3/3/2023 0 Comments The moonlight man![]() ![]() He also has her anxieties take physical form: She's both inspired and tormented throughout the movie by a confident, brassy version of herself, which Gugino excels at, and a cruel, sneering take on Gerald, which Greenwood relishes. Like in the novel, the scene raises questions about Jessie's mental state: Is she having visions? Imagining a boogey-man? Losing her mind? Flannagan's smartest choice in adapting the book was reducing the number of voices in Jessie's head, dropping side characters like her old college friend Ruth and her former psychiatrist Nora. (If you listen closely at the beginning of the film, you'll hear a news report on the radio reporting that a grave-robber is on the loose.) But the Moonlight Man only smiles, flashing her the insides of his bag which contains nothing but jewelry and human remains. ![]() When Jessie sees him from across the room, she tries pleading with him. In the film, the Space Cowboy is referred to as the "Moonlight Man" and he's brought to life by Carel Struycken, the seven-foot actor who played The Giant on Twin Peaks and Lurch in the Addams Family movies. As her mind slips away, Jessie sees a figure in the shadows that King describes as having a "misshapen head," "white cheeks," "slumped shoulders," and, most importantly, "dangling, long-fingered hands." She begins to describe him as the "Space Cowboy," swiping the name from the Steve Miller song "The Joker." He's one of the more underrated creations in King's gallery of villains, a nerve-wracking embodiment of pure evil.ĭespite the movie's veneer of realism and willingness to engage with heavier themes, Flanagan doesn't back away from the more fantastical elements. The creepy visitor that haunts Jessie during her night of terror has inspired debate amongst King fans ever since he first appeared. As the horror filmmaker outlined in an interview with Thrillist, the novel, with its emphasis on internal monologues, limited action, and delicate human psychology, is in many ways "unfilmable." But despite making some significant changes, Flanagan's nervy take on the material is as faithful to the spirit of the book as Stephen King movies come.Īlong with his co-writer Jeff Howard, Flanagan makes some cosmetic adjustments that move the story to the present - a cell phone out of reach on a bedside table or a container of Viagra packed in a suitcase - but he keeps the core elements of the novel: the handcuffs the mangy dog the flashback to a childhood trauma involving sexual abuse even the monster gazing at Jessie from across the room. Luckily, in the case of Netflix's just released adaptation, director Mike Flanagan ( Oculus, Hush) is up to the task - and he doesn't back down from some of the book's more bizarre elements. How do you sustain this for over 400 pages? Or more than 90 minutes?Īnd then there's the book's ending, which is… well, a little bonkers. ![]() Even as a novel, where a writer has more freedom to dig into a character's memories, the scenario feels like a narrative stunt. For starters, any would-be screenwriter has to deal with the fact that the film's protagonist Jessie Burlingame (played by Carla Gugino) spends most of her screen-time shackled to a bed after her husband Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) suffers a heart attack mid-kinky-sex. The premise of Stephen King's 1992 novel Gerald's Game functions like a pair of handcuffs to a filmmaker adapting the story into a movie. ![]()
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