Misery (1990) Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

5 stars, a truly scary remastered classic.

Misery is an American horror/thriller film, which crashed onto our screens during a blizzard in 1990, traumatising a generation. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name written by Stephen King (Sleepwalkers, Castle Rock, A Good Marriage), it is directed by Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride, Shock and Awe), from a screenplay by William Goldman (Marathon Man, All the President’s Men).

It has enjoyed a 4K restoration and is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 21st September 2026, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“I never meant for her to become my life. If I hadn’t got rid of her now, I’d have ended up writing her forever.”

Paul Sheldon (James Caan – Eraser, Detachment) is a prolific and successful author, mainly due to his popular series of Victorian romance novels featuring Misery Chastain. Despite the success, he wants to be taken seriously as an author and has decided it is time to kill off the character. His agent Marcia Sindell (Lauren Bacall – The Shootist, The Big Sleep) advises against it, but he is adamant and heads off to his retreat in Colorado to finish the book.

With the book finished, he pops it into his portfolio and sets of in his car, not realising he is about to drive into a snow storm. His car goes off the road, but as luck would have it, a former nurse happens to be driving by and is able to pull him from the car. Her name is Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates – Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Dolores Claiborne) and she takes him back to her home as the roads to the hospital are closed.

She tells him that she is his biggest fan and things seem to be going well until he lets her read his manuscript and she finds out that he plans to kill Misery. Then the true colours begin to show and he realises he could be in a lot of trouble. Meanwhile Marcia has asked local law enforcement to investigate in the form of Buster (Richard Farnsworth – Highway to Hell, The River Pirates) and his wife/deputy Virginia (Frances Sternhagen – Outland, Raising Cain), but can they find out where he is before it’s too late?

“I’m your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about. You’re gonna be just fine. I’ll take good care of you.”

Misery is a fantastic adaptation of the Stephen King novel (apart from the obvious loophole regarding the novel) and has always been one of my favourites. It is an absolute masterclass in tension building and suspense, with incredible performances all round, especially Kathy Bates, who comes across as genuinely psychotic, terrifying. The gusto with which she approaches the role is well worthy of the Academy Award she won.

This is an excellent conversion, it is crisp and clean and has thoroughly benefitted from the treatment. The colours are lovely and the soundtrack is rich and well balanced. In case you were wondering, knowing what’s going to happen and watching “that scene” in 4K does not make it any easier to watch! Featuring a new audio commentary and a collector’s booklet, this is a must own for horror and Stephen King fans.

“Some nights, I’d just tool on down there and sit outside, and look up at the light in your cabin, and I’d try to imagine what was going on in the room of the world’s greatest writer.”

Misery is available to own now on Limited Edition 4K UHD.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless stereo and 5.1 surround audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archival audio commentary with director Rob Reiner
• Archival audio commentary with screenwriter William Goldman
• Brand new audio commentary by film critics Teri Gamble & Julia Marchese, co-hosts of the Horror Movie Survival Guide podcast
• Misery’s Chord, a newly filmed interview with composer Marc Shaiman
• Archival interview with director Rob Reiner
• Archival interview with effects artist Greg Nicotero
• Misery Loves Company, an archival making of featurette
• Marc Shaiman’s Musical Misery Tour, an archival featurette
• Diagnosing Annie Wilkes, an archival featurette
• Profile of a Stalker, an archival featurette
• Advice for the Stalked, an archival featurette
• Celebrity Stalkers, an archival featurette
• Anti-Stalking Laws, an archival featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• Image galleries
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ booklet containing new writing by film scholars Sean Abley, Kat Ellinger, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and David Moses