I originally didn’t intend to write about this, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Recently, I started reading novels again and the first book I chose was Misery. As Misery is one of my all time favorite movies, I couldn’t help but think about the differences between it and the book. This isn’t really a “which is better” article, it’s merely focused on the differences that stayed with me the most. I hope you enjoy!! (WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AND BOOK!!!)

The Descent Of Annie’s Sanity/Annie’s Sadistic Streak

This is one of the few moments I believe the movie improved. In the movie, we get to see Annie’s sanity descend slowly as Paul doesn’t realize for a while just how much trouble he’s in. In the book, Paul almost immediately realized that she never called for help and he was trapped with an insane person. Plus, book Annie was a real glutton for punishment. While movie Annie politely asked Paul if she could read his new manuscript, book Annie purposefully withheld medication from him until he was in so much pain, he would’ve said yes to anything. In another instance, she forced him to take his pills with dirty mop water. You thought movie Annie was psychotic, book Annie definitely has her beat.

The Pages Of Misery’s Return

Every time I watch the movie, I’ve always been curious about the actual Misery books. It was a real treat to actually get to read some of the pages from Misery’s Return! Although it’s not particularly my genre, the world of Misery was still very interesting to read. Also, we get to see the pages in the typewriter’s font and because some of the keys fell off the typewriter, some of the letter were handwritten in. It was an especially nice touch.

The Publication Of Misery’s Return

This was one of the differences that surprised me the most. In the film, Paul decided to burn the book he was forced to write for months, distracting Annie long enough to get the upper hand and escape. In the book, he not only believed Misery’s Return was his greatest book, he actually pretended to burn it! He hid the actual pages and burned a pile of blank sheets of paper, and after being rescued, he actually published the book.

The Death Of The Cop

Although Buster’s death was heartbreaking and shocking, it was quick and painless compared to the cop who died in the book. After seeing a cop pull up in Annie’s driveway, Paul saw his opportunity to be free. He threw an ashtray through the window, distracting the cop long enough for Annie to get to him. She grabbed a wooden cross and stabbed the poor cop repeatedly. Unfortunately, this didn’t kill him. He tried to crawl away, but Annie pulled up with her lawn mower and drove it right over his head. The whole scene was so brutal and merciless!

Buster And Marcia’s Absence

Speaking of Buster, I was really surprised to read he was completely absent from the book considering he was a major part in the film. Not only that, Paul’s publicist, Marcia was also absent from the book. To be honest, although I love the 2 characters, the sense of isolated terror was definitely more profound in the book. We lose that feeling in the movie as it cuts to scenes featuring other characters outside Annie’s house.

Hobbling And The Thumbectomy

Before I read the book, I did already know about how different the hobbling scene was compared to the movie. However, I had no idea about the thumb. Instead of breaking both of Paul’s feet, Annie grabbed her axe and savagely hacked off one of his feet. Not long after the “surgery”, Paul argued with Annie again and Annie retaliated by cutting off one of his thumbs. It was truly horrifying reading what Paul had to bear through in the book.

Cops And Visiters

In the movie, no one suspected Annie Wilkes of having anything to do with Paul’s disappearance for a while. In the book, she was the number 1 fan and the number 1 suspect. Cops stopped by her place quite a few times throughout the book and even locals harassed her because they suspected her. It was a much more realistic depiction of mob mentality.

The Death Of Annie Wilkes

The final showdown of Paul and Annie was definitely satisfactory both times. From the book burning, to the page eating, to Annie falling and hitting her head on the typewriter, the overall fight is mostly similar. However, the book left a lot of ambiguity about Annie’s fate. After escaping from Annie’s grasp and locking himself in a room, Paul passed out and woke up some time later. When he woke up, he crawled around the house and couldn’t find her anywhere. He was sure she was still alive but the police found her body much later. She made it all the way to her barn before succumbing to her injuries. They found her with her hand on her chainsaw. It’s chilling to think about what she planned to do to Paul with that chainsaw.