Misery
There are signs of getting old, some have to do with the body, some with the brain. When I watched Misery again, my brain gave way – the scene where Annie Wilkes gets a bit angry at author-captive Paul Sheldon and tells him the story of how they used to punish the workers in the gold mines (or diamnd mines? Forgot…), or rather what she does after telling that story sent me into mental lockdown, I carelessly watched it the way I had watched it numerous times before, and then I realised that I could not stand it, but too late, I actually got dizzy… this is great, it is like being a horror film newby seeing “Evil Dead” or “The Shining” for the first time and feeling the film actually get to to you. Have not experienced this in many a year…
The film still holds up, even though Kathy Bates’ Annie Wilkes is, of course, over the top and maybe the final stand-off (lurch-off?) between Sheldon and Wilkes would be played out a bit more subtly today. But Rob Reiner, this strange director and producer with the many talents, manages to keep up the peril all through the film, in a setting that is one of the most dense prototypes of Stephen King narration: take a normal guy, push him to the edge, see what happens, what he can do about it. All-time classic! Next time I know when to shut my eyes, though.
thomas4cinema 