play a 2 episode arc as Weizak. He really shows off his acting chops in this one and has to do a very emotional scene.

#1 - Himself in The Simpsons

That's right, King got to play a Simpson's version of himself in the episode "Insane Clown Poppy". Drew Barrymore also appears in the episode as the character Sophie. Barrymore was in two King adaptations - Firestarter and Cat's Eye. It originally aired in 2000 on November 12th. Marge encounters King at a book fair where he tells her that he didn't feel like writing horror anymore so was writing a biography on Benjamin Franklin. It's a really funny moment!

So there you have it! My ten favorite King cameos!

Stay spooky everyone and keep updated with my latest articles over at the other site I write for addictedtohorrormovies.

Oakley Court - a hidden horror Mecca

Oakley Court....a beautiful and tranquil hotel with eclectic architecture, never-ending lawns, a tasty restaurant and footpaths that lead you alongside the River Thames. When standing on the lawn gazing up at the hotel you get the sense that you've stepped into a place from another era. But despite the gargoyles that leer down at you from every surface, and the one tiny hallway scattered with horror movie posters, you'd have no idea that this is ground zero for some of the best horror movies of all time.

This year I visited Oakley Court and stayed the night to experience the incredible hotel for itself and wallow in its' incredible history.

Built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall-Say in the style of a French Chateau to comfort his homesick young French wife, it had many owners until 1919 when Ernest Olivier bought it. He was a Turkish consul and used the Court as a place to impress and entertain foreign diplomats. During World War 2 it was rumored that Charles de Gaulle had an office there and there's a room there now that is named in his honor. But it wasn't until post World War 2 that Oakley Court became a horror Mecca when Olivier decided to rent the building out as a filming location.

In 1949 Hammer/Exclusive Films started using the building and for twelve months the Court was used to make 5 films. Over the next few decades Oakley Court became the go-to location for British productions to use as an exterior for haunted houses and castles. You can find the Court in films like The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and Vampyres (1974). 

But in 1965 when Olivier passed away the house was divided up and used as shelter for young, local families in need. They could rent rooms and cottages and it stayed that way through the 70's. But because of this it allowed productions to film inside the now dilapidated Court. And so next up were Girly (1970), The Night Digger (1971), and The Man From Nowhere (1975).

There's also a rumor that in the late 60's, shortly after Olivier's death, there were satanic cults that would use the grounds for their Sabbaths. There's an old crumbled structure near the riverfront that was rumored to be the site. The local historian, Jake Roche, believes witches used to meet on the grounds.

Of course, what is an old, spooky Court without its' ghost stories? There are many stories of ghostly presences and events that have filled Oakley Court including in 1972 when a woman claimed her two children drowned after seeing white-hooded figures roaming the grounds late at night. Even just reading the modern day reviews of the hotel you'll find a couple of ghostly experiences thrown in among glowing reviews of the restaurant. Unfortunately, I didn't experience anything myself, but it was absolutely very spooky walking through the hotel's many twisted staircases and long hallways by myself.

In the 1970's as residents began to leave, the building was purchased by the Muggleston family to convert it into a resort. They restored Oakley Court to its former glory spending $5 million to do so. They also included additional wings to accommodate more guests.

Now Oakley Court sits as a proud, well reviewed hotel, but keeps its' horror history pretty quiet. Every year they host the Time Warp Picnic where fans of Rocky Horror gather to watch the Transylvanian flag raise from the tower and then watch a screening of the film together in costume. But let's just call ourselves lucky that Oakley Court is still standing and being carefully and lovingly restored, and a tiny but important piece of horror history is kept in tact.

My stay there was wonderful, and as you can see littered throughout this article are photos I took during my stay. The room was great, the food was great, and I loved just wandering around the grounds and discovering so many different buildings and strange artwork like an entire suit of armor placed in a corner for seemingly no reason. Or an entire room of giant mirrors. Or a neon light sign that reads "The Butler Did It'.

It's a odd place.

But I love it, and I highly recommend that if ever given the chance, you go stay there too, or at least explore it!

Little Evil - Netflix original

LITTLE EVIL 2017

The new Netflix original horror comedy came to our screens last week and last night I sat down to watch it. Let's talk about it!

Written and directed by Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil) Little Evil has an incredible cast including Adam Scott, Evangeline Lilly, Donald Faison and Chris D'Elia.


Gary is recently married and moving in with his new wife and his new stepson, Lucas. But something is wrong with Lucas....like seriously wrong. In fact, he may just be the antichrist.

Very much like Craig's film, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, this story is a satire. We all know parenthood is a disaster on its' own, but Gary is essentially struggling with Satan for custody over his new stepson which creates a lot of hilarious moments. There's a lot of great horror nods - The Shining, Poltergeist, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby etc. And some really hilarious setups, my personal favorite being when Gary is forced to join a stepdad support group and all of the other dads are sharing their "evil kid" stories which sound very similar to Lucas, except for the minor detail that Lucas is being controlled by the Devil.

Most of the film relies on Adam Scott to pull this wacky story off without becoming too much of a joke of itself. Luckily Adam Scott is incredible at what he does, playing off that dead pan humor like its' the easiest thing in the world. He shows enough drama and emotion in the more serious parts, but can pull us easily out of a scene in the best way with one raise of an eyebrow. Owen Atlas plays Lucas and does a really stand out job of playing that Damien style horror. Without many words he can stare you down through the camera and creep you the fuck out. Evangeline Lilly plays her character very well with that undying love of a mother who can't see that anything is wrong with her child, because as she says many times, "it is never the child's fault."


The horror elements while fun and campy, never actually hit that true satisfying horror moment so this is absolutely more comedy than horror.  And the ending for me personally felt a little too cheesy, but I'm not sure how else it could've ended, so I won't complain too much.

Overall it was super entertaining - I had a few laugh out loud moments and enjoyed spotting all the horror movie nods.

7/10

Stay Spooky!