Gerald's Game (2017) Ending Explained
tl;dr: Gerald's Game (2017), based on Stephen King's novel, follows Jessie Burlingame, who becomes handcuffed to a bed after her husband Gerald dies during a kinky game. The ending reveals Jessie's escape through extreme self-mutilation, her confrontation with repressed childhood trauma involving her father's abuse, and the realization that the "Moonlight Man" she feared was a real serial killer. The film concludes with Jessie reclaiming her life, though haunted by lingering trauma.
Detailed Breakdown of the Ending
The climax of Gerald's Game is a harrowing sequence where Jessie, left handcuffed to a bed in an isolated lake house after her husband's sudden death, must resort to desperate measures to survive. After days of dehydration, hallucinations, and confronting her past, she ultimately escapes by breaking her hand and degloving it (ripping the skin off) to slip out of the cuffs. This brutal act symbolizes her physical and psychological liberation from the constraints of her abusive marriage and repressed trauma. Her escape is not just from the bed but from the psychological prison of denial she's lived in since childhood.
The Moonlight Man and Jessie's Trauma
Throughout her ordeal, Jessie hallucinates figures representing her fractured psyche - Gerald taunting her, a darker version of herself egging her on, and the eerie "Moonlight Man," a gaunt figure she initially dismisses as a nightmare. In a chilling twist, the film reveals that the Moonlight Man was real-a necrophiliac serial killer who had been watching her. This revelation blurs the line between psychological horror and real-world danger, reinforcing the theme that trauma (both past and present) manifests in terrifying ways. Jessie's final confrontation with this figure in a courtroom (where she symbolically reclaims power) cements her arc from victim to survivor.
Themes of Reclamation and Survival
The ending underscores Jessie's journey toward reclaiming her agency. In the final scenes, she publishes a book about her ordeal, attends therapy, and even returns to the lake house to face her fears. However, the lingering shot of the Moonlight Man's bones in her closet suggests that while she has moved forward, trauma never fully disappears. The film's message is clear: survival isn't about erasing pain but learning to live with it. Jessie's decision to "stop being afraid" is a powerful statement on resilience, though the film avoids a saccharine resolution, opting instead for raw honesty about recovery.
Unresolved Questions & Possible Answers
- Was the Moonlight Man a hallucination or real?
- The film confirms he was real, evidenced by the news clipping Jessie finds.
- Did Jessie's father abuse her, or was it a false memory?
- The eclipse flashback strongly implies real abuse, but the ambiguity lingers to reflect how trauma distorts memory.
- What happened to Gerald's body?
- Likely discovered by authorities after Jessie escaped, though the film doesn't address it.
- Why did the Moonlight Man not attack Jessie immediately?
- He may have been waiting for her to die first (given his necrophilia), or he enjoyed the psychological torment.
Personal Opinion on the Ending & Film
Gerald's Game is a masterclass in psychological horror, and its ending is both satisfying and deeply unsettling. Carla Gugino's performance anchors the film, making Jessie's pain and triumph visceral. The degloving scene is one of the most gruesome yet cathartic moments in horror cinema, perfectly symbolizing the cost of freedom. However, the Moonlight Man's reveal slightly dilutes the psychological tension by introducing a literal monster. Still, the film's exploration of trauma is nuanced, refusing to offer easy answers. It's a bold, uncomfortable, and ultimately rewarding experience that lingers long after the credits roll.