Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the deranged Annie Wilkes in Misery. Given how rare it is for the Oscars to acknowledge horror movies at all, this speaks volumes about her performance. Still, it's easy to forget the sheer amount of terror this film about an overzealous fan kidnapping her favourite author packs in.
The movie contains plenty of heart-stopping moments, but the most memorable scene is still also the most frightening. Few things in cinema history can top the horror of watching Annie smash James Caan's character's legs with a sledgehammer leaving him shattered and at the mercy of a fan who wants him to keep her fragile fantasy world alive.