15 Stephen King Movies: Ranked From Worst To Best

7. Misery (1990) Romantic Novelist Paul Sheldon is a best selling author of books which feature his heroine Misery Chastain. Wanting to be taken more seriously in the literary world, he kills off Misery and starts another book. Out driving in the snow, he has an accident and is taken in, despite injuries that should be seen to in the hospital, by ex nurse Annie Wilkes who just happens to be his number one obsessive fan. Sheldon lets her read the new novel but she is so incensed by the death of her heroine Misery, she decides to wreak revenge on Sheldon. Annie locks Sheldon in a room, makes him burn his manuscript and start a new novel called Misery's Return - to bring Misery back to life. Sheldon tries to escape but his attempts are thwarted by Annie. He finds out from newspaper clippings that Annie was suspected of killing babies in her last job. She got away with the rap but when she finds out Sheldon was snooping, she breaks his ankles. Meanwhile, a cop who is on the scene to investigate Sheldon's disappearance. Suspicious about Annie, he pays her a visit and she shoots him. Annie wants both her and Sheldon to die together. This time Sheldon is more prepared. A battle between the two commences and eventually Sheldon kills her with a doorstep that looks like a pig. How will Sheldon fare post-Misery? Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her work in Misery as the deranged Annie Wilkes. That says a lot about the quality of this film, as the Academy do not really give respect to horror films. Kathy Bates certainly brought to life one of the scariest and most twisted ever villains in horror film history. Annie is monstrous and just when you feel she cannot get any more diabolical - she does. Apparently Stephen King enjoys this film adaptation of his book and the reviews for it are overwhelmingly positive. James Caan also deserves praise for his work as Paul Sheldon in the movie - he is easy to empathise with and we feel his fear, anger and frustration. The addition of the nosy policeman (which was not in the book) does not detract from the story and actually adds to the plot line as he falls victim to Annie Wilkes. But Kathy Bates really steals the show here.