Misery

For once, this blog is about something non-anime, not about my life, and not about a movie that spawned into a popular video game. However: a nerd is a nerd is a nerd, and I know there are Stephen King freaks out there.
In my continuing experimentation with horror movies and thrillers, tonight my dad and I watched Misery. The tale tells of author Paul Sheldon who crashes on a mountain road during a blizzard. Annie Wilkes, claiming to be his number-one fan, pulls him from the wreckage and brings him back to her home to nurse his broken limbs. Soon it becomes clear that Annie isn't quite right in the head. She lies to Paul about her contact with the outside world when she has no phone. When leaving the house, she locks his room, and when discovering that he's killed off the heroine, Misery Chaste, of his hit romance series, she throws a tantrum and forces Paul to write a continuation. Crippled and praying he can deceive his captor, Paul starts desperately searching for a way out.

When I watched The Shining, I liked the IDEA of the story, and the movie left me unimpressed. However: I believe that stalkers are some of the most terrifying people you could come across. Misery had a character that lived up to that expectation - rapid, uncalled for moodswings; obsessive-compulsive habits and paranoia. This movie made me jump, sit on the edge of my seat, and had everything I look for when taking a dose of horror.
For gore lovers, I'm sorry: there's a minimal amount of blood. One person is shot through the chest before Paul and Annie's final struggle where the both bleed quite a bit.
The acting was excellent: Paul was a clever man who had to act for his life to fool Annie. The sheriff that goes looking for him was charismatic with a hysterical wife.
I really enjoyed Misery. With this on top of my friend's rants on Stephen King, I think I'm finally sold on actually reading one of his books.

- Much luvz, Hideki.