Stephen King is known as the King of Horror for a good reason. He has created some of the most terrifying characters in horror history, whether human or supernatural. King created an evil alien-turned-clown called Pennywise, which still haunts fans’ dreams and created the devil incarnate, named Randall Flagg.

However, in all of King’s horrific creations throughout his career as a novelist, he created one character that is scarier than all the others. What makes this character so terrifying is that she is a human. In Misery, King introduced the character of Annie Wilkes, who Kathy Bates masterfully portrayed in the movie of the same name.

Annie Wilkes Remains Stephen King’s Most Terrifying Creation

Annie Wilkes remains the most terrifying Stephen King character for one big reason. She is a real, everyday person, and could live right next door to you. She is a seemingly good-hearted small-town woman who loves to read her books. She is Paul Sheldon’s biggest fan and just loves his stories but she is also mentally unstable.

In the movie, Kathy Bates plays Annie Wilkes to perfection. She is someone who is there to help Paul Sheldon recover after his accident, and she seems like nothing more than a superfan living her dream, nursing him back to health. However, as the story unfolds, she becomes darker and holds Paul captive in her house against his will.

Kathy Bates is spectacular as she flips the switch between Paul Sheldon’s biggest fan and a woman who will do unspeakable horrors to him if he doesn’t do exactly what she says. Annie Wilkes was terrifying in the novel, ​​​​​​and was a monster in sheep’s clothing in the movie, and Bates created a villain unlike any other on the screen.

Anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows people like the one that Annie portrays during her good moments. They step up and say hello, offer help, and always leave with a kind word. Seeing this good person turn out to be a deranged abductor who will destroy a person if they don’t follow her orders is scary.

For creative types, it is even scarier. Annie Wilkes is the worst kind of superfan. These people exist in real life, whether they are stalking their favorite athletes, sending them unwanted correspondence, or, in some cases, lashing out violently when they are ignored. They all live in the real world.

The most unsettling moment in the book occurred when Annie told Paul to rewrite his recent book with her favorite character living in it. When he tries to escape, Annie Wilkes takes an axe and chops his foot off. The movie went a little easier and had her use a mallet on it, shattering it, but it was still shocking.

Annie Wilkes will hurt Paul to get her way. Pennywise the Clown tricks kids into coming to their deaths despite being a scary clown on the outside. Randall Flagg tempts people, but never lies to them. Annie Wilkes is a good person on the outside with a monster hiding deep within, and that is the scariest villain of all.

Annie Wilkes Was Based On King’s Struggle With Fan Expectations

Stephen King wrote horror to start his career, but wanted something more. He wanted to write in other genres to see if he could succeed in them as well. However, his publishers and fans rejected the idea, so he created the pseudonym Richard Bachman to do it. These books were good, but not as successful as his horror novels.

There was a moment when King felt that his fans were telling him what to write, and he had lost control over his career. This led to him writing Misery, where an author had a super fan demand that he only write his books to her liking, and he had to face the consequences if he failed to do so.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, King admitted that part of the inspiration for Misery was his battle with cocaine, where he said, “Annie Wilkes is cocaine. She was my number-one fan.” However, in his memoir On Writing, he said it was also a look at what he has lovingly called his “constant reader.”

The term “constant reader” refers to fans of King who consume everything he writes. However, the term originated in Misery because it is what Annie Wilkes calls herself in reference to Paul Sheldon. King felt pressured, and this was an opportunity to let readers know they were along for the ride. They aren’t the conductors.

Kathy Bates Is The Only Actor To Win An Oscar For Playing A Stephen King Character

Kathy Bates turned Annie Wilkes from a scary woman into a terrifying monster in Misery. She was masterful in her performance, showing how she could flip on a dime and transition from loving and nurturing to furious and destructive. This is a big reason why Bates went on to win an Oscar for her performance.

This is a tremendous honor because no other actor has ever won an Oscar for appearing in a Stephen King movie, which is even more impressive, seeing critical darlings like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile years later. Kathy Bates took a kindly small-town woman and created Stephen King’s most terrifying monster.

Sources: Rolling Stone, On Writing