Summary

Kathy Bates wished for more gory elements in the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel.
The movie Misery kept the iconic ankle-breaking scene, but the book had a more gruesome foot amputation.
The director aimed to avoid horror, focusing on the movie as a prison film rather than falling into the horror genre.

Over the years, Stephen King's books have seen a host of TV and movie adaptations. While some have thrilled the legendary author, movies like Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining didn't go down too well. King publicly stated that he disliked the film because he felt it deviated too much from his novel, particularly in its portrayal of Jack Torrance's descent into madness. However, it wasn't just King who came out to express their disappointment at the changes made from his books, as Misery star Kathy Bates has recently expressed her frustration at one big shift from King's novel that left her "crushed".

Misery, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name and directed by Rob Reiner, stars Kathy Bates as the devious Annie Wilkes and James Caan as author Paul Sheldon. The story follows Sheldon, who crashes his car after getting caught in a snowstorm and wakes up to find himself bedridden with broken legs in a strange isolated house. His rescuer is a woman called Annie, who claims to be his number one fan due to her love of his novels. However, after finding and reading his newest script in the book series, Annie flies into a rage after finding out that the lead dies, telling Sheldon that no one knows where he is, and he can't leave until he rewrites the book. During this time, Sheldon undergoes horrific abuse by Annie, which only gets worse when she breaks both his ankles with a sledgehammer to keep him bedbound. Even though the movie adaptation of Misery kept the iconic ankle-breaking scene from King's book, the book actually featured an even more gruesome moment.

Stephen King and still from Peter Medak’s The Changeling - custom image by Rachael Fiddis

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By Rachael Fiddis

Kathy Bates Was “Crushed” That Misery Director Removed a Gory Detail From Stephen King’s Book

Kathy Bates with a sledgehammer in Misery

As highlighted by IndieWire, Kathy Bates expressed how she felt about one big change in Misery that she wasn't happy about during the 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival. Speaking to director Rob Reiner, who was also in attendance, Bates said that she wished the film had kept the gory elements from King's book, expressing that she felt "crushed" to discover that Sheldon's foot amputation part, as well as the part where Annie ran a state trooper over with a lawnmower, wouldn't be included in the movie.

"I was crushed that you took that out. I didn’t agree with that at all."

Bates' now iconic moment in Misery, where Annie breaks Paul Sheldon's ankles with a sledgehammer, is the stuff of cinematic delight, but what she did to him in King's book was way worse. In the book, Annie chops Paul's foot clean off with an ax, then uses a blow torch to cauterize it so he doesn't die from the loss of blood.

If that wasn't bad enough, Annie also uses a lawnmower to obliterate a state trooper who arrives searching for Paul Sheldon. However, Misery director Rob Reiner said during the panel that he didn't want the movie to fall into the horror genre, as it was more of a prison film. "This is not a horror movie. This is not a thriller. This is a prison movie. This man is in jail and he has to be as smart as you in trying to figure out how to get out of jail."