Stephen King is one of the most skilled and successful horror novelists ever to have lived, but the film adaptations of his books have generally ranged from the mediocre to the really, really bad. Such great books as Firestarter, Needful Things, and The Dark Half have been turned into such disasters that it’s a wonder that King still allows Hollywood to mess with his work. However, for every string of terrible films, there is typically an exception. While there have been some solid films based on King’s horror novels, including Carrie and The Shining, there is one that from beginning to end is a brilliant, well-acted, terrifying masterpiece—that film is Rob Reiner’s Misery.

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a popular novelist, famous for a book series about a character named Misery, and he has a near-fatal car accident after driving into a massive blizzard. A nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) saves his life and brings him back to her home in a secluded cabin, where she sets him up in a comfortable bed. Paul awakens to find himself seemingly in good hands, but unfortunately for Paul, Annie is his number one fan, as she has the entire Misery series and is looking forward to his newest novel Misery’s Child. Much to Annie’s dismay, the character of Misery is killed off at the end of the book, upsetting her to the point of keeping Paul imprisoned and not letting him go. It’s up to Paul to figure a way out of his own misery, as Annie becomes more and more violent and insane.

Misery is a film that on first glance would seem to be nothing special. It’s for the most part a story that involves just two people in a single room for an hour and forty-five minutes. It’s directed by Rob Reiner, who up to that time had never directed a horror picture. It’s based on a Stephen King book, whose work typically doesn’t make the best films. And it features an actor whose most famous movie was released eighteen years earlier, as well as at that time an unknown, rather unattractive actress named Kathy Bates. Thus, it is with great pleasure to discover a film in which all its elements come together perfectly. Misery is a lot of things—terrifying, mesmerizing, cringe-worthy, immensely watchable every step of the way. But most of all, it’s a fascinating interplay between two characters who are far apart in temperament but close in physical presence.

Rob Reiner isn’t exactly the most acclaimed film director in the world, but he has made his share of terrific motion pictures. Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and The American President demonstrate Reiner’s versatility as a storyteller and understanding of strong characters. The best movies don’t come about as a result of smart plot twists or random funny moments, but as a result of complex, interesting characters. The character of Paul Sheldon is a relatively simple guy just looking to heal and find his way back home, which is the reason why the developing relationship with the nutball Annie Wilkes is so suspenseful. One sympathizes with Paul and understands his pain; therefore, one tries to think along with Paul what could be his next move to defeat Annie and get immediate help. Most of the film is a string of incidents of Paul thinking he has the upper hand on Annie, only to discover soon after that he is in fact hurting himself more than helping. Annie, as opposed to Paul, has to be one of the most twisted, reprehensible, and frightening female characters ever to grace the screen. She acts so normal and charming in her opening scenes that one has to suspect immediately that something just isn’t right with this woman. As the film moves along, and as Annie has more and more outrageously inappropriate outbursts, one starts to understand the maddening torture Paul is going to have suffer through.

As much as the characters resonate with the audience, however, it’s in the performances of these characters that truly make the film special. James Caan has had somewhat of an unmemorable career, with The Godfather his only real standout besides Misery. He proves with Misery, however, that he has the chops to pull off a truly spectacular, if subtle, performance that perfectly complements the showier Kathy Bates role. He admirably injects fear and truth into a person that with another actor could’ve gone overboard in expressions and gestures.

Caan is excellent in this film, but he really wouldn’t be so good if it weren’t for the chilling performance by Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes. Not since Anthony Perkins in Psycho has there been such a deadpan perfect performance of a psycho. The role of Annie is a juicy one, and Bates takes a big bite into the role, showing all sorts of emotion with the ability to flip from happy to intensely angry in a matter of seconds. There are some show-stopping moments, such as one when Annie tells Paul why she hated a certain chapter play when she was younger. However, it’s the more subtle moments, like one toward the end when Annie tells Paul, her eyes sparkling with glee, the three things he must have after he finishes writing a book, that shows Bates’ true talent as an actress. She won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress for Misery in the early 90’s, and has proven since, in such films as Dolores Claiborne, Primary Colors, and About Schmidt, that she is one of the most accomplished actresses of the last couple decades.

Stephen King must have contempt remarks for some films that have been made off of his books, but he likely has nothing but praise for Misery. Just as twisted and wickedly entertaining as the book, the film works on several levels. It works as a taut suspense film that should please all the horror buffs looking for a scare. It works as a simple stage-play on celluloid involving an ordinary guy who must outwit a crazy woman. It even works as one of the most twisted love stories ever told. Misery is a treasure of a movie that only gets better with age.