Summary

• Stephen King's novel Misery features a brutal amputation scene that was changed in the movie adaptation for a specific reason.
• The film version changed the "hobbling" scene from Paul's leg being severed into his leg being beaten with a sledgehammer in order to make him more victorious in Misery's ending.
• Various actors and directors were initially reluctant to participate in Misery due to the graphic nature of the book's amputation scene, but James Caan and Kathy Bates eventually took on the lead roles.

Although the 1990 movie Misery features a disturbingly brutal scene between Annie and Paul, the Stephen King book contains an even more gruesome moment, which was changed for a very specific reason. Rob Reiner's Misery is based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name about Paul Sheldon, a famous writer of successful Victorian romance novels, which feature the character Misery Chastain. After an accident, he finds himself bedridden in the home of Annie Wilkes, his number one fan. The plot takes a dark, gory turn when Annie learns that Paul has killed off her favorite character Misery in his next novel.

The film stars James Caan as Paul and Kathy Bates as Annie, the latter of whom memorably won Best Actress for her chilling performance, making Misery the only Oscar-winning Stephen King movie. While Misery is primarily a psychological thriller, the famous brutality and gore of the film certainly establish it as a horror story, particularly an iconic scene in which Annie hobbles Paul. Not only was this the most memorably disturbing scene of King's novel, but Annie destroying Paul's legs turned out to be just as unforgettably terrifying in the movie. However, Misery's movie makes some crucial adjustments to the book's leg sequence, which massively changes Paul's ending.

Misery Changed The Book's Leg Scene So Paul Could Be Victorious

After Annie discovers Paul speaking out of his room, she breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer to prevent him from escaping. However, Misery's book hobbling scene is much darker, as Annie prevents Paul from escaping by chopping off his left foot with an axe and then cauterizing it with a propane torch. The book scene was so infamously gory that Reiner, who was originally a producer on the film, even had trouble getting directors and actors to sign onto the movie. Reiner initially hired George Roy Hill, known for The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to direct, but Hill pulled out of Misery because he couldn't see himself calling "action" on the gruesome scene (via Yahoo! News).

Reiner decided to direct the acclaimed Stephen King movie himself, but Hill's refusal to direct the brutal scene stuck with Reiner. In the DVD commentary of the movie, Reiner spoke about why the scene was changed, stating, “We wanted Paul Sheldon at the end of this movie to emerge victorious over Annie Wilkes, and if he wound up without a foot — even if he winds up beating her, and she dies — then he maybe paid too high a price for that.” Reiner was happy with the change, as Misery's hobbling scene was still brutal to viewers, ensuring that the film maintained the impact of that particular moment in the story.

The Misery Book's Infamous Hobbling Scene Caused Cast & Crew Problems For The Movie

Despite being based on Stephen King's book and produced by Reiner, the film encountered difficulties finding a director and cast, as the scene in which Annie amputates Paul's foot discouraged many from participating in the project. Hill was the first choice for the director, who refused to do the film, as the thought of directing the brutal scene kept him up at night. Similarly, actress Bette Midler turned down the role of Annie because she did not want to saw someone's foot off.

Warren Beatty was also interested in playing Paul but expressed concern about the character's permanent disability in Misery's ending. Reiner faced six months of rejection from various actors, including William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Redford. Despite these struggles, Caan and Bates eventually accepted the roles of Paul and Annie. Despite the challenges in casting and the changes to the gruesome scene in Misery, the film managed to retain its dark tone, while allowing Paul to achieve a semblance of victory by the end of the movie.

Source: Yahoo! News