Misery (Collector's Edition)

Misery on DVD is a true classic and still just as gripping to watch today. The story is tense from start to finish and really keeps you hooked.The performances are outstanding, especially the unforgettable portrayal of Annie Wilkes, which adds so much intensity to the film. The suspense builds brilliantly throughout and creates a really unsettling atmosphere.The DVD quality is good and it’s great to have this classic film in a physical collection to revisit anytime.Overall, Misery remains one of the best psychological thrillers out there and is definitely a must-watch for fans of classic suspense films.

'Misery' is a 1990 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by William Goldman. It is based on Stephen King's 1987 novel and stars James Caan as famed novelist Paul Sheldon, who is held captive by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), an obsessive fan. The supporting cast includes Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, and Lauren Bacall. The film's score was composed by Marc Shaiman. Three recordings by Liberace, Annie Wilkes's favorite musician, are featured in the film, as is 'Shotgun' by Junior Walker and the All-Stars.There is no doubt that director Rob Reiner did a stunning job adapting the novel to the big screen. (Stephen King has stated that 'Misery' is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations.) From the very opening scene when we see writer Paul Sheldon driving down a snowy mountain road to the sounds of Junior Walker, we know we're in for a treat. Losing control of his mustang on the icy road, Sheldon crashes over an embankment and would have frozen to death had it not been for nurse Annie Wilkes, who rescues him and brings him to her home in the remote countryside. This may have been a blessing in disguise as it turns out that Annie is a big fan of Sheldon's 'Misery' books. When Annie learns that Sheldon has killed off Misery Chastain in his latest 'Misery' book, she flies into a rage and forces him to rewrite the book, bringing Misery back to life. Sheldon agrees to write the new book but only because he has no other choice. Alone and cut off from family and friends, Sheldon is completely dependent on psycho nurse Wilkes for his survival. It's write or die.What gives 'Misery' an edge in the horror thriller genre is the fact that Paul Sheldon is completely dependent on Annie Wilkes. The car crash has left him immobilised and bedridden. His every basic need is dependent on him following her every order. If he doesn't, we know that she has an explosive temper and might harm Paul for disobeying her. It is the tension that exists between Paul and Annie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Annie wants the book finished and is desperate to see Misery's resurrection, while Paul is preoccupied with escape and getting word out to his literary agent and daughter that he is being held captive by a crazy woman. No one likes being completely dependent on another person, so we in the audience live out our fears vicariously through poor Paul Sheldon. We are rooting for him to escape but Annie is a smart and wily character, so the ending is far from predictable.'Misery' grossed $61.3 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the horror and performances of the leading duo. Kathy Bates's won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, which made 'Misery' the only film based on a novel by King to win an Academy Award. The Annie Wilkes character has passed into cinematic folklore as one of the nastiest villains ever to appear on the big screen. For example, in 2003, Annie Wilkes was ranked No.17 on AFI's '100 Years . . . 100 Heroes & Villains' list, while the 'hobbling' scene in the film, where Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, was ranked No.12 on Bravo's 2004 cable television program 'The 100 Scariest Movie Moments'.Sadly, director Rob Reiner and his wife passed away on December 14, 2025, after being murdered by their son, Nick Reiner, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. May they both R.I.P.

Awesome film, excellently acted, gripping to watch!

Favourite

Superb film, great acting

Good news:-Perfect picture.Good sound.Best film ever.Arrived quickly.DVD's will never be out of fashion.Bad news:-Arrived in a plastic sleeve. I'd of preferred a dvd case for better protection.I recommend this product 🙏

4K revamp for a classic film, the hammer and wood scene is still painful to watch after all these years

Delivered on time, disc playback is perfect. No issues.

Bien reçu et en bon état et avec doublage en français

Excelente edición, no obstante carece de audio y subtítulos en español. Lo importante es tener la película en esta grandiosa edición.

In my opinion The Shining is the greatest of all Stephen King adaptations and then Misery. There are actually a lot of similarities between Misery and The Shining. There both about writers, in secluded locations, who are deserted at some point due to a snow storm. They both have characters that aren't all there mentally and we are witness to their descent into madness and loss of reality. Both Bates and Nicholson have a way with tools, whether it be an axe or a sledge hammer, and with these tools they have cut and hobbled their way into our memories and into film history.Kathy Bates is the star of this film and deserves her Oscar win as the at times lovable Annie Wilkes, the obsessed fan of author Paul Sheldon played by James Caan. Annie goes from saving Paul to keeping him hostage for her own agenda. The "shining" beacon of this film is without a doubt Kathy Bates who for me is one of the most memorable and witty villains of modern horror film up there with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. With that said Caan is there like a dance partner for Bates every step of the way, he is like John Stockton to her Karl Malone always ready to assist her in enhancing the dark comedy throughout with his reactions by facial expression or perfect delivery of his lines. Caan's non verbal reactions to Annie's tirades are priceless and only enhance her dialouge. Pay attention to Caan's facial expressions during the scene when Annie explains about "chapter plays" and don't call them cliffhangers.So getting back to the king and queen of horror, I had an idea, what if Bate's character Annie Wilkes had rescued/kidnapped Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance and what would that dialouge be like. I think it would go something like this:JACK: "Annie, let me explain something to you. Whenever you come in here and interrupt me, you're breaking my concentration. You're distracting me. And it will then take me time to get back to where I was. You understand?"ANNIE: "Understand? UNDERSTAND? I will tell you "what I understand!" I go out of my way for you! I do everything to try and make you happy. I feed you, I clean you, I dress you, and what thanks do I get? "Oh, you bought the wrong paper, Annie, I can't write on this paper, Annie!" Well, I'll get your stupid paper but you just better start showing me a little appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!"JACK: "Now, we're going to make a new rule. When you come in here and you hear me typing[types]or whether you DON'T hear me typing, or whatever the F you hear me doing; when I'm in here, it means that I am working, THAT means don't come in. Now, do you think you can handle that?"ANNIE: "I thought you were good Jack... but you're not good. You're just another lying ol' dirty birdy."Just a thought, forgive me for prattling away and making everything all oogy, here's the dvd features.COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD FEATURES:(A reviewer listed them above but in case they got lost in the review shuffle here they are again)First if your like me and like a nice pristine transfer and good sound the dvd is a definite and worthwhile upgrade. The picture quality far surpassed the older version on dvd and I own both. Also on the sound there was no Dolby Digital 5.1 on the old version and on the Collector's edition there is.SPECIAL FEATURES:Audio Commnt by Rob Reiner and screenwriter William GoldmanMisery loves company featurette, Marc Shaiman's musical Misery tour featuretteDiagnosing Annie Wilkes featurette, Advice for stalked feature, profile of a stalker feature, celebrity stalker feature and anti stalking laws feature.This is a must for any horror fan to add to their collection. It is already a classic and is the type of horror that gives you that warm, glad to be inside, tucked into bed feeling if you can avoid getting hobbled.A great watch for Halloween. Enjoy!

TB

Guter Film, spannend und unterhaltsam.