This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month-long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober. So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some horror movie recommendations to help you celebrate Shocktober.
With sharp direction by Rob Reiner, a screenplay by William Goldman adapted from a novel by Stephen King, cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld, and a cast that includes Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, James Caan, and Kathy Bates there’s little wonder how Misery turned out so
well. Even with all of this talent behind and in front of the camera, the key
to Misery’s success is the phenomenal and chilling performance by Kathy
Bates as Annie Wilkes, one of the most memorable and frightening non-supernatural
horror movie villains.
Author Paul Sheldon (Caan), famous for writing a series of
novels set in the 19th century featuring a heroine named Misery, is badly injured in
a car accident during a snowstorm in rural Colorado. Fortunately, he’s rescued
by a former nurse who also happens to be his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes.
She tells Paul that the road to hospital is blocked by snow but as the winter
rolls on Paul realizes that Annie is dangerous and he is a prisoner.
The situation Paul finds himself trapped in is grim, but the
film itself is not thanks to the still fresh feeling approach to the material. There
are moments of dark humor peppered throughout that at times border on absurdist
but are welcome breaks to the tension. They also help ground the story in the
real world, where humor slips in at the strangest times in the strangest ways.
Annie and Paul are both clever and resourceful characters
which really ratchets up the tension. We think one character has the upper hand, then the situation flips in a believable way. We’re always rooting for Paul to
outsmart Annie but we know he has his work cut out for him. Scenes of Paul’s
agent (Lauren Becall) in New York and the local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) in
Colorado keep the film from being claustrophobic and add to the tension as we
wait for someone to figure out what has really happened to Paul.
A very well played and uniquely scary scene, which also has
humorous undertones, happens when Annie explains to Paul why he can’t just
change the ending to the last "Misery" book to fit the new one she is forcing him
to write. Her reasoning is so clear and logical, and her disdain for being
condescended to as an audience member is so intense, that it makes her all the
more frightening. Tricks and plot holes won’t work on her; Paul will have to be
extra clever to outsmart her.
Perhaps the most famous scene in Misery is the “hobbling” scene. Annie has discovered that Paul has broken out
of his locked room and explored the house. She holds a sledgehammer and calmly and meticulously explains the purpose and method of “hobbling.” The scene is set to
Beethoven’s hypnotic “Moonlight” sonata, a perfect choice. There is no blood
and you don’t have to look hard to see the special effect, but the scene is
heart pounding and shocking nonetheless. I still jump or look away every time.
Overall, Misery is not an especially bloody movie which makes the few
scenes of violence even more effective and shocking. Aside from the “hobbling”
scene, maybe the most famous moment of Misery is the shot of Annie's face coming into focus as Paul regains consciousness from the car wreck. It’s an unforgettable introduction.
In a rare instance of the Academy Awards recognizing and
honoring horror, Bates deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actress of 1990. Annie
is never really likable but thanks to Bates, she is always interesting to watch
and her swings from wholesome and vulnerable to psychotic and violent are believable
and frightening. Even as she tortures Paul, you still believe her affection for
him is real and that’s what makes her so scary. She
plays Annie Wilkes to such perfection that you can’t imagine the character or
the movie without her.
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