Misery
Collector's Edition
A "heartstopping psychological thriller" (Joel Siegel), this Oscar-winning film is "one of the best" (Time) horror movies ever - and now you can experience it like never before with this all-new Collector's Edition with seven featurettes to give you an unprecedented look behind the scenes! Adapted from a Stephen King story, this unforgettable film will draw you into a harrowing game played between two cunning minds - one as sharp as a tack and the other as blunt as a sledgehammer.
Novelist Paul Sheldon (Caan) doesn't remember the blinding blizzard that sent his car spinning off the road. Nor does he remember being nursed back from unconsciousness. All he remembers is waking up in the home of Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) a maniacal fan who is bent on keeping her favorite writer as her personal prisoner... for the rest of his life!
Member Reviews
Builds economically to a climactic fight in which every scratch, ding, and wallop feels fully earned - moviemonger
Misery is a suspenseful tale that touches on, yet never fully explores, the power that literature can exert on a demented mind. For a scary movie, it’s rather intelligent (despite some annoying flaws), with no gaping plot holes. The characters are smart and endearing, while the villain is deliciously creepy. The film features an excellent turn by Caan and an Oscar-winning performance by Bates. One of Kathy Bates great act. A role that could have had audiences slap her face should they meet her in person. That was how convincing her acting was. Misery is all about Kathy Bates' brilliant performance as Annie Wilkies. Misery is a brilliant tale not only about entrapment, but about fandom gone wrong.Very horrifying atmosphere - Lone_Wolf
One reason I don’t like horror movies is because the vast majority of them rely on cheap tricks to ‘scare’ you, but they are just cheating. They aren’t really scaring you, they are just pushing a few buttons to make you jump. They aren’t, at heart, scary. This is where movies like Misery find themselves separate. Instead of relying on a few jump scares, Misery actually comes up with a quite horrifying concept and runs with it. Basically, a famous writer gets in a horrible car accident, but is rescued by a woman who saves his life. But she isn’t about to just let him go, and soon the author comes to the all too terrifying realization that he is not a prisoner of this crazy lady. ‘This crazy lady’ is brilliantly played by Kathy Bates, who displays shocking mood swings and dramatic shifts in character. She even earned an Oscar for it, and I for one think she deserved it. James Caan is overshadowed by her performance, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve credit, because he did a great job as the writer who is forced to comply with her insane wishes.
The movie itself has a dreadful feeling of desperation, and we really feel like we are stuck in that bed with James Caan. The atmosphere is pitch perfect, and almost the entire movie had me quite restless with apprehension, and I slowly grew to hate the mad nurse just as the poor author does. My complaint would be that it sometimes is a bit clichéd, with things like ‘lighting/thunder right when evil character shows up’ type things, and the ending gets a bit out of hand. But for the concept and the way the movie created such a dark, scary atmosphere and feeling of dread, I have to say I loved it. And of course a brilliant performance by Kathy Bates as an absolutely mad nurse helps as well. It isn’t perfect, but I found myself easily ignoring its mistakes as I was so into the mood of the film.One of the best Stephen King adaptations. - cathyottawa
This was Kathy Bates' breakout movie.
She won an Oscar for her portrayal of a lonely, deranged woman who saves her favouite writer from a terrible car accident in her isolated area, and then keeps him prisoner.
James Caan takes a break from playing a mobster, and shows us he really has some acting chops. This isn't a performance that requires his usual macho bravado, and he does a great job with this physically broken man, struggling to win a battle of wits with his "number one fan".
I have to disagree with Squeakychair - I have read the book, and thought this was one of the truest adaptations I've ever seen. I thought it followed the book almost to the letter.
Finally, there are a few scenes that will make you squirm - but this is more about a psychological tug of war. Stephen King's name automatically puts this in the "horror" section, but this is a thriller.
Member Reviews
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Builds economically to a climactic fight in which every scratch, ding, and wallop feels fully earned - moviemonger
Misery is a suspenseful tale that touches on, yet never fully explores, the power that literature can exert on a demented mind. For a scary movie, it’s rather intelligent (despite some annoying flaws), with no gaping plot holes. The characters are smart and ...Very horrifying atmosphere - Lone_Wolf
One reason I don’t like horror movies is because the vast majority of them rely on cheap tricks to ‘scare’ you, but they are just cheating. They aren’t really scaring you, they are just pushing a few buttons to make you jump. They aren’t, at heart, scary. ...One of the best Stephen King adaptations. - cathyottawa
This was Kathy Bates' breakout movie.
She won an Oscar for her portrayal of a lonely, deranged woman who saves her favouite writer from a terrible car accident in her isolated area, and then keeps him prisoner.
James Caan takes a break from ...