Misery Reviews

Along with The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me, Misery is one of the best adaptations of Stephen King's work. On its own terms too, it is a brilliant film with a wonderful atmosphere especially. The film looks very good, with the sets, costumes, locations and cinematography striking and suitably atmospheric. The screenplay is very fine, exploring themes such as fanatical devotion, artistic dilemmas and worthiness of commercial fiction without a psychological suspense context, while the story is always well paced and compelling.

Also outstanding is the direction of Rob Reiner. He adeptly exercises in chilling claustrophobia and allows a numerous numbers of genuine jolts. The acting is great, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall are all great but the film belongs to Kathy Bates who is monstrously scary and deservedly won an Oscar for her brilliant performance.

Overall, Misery is a superb film and one of the best Stephen King adaptations. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Since Misery was released in the 90's, it is, strictly speaking, not a horror film; It is a thriller film, the norm adopted in the 90's, but since the definition of horror reaches far and wide, Misery can now be said as one of the greatest horror films ever made and the 4th greatest movie adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Since it is also psychological, it almost literally compiles most of the average nightmares into one; Abandonment, waking up to a living nightmare, and sharing space with a total nutso. When you read the novel, which is brilliant as usual and very sarcastic at times, you will find that it is very complex, very cross-patterned, but when you see the film, it is very simple, very just-the-basics-please. Not that I'm complaining but actually complimenting on how Rob Reiner kept most of the book, deleted the complex parts, presented it as a simple movie, and succeeded in it.

It also has a distinct quality of making a villain out of something that usually never becomes one. The home of Annie Wilkes. The woman, well, we all know who she is. The home, however, is Annie Wilkes in an inanimate form. Warm and inviting on the outside but houses (literally) brutal going ons in the inside. It mocks Paul by the beautiful view of the outside but haunts him by the grim atmosphere of the room he is stuck in and by forbidding him to escape to freedom by its ominous nature. So basically, the heavenly abode of Wilkes and the hellish dwelling of Paul transforms itself to satisfy the former and taunt the latter. The cinematography in the parts where Paul wheels around the home was excellently done. First it shows us the (apparant) freedom, then it shows us the impossible obstacle one must go through if he is to achieve it. The music only made it memorable. A job well done, I must say!

Not only were Kathy Bates and James Caan convincing in their roles, but were also convincing to each other. Caan almost excellently passed off as a writer and Bates as a horror-of-personality character. All of their actions and words seemed convincing and the face Bates makes when she is breaking his Paul Sheldon's ankles is classic. If you freeze that frame, and the one where she is holding the knife in her hand, you've got another iconic image of horror.

Both of them - Kathy Bates and James Caan - were truly excellent in their roles, but since the former steals the show, the latter isn't really given much room to shine, but if you review the film in your head or re-visit it, then you will realize that she just could not have done it without him.

In conclusion, Rob Reiner has created an immortal horror classic, I think we can use that word now, and it is such a solid puncher that I doubt it will be forgotten that easily.

8.5/10

James Caan is Paul Sheldon, a writer whose claim to fame was his Misery Novels. After finishing his last Novel on Misery, adding a ninth novel to the octal novel series, he's returning back to New York to meet up with his agent. But a heavy snow storm on the way causes an accident and he ends up almost freezing to death before he is rescued by Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates, who also happens to be the number "one fan" of Paul Sheldon's Misery series. After nursing Paul for some days, she asks Paul whether she could read the unpublished Misery novel. Paul allows her to read it and things change after Annie founds out that the main character Misery dies... She suddenly turns psychic and orders Paul to re-write the novel or...

Well! Wow! This was a great thriller film with stellar performances from Caan and Bates. Bates seriously achieved in scaring me with her performance of a crazy Number One Fan. I wasn't surprised to learn later that she won an Oscar for Best Actress and is one the most memorable negative roles in Hollywood. Based on Stefan King's Novel of the same name, this truly was a great edge-of-the-seat-thrill-ride. I never knew Rob Reiner could direct so wonderfully, he just raises the bar after Princess Bride and Stand By Me. Although the story was good filled with cunning direction and a good screenplay, it's the acting that first catches your attention. I really loved how the film flowed and how everything looked so realistically natural as though it was actually happening in front of us. And I also loved how Caan played the role of the smart writer, also one of the best things about this film.

Please do watch this film... It will be great weekend-treat... Highly Recommended.

"I am your number one Fan..."-Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes.

Visit my facebook movie page: www.facebook.com/filmsthemostbeautifulart

It has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. First of all, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of Stephen King, neither the books or the movies. But, fortunately, a few of these adaptations turned out to be really good and this movie was definitely one of them. In fact, for Rob Reiner, it would be his 2nd acclaimed Stephen King feature following the critical success of ‘Stand by Me’ (such a shame the guy has lost his touch as he hasn't done anything remotely amazing during the last 20 years). Coming back to our main feature, the story was just quite spellbinding and Kathy Bates gave a really chilling performance. Eventually, it will be her breakthrough and she would become the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a horror/thriller feature. Eventually, the big difference between this story and the usual tales written by Stephen King is that most of it is actually grounded in reality which made it, at least for me, much easier to relate to and to believe in the characters and what they were going through. To conclude, it is pretty much a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I have always loved Stephen King's novels because they all are either scary or emotional. Misery is in my opinion the most psychological King novel. This is a real hard film to watch at times because the audience do know what sort of person Annie is but don't fully know why she is doing what she is doing to Paul. It was a complete thrill-ride that I did think was a total masterpiece. It was the thrilling suspense that made me like this film so much. I thought that the characters were very powerful and were very well combined together because they both had bitter hate for each other but in a secretive manner. This is one of those films that despite of how tense or how scary Annie is, you gotta love it because of how it made the viewers of the film feel. It has a rare quality that not many psychological thrillers have. For example, Annie doesn't hurt Paul that much at all really. That is what I truly love about the Annie Wilkes character: she's mean, she's twisted, she's mysterious, she's manipulating and she likes to scare. I have no idea how she become the way she did but she must have had something in the past that just made her snap. There were a few scenes in this film that I had to walk about for a little breather because it was so tense. I sort of knew what was going to happen but it didn't spoil it for me because I truly loved the characters.


Kathy Bates gives the single most terrifying female performance that I have ever seen. I have mostly seen Kathy portray those sorts of characters that are really delightful, nice and very powerful particularly in a supporting role. She is the perfect choice for Annie Wilkes because Kathy has that appearance that shows that Annie is a widow, is a farmer, is a lonely woman who has a hidden dark psychotic shadow inside her. She says she is his number one fan but I don't even think that she likes him at all really. She is just obsessed with his work but not him. She is very disturbed in that case aswell. She frequently maims herself during her bouts with depression. She sort of has a world of her own by comparing the novels and the characters with real-life. No actress has blown me away playing a villain as much as Kathy Bates did in Misery. Louise Fletcher is a close rival to that too in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I really liked the great James Caan in this film aswell as Paul Sheldon. He is a man who accidentally crashes his car in a forest and is saved by Annie. He broke both of his legs and his right arm. Upon learning that Annie is a bit mental and has quite bad intentions for him, he takes measures that the audience can't wait to see because she is such a psycho. I find Paul more of a supporting character than a leading character because this film is about Annie and what sort of person she is involving Paul.


The direction was really good. It was quite similar to how Kubrick directed The Shining with slow views and then very far out and also close up angles too. I can guarentee that the film is just as good as the book. I haven't read the book yet but will try and do so when I get the chance. The script was fantastic. It was a fantastic adaptation of a great book from a great novelist like Stephen King.


This is definitely Kathy Bates best performance. I really liked James Caan aswell in this film. He is a legendary actor especially for The Godfather. I do love Stephen King's work but I do like other novels like The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining and especially The Green Mile. Misery is a masterpiece of psychological thrillers and is one of the best of that genre. I would recommend to everyone!! Masterpiece!

"I am your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about. You are going to be just fine. I am your number one fan."

Rob Reiner's Misery is a remarkably gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller from the pages of Stephen King's novel of the same name. Several of prolific author Stephen King's novels have been adapted for the screen, yielding mixed results. Misery can be undoubtedly considered among the greatest film adaptations based on a Stephen King novel.
Director Rob Reiner is continually capable of tackling diverse genres with magnificent results. With this film, Reiner is coupled with one of the industry's greatest screenwriters: William Goldman. Goldman is admirably recognised for penning such films as Heat, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and several others. On top of this, the stunning locations have been captured wonderfully by the overwhelmingly talented cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld. Misery was indeed Sonnenfeld's final film as a Director of Photography - he then went on to direct Men in Black and Get Shorty among others.

Misery is a white-knuckle horror movie that follows trashy, successful novelist Paul Sheldon (Caan). Paul is responsible for the lucrative series of eight books exploring the escapades of character Misery Chastain. Paul realises that the novels are pure pulp that will stereotype his writing. With his latest Misery adventure, he decides to simply kill the character and move on to writing more adult material. Up in the snowy terrain of Silver Creek, Paul completes his latest manuscript (one that doesn't feature the character of Misery Chastain). En route to his publisher's office, Paul is caught in a terrible blizzard and is involved in a dangerous car accident. Broken, bruised and injured, Paul is rescued by an fanatical fan named Annie Wilkes (Bates). She's obsessed with Paul's writing and moreover idolises the character of Misery as if she were a real person. Annie's obsession grows dangerous...and as Paul recovers he must rely on his wits and imagination to survive.
I've been intentionally vague in outlining the story as the film is far more confronting if you don't have a clue what will happen next.

In a nutshell: Misery is a Stephen King horror creation of a different kind. It never relies on supernatural forces, action or over-the-top spiritual nonsense...this is a frightening cautionary tale of fame, dangerous obsession and precarious hyperbolic idolisation. The ideal creative team have transformed King's stunning literary masterpiece into a mainstream tour de force of escalating tension and impeccable atmosphere.

Director Reiner is probably best known for his work behind the camera on Stand By Me (another adaptation of a Stephen King novel), The Princess Bride, This Is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally and numerous others. Reiner frequently tries different genres and continues to master them as additionally exemplified with Misery. The locations are absolutely remarkable, with immaculately constructed sets that are wonderfully filmed with Reiner's lens. The feeling of claustrophobia grows uncontrollably intense throughout.

Kathy Bates rightfully earned an Academy Award for her top-notch portrayal of a thorough psychopath. The beauty of Bates' performance is that she masters the character's duality: competently alternating between charming and evil. At times her screen presence is petrifying due to her facial expressions or the wonderful use of lighting employed by those behind the camera. Although evil, one must feel sorry for her. An Oscar well deserved!
James Caan is another brilliant addition to the cast. His screen persona perfectly captures that of a dedicated novelist. He possesses the correct charm and charisma for such a role.
Richard Farnsworth is exceptional as the cynical, wise-cracking sheriff, and the brief appearance of the wonderful Lauren Bacall is very welcome.

Overall, Misery ranks with the greatest Stephen King film adaptations. In my opinion it's almost in the league of The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. Granted the film has its weak spots, like plot holes (of the "Why didn't he just?" variety) and unbelievable situations, as well as a few technical faults that haven't dated well (the obvious dummy during the finale is embarrassing). Misery is nevertheless a gripping, haunting, tense and entertaining thriller that's capable of sending chills up your spine.

8.2/10