Misery (1990) - Review, Rating and Synopsis

By
Srini Chennareddy

Misery (1990)

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  • Release Date: 1990
  • Genre: Madness & Paranoia
  • Director: Rob Reiner
  • Screenwriter: Stephen King, William Goldman
  • Cast & Crew: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, Graham Jarvis, Jerry Potter, Thomas Brunelle, June Christopher, Julie Payne, Archie Hahn, Gregory Snegoff, Wendy Bowers, and Misery the Pig.

Misery (1990) Rating:

  • Dylan = 7 / 10;
  • Eloise = 7 / 10;
  • Raoul = 9 / 10;
  • IMDB = 7.8/10;
  • Rotten Tomatoes = 8.9/10.

Misery (1990) Synopsis:

Following a car incident, notorious writer Paul Shelton is taken in by a retired nurse who presents herself as his number one fan.

Misery (1990) Review:

Inspired by the novel of the same name, Misery is amongst the most famous adaptation of Stephen King’s book, and one of the best made.

In my personal case, Misery is one of the rare films for which I read the book before, and so I was scared to find the film boring in comparison. Instead, watching Misery was a thrilling experience which proved to be a better experience than the film itself.

Katie Bathes (who will play in Titanic and American Horror Story: Coven later on) brought the character of Annie Wilkes to life with such brio that I have trouble thinking about a more evil woman in horror cinema. Her acting is simply perfect. The schizophrenic attitude of her character is really well exploited and help create a very heavy climate of instability. You never know what to expect from her and that makes her extra scary.

The story is true to the book and yet one can feel that the director added his own inspiration in it. Subtle details, such as the intense music when Annie is angry and the calm one when she’s relaxed, really help to further build the dual aspect of her character.

Overall, the film is really well paced and really suspenseful. It surely won’t get you bored for there is always something important happening. The final fight is surprisingly violent and contrasts beautifully with the more psychological rest of the film. Despite knowing the end of the book, the film glued me to the screen.

To me, this the best adaptation of a Stephen King’s book along with The Shining and The Mist. It is also one of the best horror films from the ’90s.

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