Stephen King has been the subject of a movie renaissance as of late. Not only has this led to the double feature of IT Chapter One and Two, but also the recent releases of Pet Sematary, The Dark Tower, In the Tall Grass, as well as a sequel to the Shining coming later this year. Naturally, Stephen King's vast catalog of work has led people to argue for one movie adaption being scarier than others. Some may say the Shining is his scariest work, while others may say his scariest movie is Children of the Corn. This post, however, will sidestep all of this and give five reasons why IT is King's scariest horror movie (and five reasons why it's Misery).
IT: Fear Of Clowns
This one ought to be fairly obvious. However, for the uninitiated...
Stephen King's IT features a demonic clown that kills children every 27 years. While clowns were intended to be seen as funny, their perception in society has changed over the last few decades. This change in perception of clowns has not been helped by the murderer John Wayne Gacy, nor has it been helped by the media, such as IT and Poltergeist that make clowns out to be spooky. This has led clowns to be seen as creepy and unnerving. Consequently, a study by the University of Sheffield found that, among 250 children aged four to six, clowns were widely feared.
The modern fear of clowns (coulrophobia) places IT high on the horror factor.
Misery: Helplessness
Misery begins with novelist Paul Sheldon crashing his car in a remote town and being 'saved' by Annie Wilkes, a former nurse. Sheldon wakes up in Wilkes' house to learn that he has two broken legs and, according to Wilkes, the heavy snow has damaged her telephone connection so Sheldon cannot get in contact with his publisher. At first, Sheldon trusts Annie but this trust slowly erodes and he realizes that he is at her mercy.
Misery plays into the theme of helplessness very effectively. If he were fully fit, Sheldon may have been able to overpower Wilkes and escape, yet his two broken legs prevent this. Furthermore, the isolated setting of the movie leaves the protagonist alone with the crazed antagonist.
IT: Stranger Danger
One of the scariest things about IT is the fact that it is about children. This childhood element allows for the characters to be more vulnerable and error-prone in certain aspects.
However, one of the more specific elements is the stranger danger of IT. For instance, Pennywise has a habit of talking his victims into coming closer to him or coming into the sewer. While it is, naturally, scary to see a child being led away by a stranger, this fear is increased when the stranger is a homicidal, demonic clown that preys on children.
Misery: Slow, Drawn out Scares
The plot of Misery is built around imprisonment. Annie Wilkes 'saves' Paul Sheldon from his accident, but will not let him leave until he resurrects the character of Misery, as Sheldon planned to kill the character in his latest novel.
Consequently, there's a strong focus on Sheldon trying to escape from his demented fan. This leads to sweat-inducing levels of tension as Sheldon attempts to escape, each time having to watch out for the unnerving Annie Wilkes. There's no jump scares in this movie but instead, the audience hides behind their hands as Sheldon tiptoes around Wilkes' house while she arrives back home.
Director Rob Reiner does a great job of ratcheting tension in such a manner that the audience cannot relax.
IT: The Assortment Of Fears
One of the clearer reasons why IT is so scary is that Stephen King cast a wide net with his inclusion of different monsters. As Pennywise is able to shape-shift into different monsters and alter how reality is perceived, the character of Pennywise allows for the inclusion of a collection of different fears.
For instance, during the movie, IT appears as a murderous clown, a leper, a mummy, and a creepy painting. This means that you don't have to be scared of clowns to be scared of this movie.
Chances are, Pennywise will transform into something that you will be scared of in this film.
Misery: Psychological, Claustrophobic Horror
The horror of Misery is grounded in the psychological. On the one hand, there is the fear and helplessness of Paul Sheldon. The novelist gets increasingly desperate as the movie progresses. On the other hand, there is the manic obsession of Annie Wilkes. The demented fan is prone to unpredictable outbursts that only exacerbate Sheldon's worry.
If the general fear of Sheldon and the manic personality of Wilkes were not enough, there were also suffocating feelings of claustrophobia. Not only is the protagonist trapped with a psychopath in an isolated house, but he is also trapped mentally. Sheldon wanted to move on from his Misery character, but now he is being forced to resurrect the character by a crazed fan.
These notions of suffocation and unpredictability make for a tense and worrying watch.
IT: Derry Is Also Affected
One of the major themes of IT is how Pennywise corrupts the town of Derry. While it would be an exaggeration to say that the residents of Derry are 'in on it' with regard to the killer clown, there is certainly a level of indifference from the residents. The Derry residents are aware that something is wrong with the town, but they just appear to ignore the issues. Subsequently, not only are the protagonists fighting against a shapeshifting demonic clown, but they're also grappling with the indifference of residents. This means that there is no support for the children whether they need it or not.
The idea that the protagonists are not only fighting against a killer clown but also against a corrupted town is a worrying thought.
Misery: THAT Scene
Anyone who has seen Misery will understand THAT scene.
After a failed escape attempt, Annie Wilkes straps Sheldon into the bed and hobbles his ankles with a sledgehammer. It is a long, drawn-out scene that doesn't hide the pain on Sheldon's face, nor does it shy away from showing the ankle break. This scene is not only horrifying to watch, but it also reinforces the helplessness mentioned earlier. As Sheldon is healing from his accident, he has broken again and forced to spend even more time with this disturbed fan.
This scene will disturb any viewer long after the movie ends.
IT: Human Evil
While the many forms of Pennywise are incredibly frightening, one of the more underrated elements of IT was the innate evil of the human characters. Sure, the killer clown is outright terrifying, but there is something more disturbing about the human characters. For instance, the scenes with Beverly's father were some of the most skin-crawling elements of the movie. The way he talks to his daughter is unnerving, disturbing, and creepy. Additionally, in IT Chapter Two, the movie opens with a homophobic attack that is bloody and barbaric. While Pennywise finishes off the victim, the clown did not (overtly) instigate the attack, this was a human evil.
This combination of both grounded, human evil and monstrous cosmic horror truly leave a lasting impression on the viewer.
Misery: Kathy Bates' Performance
While Misery may not be Stephen King's most well-known work, it was one of his most critically acclaimed. One notable aspect of the movie that critics praised was the performance of Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, with Bates earning an Oscar for her portrayal.
Wilkes truly was a character who would unpredictability turn from happy to manic in half a second. Further, Wilkes' sudden, ranting outbursts could easily have appeared comical and pulled the audience out of the moment. Yet, Bates' managed to deliver them perfectly.
While Bill Skarsgård and Tim Curry were both incredible as Pennywise, it takes something special to make a normal human appear as terrifying as Annie Wilkes.