5. Annie Wilkes - Misery
Several films could have been used to illustrate the slightly problematic area of love in the form of unhealthy obsession - One Hour Photo deserves at least a mention. Misery however is by far the best. This is almost entirely down to Kathy Bate's terrifying performance as Annie Wilkes, the deranged super-fan of novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan). Through a series of unfortunate events (for Paul, not Annie), the writer finds himself incapacitated and in the sole care of this apparently saintly nurse. As you may expect from a Stephen King adaptation called Misery, things go downhill rather quickly, and Annie turns out to be one of
the great movie psychopaths. One of the key elements of this film is that for a significant section of it Annie retains a degree of our sympathy. Granted, we also find her unpredictability utterly terrifying, but we can see that she, like everyone, just wants to be loved. A traumatic and lonely childhood, as well as a slightly 'unique' mindset leads to her expressing that need in wholly unacceptable ways. And by the end she has used up any sympathy we were prepared to give her.
(SPOILER) If we're honest, by the end we're rather relieved she's dead. Misery shows love gone wrong - love as a concentrated force in the wrong hands. Who'd have thought it could be as dangerous as hatred or fear?