A review by Nicole Martinez
June 2026
Gerald’s Game, a 2017 movie based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, follows a couple, Gerald and Jessie, who rent a house for the weekend to reconnect and spice things up as their long-term relationship isn’t as vibrant as it once was. The viewer–and Jessie–quickly learns what this means to Gerald: a brand-new pair of handcuffs. But the look on his wife’s face shows that she is, at best, nervous about this development, and expected to add something more like lingerie and a vibrator to their sex life.
Still, Jessie wants to be game, especially since their couples therapist recommended they try something new to get out of the rut they’ve been in. Gerald ties her up and immediately dives into rough sex and roleplay. Unfortunately, her reluctance is an omen of what’s to come and things quickly go far more awry when Gerald suffers a heart attack and dies while his wife remains restrained.
I’ll forego describing what follows in this psychological thriller/horror film because there are more things to spoil (as you would expect from King’s work), and we’ve already covered the parts of the movie relevant to kink.
In many ways, Gerald’s Game is almost a case study of what not to do when it comes to kink. You could even argue that the couple commits several of the cardinal sins of BDSM. Yet those mistakes mirror those that many of us have made when exploring BDSM and kink, especially in the early parts of our journeys.
First, there is a lack of communication. Gerald and Jessie fail to discuss what they’ll do to spice things up, leaving little information about Jessie’s comfort level or any attempts to ease into or adapt things to increase it. Viewers can’t know if the paid could have worked their way up to Gerald’s fantasies while respecting Jessie’s comfort. But we do know that jumping into things too intense and too soon without talking about it and being fully prepared can lead to regret, resentment, and a reluctance to do that activity again.
In the movie, the impact is only made worse by Gerald’s seeming eagerness. While it’s painfully obvious to the viewer that Jessie isn’t into degrading dirty talk and rough sex, her husband seems oblivious to the feelings of the woman with whom he shares his bed and life. He even initially assumes that his wife’s struggles were part of the game, even though they’d never discussed such a thing. The best possible reading is that he was obliviously eager. But it may be that he selfishly liked Jessie’s being uncomfortable and struggling, making this less an example of kink and more that of abuse. His untimely passing leads the viewer–and his wife–to wonder, however.
It’s especially unnerving that Gerald jumped into consensual nonconsent without the knowledge that consent is a must. However, this reflects the reality that many people will buy tools without learning how to use them safely or even what the safety risks are. So many jump into kink with both feet without doing the least bit of research, which may lead them to think that risks are fewer or less serious than they actually are. A pair of cuffs might seem so sexy when you’re standing in the store or browsing the website that we fail to look into using them safely. And the private nature of sexuality may make us reluctant to seek guidance or even know where to find it. Fortunately, few people will die or even become seriously hurt as they engage in BDSM, but a partner’s serious health issue while you’re restrained is a real risk of which everyone should be aware.
There’s a reason why the community often advises never to leave a partner who’s tied up alone and to leave a key and phone close in case of emergency. For some, reducing the risk may also reduce the appeal, but we have to strike a balance somehow. While I wouldn’t expect the couple in this movie to know about things such as timed cuffs or lockboxes that can momentarily prevent escape while eventually allowing someone to free themselves if their partner becomes unable, they certainly could have been more thoughtful about exploring kink.
So it’s no surprise that without foundational knowledge, Gerald and Jessie didn’t talk about their foray into kink, let alone have an in-depth negotiation. This also means they don’t discuss safe words, which, regardless of the activity, are a good safety measure to implement. Jessie has to fight back in earnest to show her husband that she’s not just playing along, something that she should never have had to do. Without a safe word, there was no easy way for her to say that something was seriously wrong. If they weren’t talking about Jessie’s safe word, they were even less likely to think about how a dom or top can sometimes find safe words useful.
Of course, many people are eager to experiment with kink and fail to learn about the risks and how to mitigate them, how to talk about it beforehand, and how to best communicate in the heat of the moment. People frequently get so excited about trying something that they fail to consider that their partners might not feel the same–or see signs that their partners are made actively uncomfortable by the idea. Gerald’s Game is a visceral reminder of how wrong things can really go.
Yet, it’s only as the movie progresses that the audience learns there’s another layer to the risk Gerald and Jessie face, and it comes in the form of Jessie’s past trauma triggered by the events that unfold. Because she has hidden her past from her husband for years, he’s unaware of things that may pop up with rough sex or kink. While this partially falls under the umbrella of communication, it’s also about knowing ourselves and approaching kink extra carefully. While it’s unrealistic to say those with trauma should avoid BDSM and we can never know what may rear its head during the most inopportune moments, we would ideally be aware of the need to proceed with caution and use a trauma-informed approach if necessary. In reality, people blunder through.
When it comes down to it, it’s easy to yell at the screen when people make mistakes, but it’s sometimes easier to find ourselves making similar mistakes due to eagerness, lack of knowledge, or simply the heat of the moment. Even experienced kinksters can become complacent and make mistakes when they know better. So while I wouldn’t recommend using Gerald’s Game as a guide, it makes a great cautionary tale.