Based on the most pressing question that I’ve received from people about Gerald’s Game, it seems the element that has gripped people’s heart is the Moonlight Man and the actor who has played it. As she is about to leave, Jessie sees Raymond again. She also understands why Gerald’s body was missing its nose and ears. Acromegaly is the name of the disease which Raymond Andrew Joubert suffers from – a progressive enlargement of the hands, feet, and face that happens when the pituitary gland goes into warp drive. The opening scenes of his new film Gerald’s Game, based on the novel by Stephen King, lay out all the film’s implements with elegant cruelty. Jessie Angela Mahout Burlingame and her husband Gerald, a successful and aggressive lawyer, travel from Portland to their secluded lake house in western Maine near Kashwakamak Lake for an unplanned romantic getaway. All in all, it is a symphony of suspense and scares, and spiked with the perfect morality tale. The Shining saw three people trapped in a hotel. Credit: Netflix/Gerald's Game In a Saw inspired sequence, Jessie reaches for a glass, smashes it and then uses a shard to slice her skin off so it's … At first Jessie is only horrified at her husband's death and fears the embarrassment of being discovered semi-naked and handcuffed, but she quickly realizes the situation is far more dire: it is unlikely that she or Gerald will be missed for several days, no one will think to look for them at the lake house, and all the usual lake residents have gone for the season. Along with other plot-points, here’s Gerald’s Game ending explained. After an attempt to reignite the passion in their marriage goes awry, Jessie is left handcuffed to a bed in a secluded house with her husband, Gerald, dead. The shock causes him to have a fatal heart attack. As mentioned at the end of Gerald’s Game, the death was due to the heart attack. After that, he proceeds to touch himself fully aware that Jessie knows what he’s doing. When Jessie is young and watching an eclipse, her dad asks her to sit on his lap because that arouses him. As she walks up to Raymond, she faces all of her fears and says “You’re so much smaller than I remember”. As night comes, she is unsure whether it is her imagination or if she has another companion: someone watching her from the corner of her dark bedroom. Refreshed and encouraged by her own ingenuity in getting the water, she renews her efforts to escape, first by trying to break the headboard, then by trying to slip off the bed and push it to the bureau where the keys are placed. After mailing the letter, Jessie is able to sleep without nightmares for the first time since her ordeal at the lake house. Years later, she marries a person much older than her because it’s the only dynamic she’s ever known. But that is really not the case as told later on in the film. Jessie is able to use pockets of her memories, to eventually cut her hands and slip it out of the handcuffs in an excruciating manner. Jessie's vision of Gerald refers to the dog and his somewhat violent temperament as "Cujo." Barry is a technologist who helps start-ups build successful products. She is then able to escape the bed, reach the keys, and free her other hand, only to faint from blood loss. The titular "game" involves handcuffing Jessie to the bed for lovemaking, a recent addition to their marriage that both partners find exciting. Her version of the Moonlight man has red glowing eyes (much like the eclipse). Yes, and it’s also mentioned in the original book. The following morning, Jessie manages to secure a drink of water from a glass on the bedside table. He knew it wasn’t filmable, even when he would pitch it. This one moment scars Jessie forever, and it’s a secret that stays with her for life. Gerald's Game opens innocuously enough, with Jessie and Gerald packing small bags for a weekend away. Meet Jessie and Gerald Burlingame. Believing that this was a ghostly apparition, thanks to the way Raymond looked physically, Jessie thinks that it is “Death” who’s come to claim her life. There is a real possibility that Jessie will die if she cannot escape. In the book, however, there is an additional mention of the fact that the abandoned dog is shot by cops in the end. Parasite Ending Explained (2019 Korean Film Gisaengchung), Murder On The Orient Express: Characters Connection To Daisy, Evolution (2015) : Movie Plot Ending Explained, Donnie Darko (2001) : Movie Plot Ending Explained, Netflix DARK: Family Tree Explained In Detail (All Seasons). Eventually, one day, she sees a picture of Raymond Andrew Joubert in the newspaper, as a man who’s been arrested for vandalizing graves. https://www.audible.com/pd/Geralds-Game-Audiobook/B019NQLOZG That death is not coming to claim his runaway bride. Inspired by her memory of the eclipse, in which her father warned her not to cut herself on the glass panes they used as eclipse viewers, Jessie breaks the water glass and uses a sharp shard to slice her wrist, giving herself a degloving injury to lubricate her skin enough to slide her right hand from the cuff. In King's Cujo, a large St. Bernard chases a rabbit down a rabbit hole, only to discover there's a rabid bat living there that scratches the dog's muzzle. The message of confronting one’s fears engulfs you until the end, and without it, Gerald’s Game would have just been another scary movie. She manages to drive away in the car, but her fatigue makes her lose consciousness and crashes into a tree. Gerald’s Game is a film directed by Mike Flanagan (also the director of Oculus). The figure shows her a wicker basket of jewelry mixed with human bones. To free herself, Jessie writes to the real Ruth, with whom she has not spoken in decades, detailing what really happened at the lake house and subsequent events. “Sometimes it takes heart to write about a thing, doesn't it? On a warm weekday in October, Jessie and Gerald Burlingame are alone in the bedroom of their Maine summer house, playing a game that isn't listed in Hoyle's. Gerald firstly gets a refusal for his handcuff idea, and secondly, gets a heart attack and dies, leaving a cuffed Jessie to figure her way out. Mike Flanagan has been holding on to Gerald’s Game for a long time. This time, however, Jessie finds herself reluctant after being handcuffed to the bedposts and asks to stop, only to be ignored by Gerald, who pretends her protests are only part of their game. Her only company is a hungry stray dog and the sundry voices that populate her mind. When a game of seduction between a husband and wife ends in death, the nightmare has only just begun in this sinister twist on a bedtime story--a #1 national bestseller and "one of Stephen King's best" (USA TODAY). Click to browse all his film articles, 11 Amazing Movies Filmed In A Single Location, 10 Best Sci-fi Horror Movies (A Must-Watch List), Velvet Buzzsaw Explained (2019 Movie Ending and Analysis), 7 Best Free Online Music Video Maker You Should Know, Shimmer Lake Explained In Chronological Order, The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things: Ending Explained, Thoroughbreds Ending Explained In Short (2017 Movie). She apologizes for abandoning Ruth, acknowledging that Ruth had confronted her with a truth she could not then face, and hopes they can resume their friendship. Months later she writes a letter to her younger self as a lady who has finally been able to break away from her past. He restrains Jessie with one set of handcuffs on each wrist locked to the bedposts; she seems a bit surprised by this, but goes along. In the context of the movie Gerald’s Game, the Moonlight Man represents the “monster under the bed” for Jessie. So let’s first talk about Raymond Andrew Joubert. This is she facing her fears. He’s a chilled-out dude who most definitely is not a necrophiliac, however, does suffer from acromegaly. This also explains why there is a large blood footprint by the side of the dog. She decides that she’s going for Raymond’s arraignment. Later on, that dog finds its way into the house and begins to gnaw on Gerald's arm. He’s regularly available for a chat conversation on his website and consults on storyboarding from time to time. She also begins to acknowledge how unhappy and controlling her marriage to Gerald was, suspecting that she gave up her independent and courageous spirit for the security of being Gerald's trophy wife. He’s done many movies over the years and the most famous roles being Lurch from the Adam’s Family movies. She’s not imagining him. Jessie and Gerald arrive at an isolated lake house in Fairhope, Alabama for some time away. The "Space Cowboy" was a serial killer and necrophile named Raymond Andrew Joubert who had been living in and robbing lake houses in the area. Over time, she has magnified her fears inside her mind – her father, her broken marriage, her Moonlight Man. For the book, click below: Here are links to the key aspects of the movie: No. He’s 7 feet tall and has an enlarged forehead and has longish arms. Originally the book was intended to be a companion piece to King's novel Dolores Claiborne, with the connecting theme of two women in crisis caught in the path of an eclipse, though this aspect was greatly reduced by the time the books were published. Watch Netflix employees react to the famous "hand scene" from [3] In October 2016, Deadline reported that Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood would star in the film as Jessie and Gerald Burlingame. Carel Struycken is the actor who plays Raymond. His love for movies and production has led him to write his well-received film explanation and analysis articles to help everyone appreciate the films better. Blood is seen coming from a dead man's body and a dog drinks it. https://www.amazon.com/Geralds-Game-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B018ER7KPS To avoid too many questions from the press, she lies saying she had amnesia and couldn’t recollect anything. While the concept of the Moonlight Man is inside Jessie’s head, the person she sees by the side of her bed is Raymond. Being able to directly confront the man who once terrified her allowed her to face the other manipulative men in her life, including her father and Gerald, freeing her of fear and allowing her to deal more honestly with her past. The book is dedicated to King's wife Tabitha and her sisters: "This book is dedicated, with love and admiration, to six good women: Margaret Spruce Morehouse, Catherine Spruce Graves, Stephanie Spruce Leonard, Anne Spruce Labree, Tabitha Spruce King, and Marcella Spruce." Also, Gerald is a lawyer like her father. The film is an interesting take on a sole-survivor and her struggles to make it out alive. She’s been tied to the bed and is fading. As a result, she is in an unhappy marriage as a trophy wife. The plot is centered on Gerald and his wife, Jessie, who plan a weekend in a remote lake house to spice up their sex lives. This confirms that it was indeed him in the lake house and that she didn’t see an apparition. When she awakens, it is nearly dark and the Space Cowboy, now undeniably real, has returned. https://www.thisisbarry.com/film/geralds-game-ending-explained-2017-movie Unsure if the figure is another hallucination, Jessie dismisses it, saying aloud that it is "only made of moonlight," which seems to make it vanish. Gerald and Jessie Burlingame have gone to their summer home on a warm weekday in October for a romantic getaway. An attorney at Gerald's law firm assists her in covering up the incident to protect her and the law firm from scandal, but Jessie feels this is another version of burying her trauma, just as she buried her childhood abuse years before. He was pretty scary, wasn’t he? Gerald’s Game’s cast includes Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, and Carel Struycken. Some he eats, some he keeps. Do give it a watch if you haven’t before reading further. A door left open. He is a crypt creeper who vandalizes graveyards by breaking into mausoleums and stealing jewelry. Believing that she looking at the apparition, she tells him “You’re not real. Gerald’s Game is the logical conclusion of King’s obsession with limited locations. She makes peace with the fact that even though her marriage was not a happy one, Gerald was a good man and not a monster like her father. It’s based on Stephen King’s book by the same name. ... A mangy, hungry dog. When she sees Raymond, he looks back at her and says “You’re not real. Jessie crashes and is knocked unconscious. But saying this she’s taking back control. Her inner voices, however, believe that the figure is real and will return to harm Jessie if she does not escape by the next night. Gerald's Game is a 1992 suspense novel by American writer Stephen King. Gerald takes a second Viagra and leaves his glass of water on the same shelf. Raymond was actually in the house by the side of Jessie but didn’t attack or kill her, perhaps because of Gerald’s dead body which draws his attention. Cujo had two people trapped in a Pinto. The news reported that he gouged out eyes and other body parts of corpses. Edit . The film premiered on Netflix on September 29, 2017. Then she … So not only does she keep it a secret, the agony continues for her because of the way she’s made a choice for her life partner. Jessie Angela Mahout Burlingame and her husband Gerald, a successful and aggressive lawyer, travel from Portland to their secluded lake house in western Maine near Kashwakamak Lake for an unplanned romantic getaway. [2] In an interview with Rue Morgue in September 2016, Flanagan said that the film adaptation would premiere on Netflix. Gerald's Game (2017) Parents Guide Add to guide . The ending of Gerald’s Game has Jessie realizing that facing off with her monster is the ultimate thing she needs to do to be free of her past. Jessie changes into a new slip, placing the tag on a shelf above the bed, and practices sexy poses. The titular "game" involves handcuffing Jessie to the bed for lovemaking, a recent addition to their marriage that both partners find exciting. Not only must she break free but she must avoid being killed by a wild dog that figures that Jessie is on the menu. The other element of the film is about Jessie’s childhood and the relationship with her father. H… https://screenrant.com/geralds-game-movie-twist-ending-explained/2 Spoilers ahead! The book was adapted into a 2017 film directed by Mike Flanagan. Waking from an imaginary confrontation with all these characters to a dark bedroom, Jessie sees a tall, gaunt apparition in the corner of the room, whom she initially mistakes for the spirit of her long-dead father and whom she nicknames "Space Cowboy" (after a line from a Steve Miller song, "The Joker"). Jessie confronted Joubert at his court hearing, where Joubert mocked her "made of moonlight" statement, confirming that the encounter really occurred and causing Jessie to spit in his face. A nearby couple rescues her. With the insurance money, Jessie starts a foundation to help young boys and girls like her. While it might appear that Jessie’s throwing Gerald off the bed caused his skull to crack and bleed, it is not the reason for his death. To watch Gerald’s Game full film go – here. He doesn’t stop there, he emotionally manipulates her to keep it a secret from everyone. But suddenly, as Jessie hears the click of the second handcuff locking her to the bedposts and sees her husband looming over her, a nerve-snap of recognition tells her that this time Gerald is playing for keeps. Raymond also has Necrophilia, which means he has sex with dead bodies, but specifically male in his case. While Gerald takes Viagra, Jessie feeds a stray dog outside, but when re-entering the house leaves the door open. She finally gets an explanation for her missing ring, that the person by the side of her bed that night in the lake house was no Moonlight man, but it was Raymond who happened to spare her. https://screenrant.com/geralds-game-movie-twist-ending-explained We all know that the night is always scarier than the day – naturally because the unknown, unseen elements are more significant. Goodnight Mommy Explained – What Happened? When Jessie first sees the Moonlight Man, she believes he’s just a figment of her imagination, her fear of death. This apparition is what she refers to as the Moonlight Man. This time, however, Jessie finds herself reluctant after being handcuffed to the bedposts and asks to stop, only to be ignored by Gerald, who pre… We are shown a younger Jessie walking away as the eclipse clears and this metaphorically states that her days are going to be brighter going forward. You’re only made of moonlight”. The remainder of the movie shows Jessie having conversations with herself which are presented in the form of Gerald and another Jessie. Months later, Jessie is still recuperating from her ordeal. "Cannes: Stephen King Novel 'Gerald's Game' To Be Adapted By 'Oculus' Helmer Mike Flanagan And Intrepid Pictures", "Carla Gugino & Bruce Greenwood Star In Stephen King's 'Gerald's Game' For Netflix", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerald%27s_Game&oldid=1011011310, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 March 2021, at 15:20. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/GeraldsGame A husband is forcefully sexual towards his … She’s haunted by his presence every night. [4] On October 17, 2016, Flanagan tweeted indicating the first day of production had begun.[5]. But because the cops never recover her wedding ring, she begins to think that the Moonlight Man was real. Jessie throws her wedding ring at his box of jewelry and bones, thinking that is what he wanted all along, then runs to her car and drives away, only to discover the Space Cowboy hidden in the back seat. She believes she’s going to die. Jessie doesn’t accept her death lying down in denial. To let that thing out of the room way in … Also, the dog does feed on part of Gerald’s flesh. Gerald's Game × Close. Jessie acknowledges that she had been allowing her fears to manifest into something that was far larger than what she could handle. In May 2014, Deadline Hollywood reported that Mike Flanagan had been set to direct a film adaptation. Guided by these voices, Jessie is able to recall the long-repressed memory of being sexually abused by her father during a solar eclipse when Jessie was ten. While Jessie frantically explores and rejects plans, a combination of panic and thirst causes her to hallucinate voices: "The Goodwife" or "Goody Burlingame," a Puritanical version of herself that undermines her escape attempts by insisting that things will be fine and that she should wait to be rescued; "Punkin," a representation of Jessie as a 10-year-old girl; Ruth Neary, a college roommate whom Jessie abandoned after a conversation that strayed dangerously close to uncovering Jessie's childhood; and Nora, Jessie's former psychologist, Nora Callighan, with whom she had a similar encounter and who she likewise abandoned. You’re only made of moonlight” and hands him her wedding ring as a token to let her pass into the land of the living. Each hand cuffed to a bedpost, the keys out of reach, Jessie howls for help--and is answered by a feral [1] The story is about a woman whose husband dies of a heart attack while she is handcuffed to a bed, and, following the subsequent realization that she is trapped with little hope of rescue, begins to let the voices inside her head take over. It causes the forehead to bulge and abnormally long arms that dangle almost to the knees. Gerald’s Game is powerful. But in reality, it’s Raymond getting another piece of jewelry for his collection. Over time he moves on to killing people and chopping off their body parts. Realizing her husband is deliberately feigning ignorance and that he plans to rape her, Jessie lashes out, kicking Gerald in the chest. He dies, leaving Jessie still handcuffed to the bed. The dog is real and is actually in the room with Jessie the whole time. By his presence every night is on the bedside table wicker basket of jewelry for his collection )! 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