Misery: Why Paul Is A Perfect Protagonist (& Annie Is A Perfect Villain) (2024)

While The Shawshank Redemption and The Shining usually top fans’ lists, Rob Reiner’s Misery is one of the greatest movie adaptations of Stephen King’s writing. The novel tells the story of a famous author who’s saved from a car wreck by his number one fan, who initially nurses him back to health and later restrains and tortures him when she’s unhappy with his latest book.

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Paul Sheldon, the author, is a quintessential protagonist, while his biggest fan Annie Wilkes is one of the most memorable villains infilm history. Thanks to Kathy Bates’ Best Actress win for playing Annie, Misery is the only King adaptation to receive an Oscar.

Paul: The Story Of Misery Is Basically Stephen King’s Personal Hell

Most of Stephen King’s protagonists are writers because that’s the life he knows, but the story of Misery is specifically driven by a writer’s fame and the downside of that fame. King is a hugely popular author — one of the relatively few celebrity authors— with highly opinionated fans and plenty of critics.

The terror faced by Paul in Misery, as his biggest fan holds him against his will, rings true because it’s essentially his creator’s own personal hell.

Annie Wilkes is introduced as Paul’s savior. He crashes his car in the midst of a snowstorm and if Annie didn’t come along to save him from the wreck and nurse him back to health at her house, he would’ve died.

However, as he begins to heal and Annie shows no signs of letting Paul go, her true evil nature slowly rears its head. The audience is as shocked as Paul to learn about Annie’s hidden dark side.

Paul: James Caan Is A Surprisingly Effective Everyman

James Caan usually plays angry, violent criminals like Sonny Corleone, so it was surprising how effective he turned out to be in the lead role of Misery.

Paul isn’t a tough guy; he’s just a regular everyman. It’s impressive that Caan is just as effective in an everyman role as he is a hardened gangster.

Annie: Kathy Bates’ Oscar-Winning Performance Is Truly Haunting

Annie wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective as the villain of Misery if she wasn’t played by Kathy Bates. Bates ended up winning an Academy Award for her disturbing portrayal of Annie.

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She plays the childlike giddiness of Annie’s fangirling and the harrowing terror of her murderous side equally well, rendering this curious character surprisingly human.

Paul: He’s A Regular Guy Who Proves His Mettle In A Life-Threatening Situation

Most people don’t find themselves in life-threatening situations, but when those situations do arise and the cards are on the table, people find out who they really are and can be surprised by what they’re capable of.

Paul Sheldon is just a regular guy who proves his mettle when he’s faced with a lifetime of servitude to a psychotic fan. His escape plans are impressively crafted— even the ones that don’t succeed.

Annie: She’s A Walking, Talking Embodiment Of Toxic Fandom

Toxic fandom has become more prevalent in the social media age, but Misery arrived in the ‘90s as the quintessential tale of toxic fandom. Unhappy with how her favorite book series ends, Annie abducts the author and forces him to write a new ending.

Annie is a walking, talking embodiment of toxic fandom. Her torture of Paul is a much more extreme version of thevitriolic tweets faced by Rian Johnson after the release of The Last Jedi.

Paul: Annie’s Torture Instantly Makes The Audience Root For Paul

In the movie The Shallows, Blake Lively's character is relentlessly pursued by a shark with a taste for human flesh and the director still feels the need to give her a subplot about considering dropping out of medical school. This is completely unnecessary because the shark attacks are enough to make audiencescare about her— and they’re much more exciting.

In Misery, we don’t know much about Paul except his relationship with his agent and the fact that he’s a famous writer. Being drugged and maimed and held hostage by Annie is enough to make viewers root for him.

Annie: She Manages To Use Words Like “co*ck-A-Doodie” And Still Be Sinister

Annie Wilkes is an utterly unique character who stands out among the legions of generic horror movie villains and ranks among the best because she manages to use words like “co*ck-a-doodie” and still be terrifying.

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The juxtaposition of Annie’s use of substitute swear words against her remorseless acts of brutal violence makes her an unforgettable character. She’s comfortable killing a cop, but uttering a curse word is a bridge too far.

Paul: Despite Paul’s Happy Ending, The Final Scene Shows He’s Left With Lasting Trauma

After several failed escape attempts, Paul finally manages to liberate himself from Annie. But the final scene shows that he’s left with lasting trauma from his experience. At a restaurant, his agent asks if he’ll write a nonfiction book about his experiences with Annie, but he tells her he’s too disturbed by it to write about it.

Then, he sees Annie approaching him. He turns out to be hallucinating as it’s just a waitress, who tells Paul she’s his number one fan.

Annie: The Hobbling Scene Is An Unforgettable Horror Movie Moment

The most memorable scene in Misery is the infamous “hobbling,” in which Annie puts a wooden wedge between Paul’s legs and then uses a sledgehammer to brutally break his ankles.

In the original book, Annie actually cuts off one of Paul’s feetà la Audition. Screenwriter William Goldman wanted to keep this in the movie, but director Rob Reiner insisted on changing it to breaking his ankles because, unlike a foot-severing, an ankle-breaking would still allow the audience to sympathize with Annie’s mental illness.

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