Special Issue #2
Cover art provided by Carolyn Gerk of Velvet Hand Designs
30 Years of Misery
As the only film adaptation of the Stephen King oeuvre to be anointed with Oscar gold, Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990) is quintessential psychological horror with a heaping helping of shock and awe. Fueled by a villain whose name is virtually synonymous with toxic fan culture and made memorable by one indelible sledgehammer hobbling, the film is an acknowledged classic, and yet it is not typically the first film referenced in discussions of King’s cinematic adaptations. Misery has generated memes, collectibles, and fan art that has kept it in the pop culture zeitgeist, but critical scholarship has not been quite as prolific. Our second special issue seeks to rectify that oversight.
In honor of the film’s milestone 30th anniversary, we are thrilled to present 14 original essays that explain why we are still Misery’s “number one fan.”
Essay Collection
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Preface – 30 Years of Misery
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Operation Hobble: Masculine Fear versus Female Monstrosity in Misery
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The Phallic Mother in Wonderland and a Fight for Masculinity
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Dial M for Misery: Gender Essentialism and the Hollowness of Annie Wilkes
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Raging Butch: Annie Wilkes, Female Masculinity, and Anger
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Revolution at the Wilkes Farm: Deviancy and Power Struggles in Misery
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Bedpans and Broken Ankles: Nursing Practices in Misery
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“I’ll be seeing you”: Trauma as Uncanny Horror in Misery
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Misery: A Typical Nineties Horror?
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Misery’s Typewriter
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Misery Chastain Cannot Be Dead: Annie Wilkes and Fan Rejection of Character Death
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Gender-flipped Toxic Fan Culture in Misery
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Misery, Hostel and Torture Porn
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From Misery to Sympathy: Redeeming Annie Wilkes in Castle Rock
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Misery’s Influence: Race and Blumhouse’s Delivered (2020)