Hollywood has been making Stephen King movies for almost five decades, but there are only a handful that could be described as “Oscar-winning films.”
Misery, a psychological horror thriller from director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, is one of those films, thanks to Kathy Bates.
In a story without a whiff of the supernatural, Bates’ Annie Wilkes is one of the scariest characters King has ever created.
Watch With Us has selected Misery as the one great movie you need to watch before it leaves HBO Max in November. And it’s a film you won’t forget.
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Kathy Bates Gives a Chilling Performance
From the outside, it sure looks like one of the things that scares King is his most overzealous fans. Annie Wilkes is emblematic of the best kind of fan interactions and the worst. One minute, she’s the biggest admirer of writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan) and the next she flies into a murderous rage because she learns that his latest novel has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Considering Paul is essentially her hostage in a remotely located home, that places him completely at her mercy.
Bates’ performance is a masterclass of subtle expressions and actions when she isn’t angry. Just watch the looks on her face when she’s on-camera. The audience can sense the inner monologue of Annie’s mind without Bates having to say a word. Annie is capable of performing shocking acts of violence, and she only gets more frightening when she goes through with her threats.
James Caan Is a Surprisingly Relatable Main Character
Misery is a very humbling story for Paul, as Caan plays him like an arrogant star right up until the accident that almost kills him. Annie saves Paul’s life by bringing him to her cabin, and then subjects him to a living Hell. This is where the movie begins to unleash its horror. A barely mobile Paul has to find any advantage he can take over Annie, who towers over him. In the literary world, he’s a giant. Next to Annie, Paul seems quite small.
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Regardless of Paul’s flaws, it’s difficult not to feel for him when Annie subjects him to mutilation. Paul never regains the swagger he had before running into Annie, but his humbling experience makes him one of King’s most sympathetic heroes. All he has to do is stay alive and figure out how to handle this madwoman.
‘Misery’ Creates Incredible Tension Even When Annie Isn’t There
Reiner, Caan and even Bates herself deserve the credit for some of Misery‘s most intense scenes, which take place without Annie. The presence that Bates creates for her character is felt even when she isn’t on-screen. Paul has to be very careful to keep Annie from discovering just how ambulatory he really is. He fears her fury, and with good reason. Early in the story, Annie is frightening enough before she ever lays a hand on Paul.
Paul’s exploration of Annie’s home in her absence paints an even darker picture of who she is and what she’s done. We won’t be spoiling those revelations here. It’s enough to say that Annie is a very dangerous individual, but we can’t take our eyes off of her. This was Bates’ Oscar-winning performance for Best Actress, and it cemented her status in Hollywood as the go-to character actress of her generation. Her career is still thriving, with a lead role in the CBS revival of Matlock garnering her even more critical attention — and a new generation of fans.
Misery is streaming on HBO Max through October 31.
