With the modern fixation and obsession with celebrity, Rob Reiners classic thriller (and the Stephen King novel it is based on) has become all the more relevant. Annie Wilkes played exceptionally by Kathy Bates is a figure far more recognisable today then she was back in 1990 with the films release. Every modern celebrity who has seen Misery must surely be terrified that they will someday encounter a psychotic fan in the vein of Annie Wilkes. Bates may be best known for her comedic, often-motherly roles, but her performance as the deranged super-fan is truly terrifying. When writer Paul Sheldons car crashes in the remote, icy reaches of Colorado, he finds himself at the mercy of his saviour Annie Wilkes. Wilkes is perhaps the only character on this list who has nobodys death on her hands in fact, she not only saves Sheldons life initially but her lapse into a psychopathic rage is triggered by her desire to keep someone (albeit a fictional character) alive. As well as eventually trying to coerce Sheldon into a suicide pact with her, Annie effectively makes her beloved writer a prisoner in her own home. Her desire to prevent Sheldon from leaving the nest culminates in the stomach-churning scene where she breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer. Demented psychopaths come in all shapes and sizes Annie Wilkes proves this in horrifying fashion.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
