Misery

Rob Reiner's Misery is the greatest two-hander horror film ever made and features the performance that won Kathy Bates the Academy Award — the first Oscar for a horror film performance. Bates' Annie Wilkes is the most terrifying villain in Stephen King's filmography precisely because she is so recognizable: the obsessive fan, the person whose love curdles into possessive rage, the caretaker who becomes the captor. James Caan's Paul Sheldon is equally brilliant in his physical deterioration and psychological manipulation. The hobbling scene — where Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer — is the most unwatchable moment of bodily violation in mainstream cinema. Reiner, known for comedies and dramas, proved he could direct sustained horror with the precision of a master.