Misery (1990)
- The incredible score for Misery was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- The original script for Misery was written over a decade before production finally began in 1990.
- Rob Reiner originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
Misery is a 1990 American psychological horror thriller directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel. James Caan stars as Paul Sheldon, a successful romance novelist who crashes his car in a blizzard near the remote Colorado home of Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates, his self-proclaimed "number one fan" who rescues him and nurses his broken legs. When Annie discovers that Paul has killed off her beloved fictional character Misery Chastain in his latest book, her devotion curdles into psychotic rage, and Paul finds himself a prisoner of an increasingly unhinged captor who demands he write a new book bringing Misery back to life.
Kathy Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for one of the most terrifying performances in horror history β Annie Wilkes was simultaneously maternal and monstrous, her mood swinging from tender caregiving to explosive violence with no warning. The hobbling scene, in which Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, is one of the most cringe-inducing moments in cinema. Misery earned $61 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.
