11 Perfect Times Actors Went Incredibly Dark

5. Kathy Bates - Misery

Thanks to Kathy Bates, a whole generation of film lovers can't look at a sledgehammer without wincing brutally.

When it came to starring in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's Misery, Bates was far from a well-known name. She'd struggled to break through on the big screen despite debuting way back in 1971 because - in her words - she wasn't attractive enough and made more waves on the stage.

But then Reiner's casting team hired her and weaponised how she looked to the most unexpected, chilling results. Bates' Annie Wilkes is homely looking and comforting - the kind of face you'd absolutely want to greet you after a serious car accident. She seems gentle and amiable, excited to meet her favourite author but mostly concerned to nurse him back to health.

And then the facade is peeled back brutally and you see the real face of the monster: she's a serial killer with multiple victims to her name - including 11 babies - whose intent for him was always nefarious and Bates' flip from homely to fiery is precisely why it's still her most defining performance.