The adaptation of Stephen King's beloved book Misery is often considered to be one of the best horror movies, as the psychological game between Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) and Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is fascinating. It's definitely a classic for a reason and even if there are other films about hostages, this one feels fresh no matter when people watch it. In 2020, the thriller Run was released and moviegoers and critics immediately compared it to Misery as the main character keeps her daughter captive and swears that it's for her own good.
Sarah Paulson plays Diane Sherman, a woman whose daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen) dreams of leaving their small town and going to college. Chloe is disabled and Diane seems to love her and know how to keep her safe... but what is really going on? It's possible to argue that this Sarah Paulson thriller might be even better than Misery.
The Characters
While Misery is better than The Shining, Run is a better movie than Misery because it's about a mother who thinks that she knows what's best for her daughter, and both main characters are layered and well-crafted. While Paul in Misery is interesting since he's a famous author and Annie is obsessed with him, Chloe feels easier to cheer on as she learns what her mom is doing and struggles to get away from her.
Chloe is a perfect horror movie teenage character, as she dreams of a world beyond her house and begins to realize that something is fishy about the medication that her mom gives her. As the movie progresses and Chloe investigates more, audiences are on the edge of their seats, waiting for her to beat her mom at her own game. Many TV and movie characters want to leave a small town and go to college and follow their dreams, but few are being held back by their own mothers who are literally making them sick, so this movie offers a fresh take.
The Theme Of Motherhood
Run has a wild twist where audiences learn that Diane's baby died and she stole Chloe instead and wanted to make sure that she was sick enough to need to take medication all of her life. Diane is unstable and obsessed with needing to take care of Chloe. While many movies take on the theme of motherhood and how much someone's life changes when they begin taking care of someone else, Run is a horrifying psychological thriller about the dangers of wanting to control a child and how parents need to allow their children to be happy, free, and totally themselves.
Run also discusses how what a parent thinks is "best" for their child might not be the case. Diane truly believes that she is protecting Chloe and that Chloe can never leave her or go away to college as she won't be happy or healthy or safe. She has told herself so many lies that this is really what she thinks.
One Perfect Scene
There are many great moments in Misery as Misery is a favorite Stephen King adaptation but one truly perfect scene in Run. When Chloe and Diane go to see a movie, Chloe lies about needing the washroom and goes to the local pharmacy. She discovers a chilling truth: that her mom has been giving her a medication called Ridocaine which is for dogs.
The tone of th movie is tense and action-packed as Chloe rushes against time and is terrified that her mom will find out what she's doing, and audiences hope that she can learn the answers that she deserves to live a happier and more independent life. It's heartbreaking to see Chloe putting the puzzle pieces together. While Misery is scary and Paul is horrified that Annie is keeping him hostage, it's not quite as thrilling and exciting to watch him as he's in bed for much of the film.
The Ending
Sometimes horror movies have happy endings and these movies see the characters doing much better. It's interesting to note that Paul and Chloe each need to use a cane at the end of Misery and Run, something else that ties the two films together. The ending of Misery is good, but it's fairly predictable: Paul wins and gets away and continues to be haunted by what happened to him. While the conclusion is chilling, as he thinks that he sees Annie at a diner but it's a waitress, it's not one of the most incredible or inventive horror movie endings.
The last scene of Run is a lot better and it brilliantly concludes the movie, switching the power dynamic between Diane and Chloe. Chloe is older, married, and successful, and she visits Diane in a facility. Diane is sick and doing poorly and Chloe visits, thrilled to be the one giving her pills this time. The harsh finale is perfect as Diane caused so much harm and pain and while Chloe is worse off, audiences like seeing her get some revenge.