Misery - As creepy today as it ever was

I first watched 'Misery' in 1990 and was completely blown away by it back then.  Now, nearly thirty years later and I'm pleased to say that it's just as good as it ever was.  It's one of Stephen King's (many!) big-screen adaptations and, as fans of the horror genre know, they can be a bit 'hit or miss.' I haven't read the books, so I can't really compare the two, but it goes without saying that, in my opinion, this is a total hit and I think one of the hallmarks of a truly great movie is that it becomes timeless.  Yes, it was released (and presumably set?) in 1990, but if it found its way into cinemas today then I think it wouldn't look out of place in any way.  Perhaps there may be a few more nods to social media and mobile phones (or why they don't work in the film's location), but that's about it.  Until people stop reading books completely, this will always feel 'modern.'

Anyway, enough simply lavishing praise on the film... on to the plot.  James Caan plays an author called 'Paul Sheldon' who goes into the snowy mountains to finish every book he's ever written.  However, upon completing his latest work, his car gets caught in a storm and he crashes.  Luckily, or so he thinks at first, he's saved by local nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) who takes him home and patches up his broken legs.  Now, as you may have guessed, all is not what it seems and this 'Florence Nightingale' is anything but his guardian angel (let alone his 'biggest fan!').

You'd probably be forgiven for thinking that James Caan is the star.  And, no matter how good his performance is (and he is awesome!), he gets totally eclipsed by the 'real' star of the film, Kathy Bates.  Her performance as the nurse from hell was good enough to win her the Best Actress Oscar and I'm not normally one for agreeing with who wins what when it comes to Oscars, but here it is totally deserved.

Special mention to Richard Farnsworth who plays the local sheriff 'Buster,' who is a man on the brink of retirement who figures that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to this famous author's disappearance and goes digging around into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

If you're a fan of horror (and the more 'real' kind utilising human nature as opposed to simply a monster running around ripping people apart) then you definitely have to watch this.  I do hope it never gets remade (although if they ever did then I'd put forward 'Breaking Bad's' Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn as the two leads - Hollywood, if you're reading this - I want my 'finder's fee' for that casting idea!).

10/10 The Monty Python Knights of Camelot are currently looking for this