Even a modernized take on a movie like Misery has its work cut out for it since the original is to this day still a tale that a lot of people find gripping and hard to shake once it’s been watched. Plus, the idea of being saved from a car wreck by a crazed fan and kept in the middle of nowhere, so far as anyone knows, is terrifying enough that any modern touches might not be necessary. Yes, believe it or not, there are still locations in the world and people that live in them that aren’t fully connected to the internet and don’t have anything other than an emergency phone to get a hold of anyone, but of course that kind of appears as though it would be too terrifying for people to handle. Imagine that, in a world where technology is often used to strike terror in the hearts of audience members, an absence of it might actually be the scariest thing of all. Now there’s a modern idea that might hold water if anyone wanted to use it. Dylan Chaundy of We Got This Covered is already asking people if they’re excited or apprehensive about this idea, and to be fair there’s a chance that a new version of Misery could be every bit as enjoyable as the original, but as I said, it’s got a ways to go to prove it’s worth and make people think that it’s an effort that will pay off.
It pays to refresh the memory in situations like this since Annie Wilkes, the ‘number one fan’ of Paul Sheldon, is by far one of Stephen King’s creepiest and most obsessive characters yet. Played so perfectly by Kathy Bates, Annie was the type of fan that no author in their right mind would ever want to meet, let alone entertain with the notion that they appreciate this type of crazy. She was that fan that took things way too far in the initial meeting with her favorite author and then flipped out when the story she loved didn’t go her way. In fact this character has been so great that the several parodies of this story that have come and gone over the years have been insanely funny and even well done since Bates laid down such a great performance that following her was a piece of cake since there were no real expectations of topping her. In this instance though, a remake would surely need to find someone just as skilled as Bates in order to really draw the audience they want.
There’s not much doubt that people would come to see the movie out of curiosity alone and bump up the box office numbers, but as we’ve seen in recent years making the kind of money that studios crow about and people will hold up as the gold standard isn’t quite the same as being an overall success. Oh yes, walking away with their pockets stuffed with money is of course the only thing that matters in show business, but a reputation is also important, and Misery managed to capture the attention of so many people that all one has to do is mention the title and a lot of folks still cringe as they think of the sledgehammer scene and various other moments when Annie made it clear to Paul that he wasn’t going anywhere. That’s actually why his revenge on Annie was so satisfying since few, if any people, thought that Annie deserved to make it to the end since not only was she a nut, she was a certified psycho that had no real remorse for what she’d done. Plus, her death scene was anything but easy since with Paul being hobbled and in pain it was a bit of a struggle that made the scene all the more worth it. The effort that Kathy Bates and James Caan put into the movie is going to be hard to match since it was hard to watch in some moments and absolutely great in others. Apeksha Nichrelay of Inner Splendor might agree with this sentiment but it’s also possible that it could happen.
Plus, if a modernized version decides to stick closer to the book, the hobbling that Annie performs on Paul is going to get worse since in the book she actually chops his foot off and cauterizes the wound. Imagine that picture for a moment and think about just how traumatizing it could be for a lot of viewers, but also how much it would add to the overall shock value since Annie is so off her rocker that she doesn’t bat an eye when she’s torturing Paul or murdering a police officer. As far as wanting to see this movie come back and to see someone else in the role that Kathy Bates immortalized it’s hard to say yes with a definitive voice, but if they can find someone that’s worthwhile enough to make it happen, then it could be interesting.
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