“There is a justice higher than man and will be judged by him.”
Stephen King is the king of horror. He can weave a chilling story together with threads of malice, violence, and mind games. He is the genius behind messing with audiences’ brains and making all the hairs on our bodies stand up at attention. He lives to share the unexpected and urges viewers to scream with disbelief silently. He is a master storyteller, creating characters that are not easily forgotten. In fact, they often haunt our dreams with dialogues we cannot unhear and visions we can’t escape from seeing over and over again. This is how I felt after watching King’s classic writing brought to life from page to screen when I first saw MISERY. I would expect nothing less from him and co-writer William Goldman (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID).
MISERY premiered in 1990 and is still one of the sickest films I have ever seen. It surprises viewers. The plot starts at one point, then takes a sharp left, veering into the snowbank and into psychological horror with catastrophic results. It takes audiences on a journey that is filled with barred windows, drugs, locked doors, a broken body, and a number one fan. It sets the stage for doom by the mere placement of a small, seemingly innocuous ceramic penguin. Heart-racing moments that almost gave me a heart attack.
The incomparable Kathy Bates (Annie) was sheer perfection. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed and awarded her an Oscar for Best Actress. She was creepy, crazed, and totally in control. When she says, “I love you, Paul,” I wanted to turn and run, but that’s the beauty of this manic story. Once you enter that farmhouse, it is evident someone isn’t getting out alive. Every scene was racked with crawling, painful steps that would never let go.
James Caan played Paul, the victim and recipient of too much adoring fandom. He spent three weeks filming in bed so his facial expressions had to be exaggerated, yet subtle and spot-on. Audiences caught every bead of sweat pouring off his brow as he faced his insane enemy. The peeing-in-a-jar scene was gross yet captivating. The typewriter exercise routine was frenzied, and I know now everyone should carry a bobby pin in their pocket.
I loved seeing Lauren Bacall on screen again. She was a timeless beauty who could play any role. Richard Farnsworth was perfectly cast as the Sheriff. Frances Sternhagen was hilarious as his wife. They were the comic relief that was so necessary.
Rob Reiner directed MISERY. King only wanted him after seeing some of his previous films (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, STAND BY ME). Reiner is an actor’s dream director. He understands what it takes to create characters in front of a camera, and he totally understood Paul wanting to write something different. Reiner said in interviews that he had to break out of the Meathead mentality from ALL IN THE FAMILY.
If I must choose a favorite horror film, MISERY would always be at the top of my list. Superb performances and an intense, distraught, deranged story set in an unlikely location will always grab my full attention. Now, if I can stop seeing that piece of wood and the leg-breaking scene, perhaps I can sleep soundly again.
MISERY is available on HBO Max.
