Misery (1990)

Brilliant adaptation of the Stephen King novel. 

A writer (James Caan) crashes his car in a snowstorm and is rescued by his “number-one fan” (Kathy Bates), who unfortunately turns out to be a psychopath. She keeps him in her home against his will and forces him to write another book, while regularly having violent episodes and taking out her anger on him. 

The real genius of this tightly plotted film is the bleakly humorous thread running through it. Director Rob Reiner somehow makes this terrifying saga into a black comedy. Kathy Bates is cartoonishly scary, and judges it just right. 

The suspense is almost unbearable – especially when Caan is exploring the empty house as Bates is driving back to it – and there are a couple of absolutely unforgettable scenes.

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