Submitted for your approval, I contend that it could be argued that Misery is the scariest movie ever made.
Sure, it’s not supernatural, nor is it based in religion, but I’ll be damned if I don’t think twice before watching the adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1987 novel.
Rob Reiner directed the 1990 feature that starred Kathy Bates as an obsessed fan who “rescues” a famous novelist (James Caan) from a car crash. (It turned 24 this past Sunday.)
There have been hundreds of abduction horror films release, but never one that hits so close to home. The early ’00s were poisoned with the term “torture porn,” which is a film that has no substance or meaning behind the brutality of a character (Tusk comes to mind as the most recent example). But before SAW changed cinema for the decade, Reiner’s Misery was the staple torture film.
And torture is what Bates’ character does. Misery has yet to become “dated,” as each and every viewing leaves my stomach churning. It’s not even that gross as it is tense, and it never lets up. Once Bates’ character turns, Misery begins battering the viewer until the climactic finale.
I want to remain a bit vague here as I suspect many of our younger readers have yet to see this masterpiece. Everyone’s witnessed The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street and even The Ring, but have yet to experience the relentless nature of Misery.
I’m not proclaiming Misery the scariest movie ever made, but I do want to start the dialogue that it belongs in the discussion. With that, what do you guys think? Answer me or I’m breaking some ankles…
