10 Horror Movie Villains Motivated By Love
2. Annie Wilkes - Misery
Is this love, or is it obsession? Is it romance, or is it fandom? The truth is, while it might seem pretty cut and dry that Annie Wilkes is nothing more than a deranged fan, that unflinching devotion is a result of her feelings for Paul Sheldon. It's not a healthy kind of love, but it's love nonetheless.
Annie Wilkes is one of horror's most unassuming yet terrifying creations, which shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as she was conjured up by the equally deranged Stephen King. She carries the entire movie on her back as she stumbles upon her favourite author (Paul Sheldon) and nurses him back to health after a car crash, slowly but surely making sure he can't leave.
This character has a very tenuous grip on reality, but the thing that anchors her is her passionate obsession with Sheldon and his books. It's the kind of steadfast devotion that gives her life purpose, which is why she associates it with love.
In the end, it's her feelings for him that Paul uses as a means to find a way out, luring her in by giving her the romance she's looking for. It's one of the most terrifying depictions of "love" ever put to screen.