Introduction
Annie Wilkes, the unforgettable antagonist from Stephen King’s Misery (1990), is more than just a horror icon; she is a complex study in cinematic psychosis. Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning portrayal brought to life a character whose actions are as terrifying as they are rooted in deep psychological disturbance. For decades, Annie has stood as a prime example of female villainy in horror, her mental state often weaponized to amplify fear and unease. Now, with the Hulu series Castle Rock (2018 – present) revisiting Annie’s story in a prequel format, there’s a renewed opportunity to delve into an Annie Wilkes Diagnosis and understand the layers of her psyche. Castle Rock Season 2 offers a non-canonical exploration of Annie’s past, prompting audiences and critics alike to reconsider her representation, particularly regarding her mental illness and how it manifests in her disturbing acts of “care.” This essay will analyze how Misery initially framed Annie as a monstrous figure defined by her mental instability, and how Castle Rock attempts to offer a more nuanced, even redemptive, perspective on her character, inviting a deeper consideration of an annie wilkes diagnosis.
The Monster in Misery: Deconstructing Annie Wilkes’s Psychosis
The horror genre has a long and problematic history of equating mental illness with monstrosity, often using psychological disturbance as a shorthand for evil and unpredictability.[1] In Misery, Annie Wilkes embodies this trope to its fullest extent. Her depicted psychosis positions her squarely as the villain, her disturbed mind making her actions seem arbitrary and terrifying. This portrayal leans into a history of horror films that demonize characters with mental health conditions, leaving little space for viewer empathy or understanding for Annie beyond her monstrous acts.
Annie’s delusion is central to her psychosis in Misery. She sees herself as Paul Sheldon’s savior, a merciful caretaker appointed by fate after his car accident. Leveraging her nursing background, she imprisons Paul and subjects him to a horrifying parody of care. This “care” is a litany of abuse: drugging, isolation, confinement, forced destruction of his work, and the infamous act of hobbling, all designed to keep him dependent and under her control. Annie’s perversion of nurturing, turning it into a tool of torture, embodies what Barbara Creed identifies as the “monstrous feminine.” Creed argues this archetype emerges when women reject traditional femininity, especially concerning motherhood and caregiving.[2] Annie’s monstrousness is directly tied to her twisted maternal instincts and corrupted caretaking, further cemented by the revelations of her dark past. We learn of Annie’s history of killing infants as a maternity nurse and the suspicious deaths of her father and roommate, each adding layers to her monstrous persona and distancing her further from any possibility of redemption or sympathy. Her violence becomes a direct result of her perceived mental instability, reinforcing the harmful stereotype of the mentally ill as inherently dangerous.
A tense moment between Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon in Misery, highlighting Annie’s volatile care.
The sheer spectrum of Annie’s disturbed thoughts and behaviors further alienates her from the audience, solidifying her villainous role. Her moods oscillate wildly, swinging from obsessive adoration of Paul to explosive, unpredictable rage. Despite moments of sharp perception, she is fundamentally disconnected from reality, trapped within her delusions where Misery Chastain is real and Paul’s salvation rests solely in her hands. While Misery hints at Annie’s depression and suicidal ideation, it refrains from offering a specific annie wilkes diagnosis. However, the absence of a formal diagnosis in the film hasn’t stopped experts from attempting to categorize her condition. Forensic psychologist Reid Meloy provided a retrospective psychiatric evaluation of Annie, featured on the Misery collector’s edition DVD.[3] Meloy, drawing from both King’s novel and the film, diagnoses Annie with bipolar disorder, noting potential schizotypal and obsessive-compulsive traits. He points to her prolonged depressive episodes and her fixation on the fictional Misery series as key indicators supporting this annie wilkes diagnosis.
Annie’s unpredictable violence, devoid of any mitigating or redeeming qualities in Misery, makes it almost impossible for audiences to empathize with her. The narrative constructs a stark dichotomy between good (Paul) and evil (Annie), leaving no room for nuanced interpretation. Stephen King’s original novel provides little backstory to soften Annie’s image, and Misery the film follows suit. Sympathy is exclusively directed towards Paul, Annie’s victim. However, Castle Rock season two directly challenges this portrayal by placing Annie at its center, aiming to revise her canonical image and evoke sympathy—a deliberate subversion of her Misery depiction and a re-evaluation of a potential annie wilkes diagnosis.
Redeeming Annie? Castle Rock‘s Re-examination of Mental Illness
Castle Rock offers a chance to understand and even redeem Annie Wilkes, even as the season culminates in her descent into the madness familiar from Misery. The series introduces a younger Annie, drifting from town to town, working temporary nursing jobs to illicitly acquire psychiatric medication for her undiagnosed mental illness. Crucially, Castle Rock introduces Joy, Annie’s teenage daughter, a character absent from both King’s novel and Reiner’s film. Joy is portrayed as quiet and observant, homeschooled and shielded from a perceived hostile world by Annie’s nomadic lifestyle. In Castle Rock, this worldview is amplified by supernatural elements that blur the lines of Annie’s reality. When an accident leaves Annie and Joy stranded in Castle Rock, they become entangled with a supernatural cult and other chaotic forces, further distorting Annie’s already fragile grip on reality.
Castle Rock‘s attempt to redeem Annie hinges on restructuring her image to elicit sympathy, despite her continued violent actions within the series. It grants Annie agency and a voice, allowing her story to unfold from her perspective. This revised portrayal aims to dismantle harmful horror tropes surrounding mental illness and the monstrous feminine by humanizing a previously demonized figure.
The terror Annie inspires in Misery stems largely from her uncontrolled mental instability. She is not just delusional, but paranoid, punitive, and seemingly sadistic. Her behavior is exacerbated by her self-imposed isolation and refusal to seek help or medication. Castle Rock‘s Annie is markedly different. From the outset, the series emphasizes her desire to manage her mental illness and her proactive, albeit illegal, efforts to obtain psychiatric medication. Unlike Misery, where Annie exists in a vacuum, Castle Rock‘s Annie is driven by her role as a mother. Managing her mental health is essential for her to function as Joy’s caregiver.
Annie’s methods of managing her condition involve self-diagnosis (keeping detailed online records of therapy and treatment options for bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety) and stealing a cocktail of medications to suppress her hallucinations. In a pivotal scene, Dr. Nadia Howlwadaag catches Annie stealing medications at the Castle Rock hospital. Instead of immediate punishment, Dr. Howlwadaag gives Annie a chance to explain. Annie confesses her illicit activities are born from necessity; a documented history of mental illness would prevent her from working as a nurse, thus jeopardizing her ability to care for Joy. This confession directly critiques the societal stigma surrounding mental illness, a stigma Misery arguably reinforces. Castle Rock uses this moment to highlight how mental illness can exclude individuals from leading normal lives. Dr. Howlwadaag, showing empathy for Annie’s plight as a mother with mental health struggles, chooses to prescribe her medication and retain her employment. Dr. Howlwadaag’s reaction serves as a pointed counterpoint to the vilification seen in Misery, demonstrating an approach of accommodation and understanding.
Annie’s proactive pursuit of medication in Castle Rock, contrasting sharply with the unbridled mental instability of Misery‘s Annie, fosters audience sympathy. Viewers see her struggle to overcome personal challenges, even through unethical means, to build a life for herself and Joy. This sympathy deepens when viewers understand her motivations are rooted in maternal devotion. Annie recognizes that without medication, her psychosis will escalate, rendering her unable to work and care for her daughter. Re-framed as a nurturing mother figure, a role sustained by managing her mental illness rather than succumbing to it, Annie begins to shed her monstrous feminine archetype.
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Annie Wilkes and her daughter Joy in Castle Rock, portraying a different dynamic of care and motherhood.
Her maternal identity is further emphasized through her fiercely protective behavior. When their landlord threatens Joy’s life, Annie reacts with brutal violence, shoving an ice cream scooper down his throat and killing him. Despite the graphic nature of the scene, sympathy for Annie is likely maintained because her violence is presented as self-defense and defense of her daughter, not sadistic aggression. This act, however extreme, underscores the lengths she will go to protect Joy, revealing a darker, violence-prone side intertwined with her mental illness and maternal instincts. It reinforces the complex and often contradictory nature of her annie wilkes diagnosis.
Unlike Misery, Castle Rock provides an extensive backstory for Annie, exploring the origins of her mental illness and touching upon the nature versus nurture debate. Was Annie inherently monstrous, as Misery implies, or was she shaped by her environment, as Castle Rock suggests? This exploration encourages audience empathy, even when her actions cross social boundaries. Flashbacks reveal Annie was bullied in school and displayed early signs of neurological differences, like dyslexia and emotional dysregulation. Her violent tendencies emerged when provoked. An incident where young Annie attacks a classmate on the bus after being teased for reading difficulties leads to recommendations for psychiatric help. However, her parents reject this, and her father attempts to manage her condition himself.
Annie’s relationship with her writer father is pivotal and echoes themes present in Misery. He calls Annie his “number one fan” and enlists her help transcribing his manuscript, hoping it will improve her reading skills. When this fails, her mother hires a tutor, Rita Green. Rita initially struggles but eventually connects with Annie and improves her behavior. However, Rita betrays Annie’s trust by having an affair with her father. As young Annie becomes aware of this infidelity, the series hints at a hereditary component to her mental illness. Her father mentions his own negative experiences with psychiatric medication, suggesting a shared history of mental health struggles. Following her parents’ divorce, Annie’s mother descends into severe depression and attempts to drown herself and Annie. Annie’s mental state deteriorates further, turning violent when her father replaces her with Rita and their newborn daughter. These accumulating traumas, coupled with potential genetic predispositions, contribute to Annie’s psychological unraveling. Castle Rock portrays Annie as a product of societal intolerance and familial dysfunction, suggesting that with proper mental healthcare and support, her path might have been different, challenging the idea of inherent monstrosity linked to an annie wilkes diagnosis.
Even at her breaking points, Castle Rock‘s Annie demonstrates a capacity for recognizing innocence and humanity, finding a form of redemption in this recognition. In a climactic scene, triggered by seeing her father dedicate his book to Rita, Annie experiences a psychotic episode. Her father’s attempt to comfort her backfires, leading to his accidental death. Rita, believing Annie intentionally killed him, tries to protect her infant daughter. Enraged, Annie attacks Rita and takes the baby to a river, mirroring her mother’s attempted drowning. As Annie submerges the infant, the baby laughs, stunning Annie with its innocent display of humanity. This moment of connection changes Annie’s course; she chooses to adopt the baby, who is revealed to be Joy, making Joy a symbol of her potential salvation.
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A pivotal moment of transformation for young Annie, choosing to save baby Joy.
From a nurse who committed infanticide to a woman who saves a baby, from a killer consumed by mental illness to a mother desperately fighting to control it—Annie’s character undergoes a significant transformation in Castle Rock. Managing her mental health becomes intertwined with her ability to be a good mother to Joy, and this maternal role provides the motivation for her self-management. However, Castle Rock‘s Annie remains tethered to the monstrous Annie of Misery. Ultimately, she succumbs to that monstrous persona when she kills Joy, believing her daughter to be possessed by the supernatural cult. Yet, even in this tragic conclusion, Castle Rock shifts blame away from Annie, attributing Joy’s death to the supernatural cult’s influence, preserving Annie’s victim status, even in her most monstrous act, and further complicating any simple annie wilkes diagnosis.
Conclusion: Re-framing the Monster and the Implications for Female Villains
Castle Rock reinterprets Annie Wilkes’s descent into homicidal psychosis as a consequence of deep-seated childhood trauma rather than an inherent predisposition. The series re-positions Annie as a victim of circumstance, prompting viewers to sympathize with her struggles and question the traditional monstrous portrayal. This aligns with a broader trend in contemporary film and television, as noted by Jessie M. Quintero Johnson and Bonnie Miller, to move away from depicting female perpetrators’ violence as solely “a function of extreme psychopathology.”[4] Castle Rock exemplifies what these scholars term “sympathetic psychopathology,” where female violence is framed as a reaction to “burdensome social and personal circumstances beyond [her] control.”[5] This trend suggests that violence perpetrated by women in modern media is often portrayed as a response to abuse and violation, designed to elicit sympathy rather than outright condemnation. With the resurgence of iconic female villains like Annie Wilkes and Nurse Ratched,[6] understanding how these characters are re-examined and sympathetically re-framed for contemporary audiences is crucial. While these origin stories can enhance our understanding of these complex female villains, it’s essential to consider the implications of such revisions. Castle Rock offers Annie’s violence a context and a sympathy that softens her monstrous image. However, this narrative choice also risks negating the possibility of female characters making deliberately monstrous choices and potentially diminishes empathy for their victims. If filmmakers aim to create empowering portrayals of women within horror, they must also acknowledge the full spectrum of female character potential, including the capacity for women to embody monstrous agency, without solely attributing it to a simplified annie wilkes diagnosis or external trauma.
Notes:
[1] We would like to thank Kalli Root for assisting us with organizing our ideas for this section of our essay. Her advice was much appreciated.
[2] Creed, 7.
[3] Misery: Diagnosing Annie Wilkes.
[4] Johnson and Miller, 223.
[5] Ibid, 212.
[6] Netflix Original television series Ratched is an origin story for the nurse Mildred Ratched and prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Works Cited:
Creed, Barbara. The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis. 1993. Routledge, 2007.
Castle Rock, Season Two, Hulu television series, October – December 2019.
Johnson, Jessie M. Quintero, and Bonnie Miller. “When Women ‘Snap’: The Use of Mental Illness to Contextualize Women’s Acts of Violence in Contemporary Popular Media.” Women’s Studies in Communication, vol. 39, no. 2, 2016, pp. 211–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2016.1172530.
Misery: Diagnosing Annie Wilkes. Writer Sarah Elbert, performances by Kathy Bates and Reid Meloy, Blue Collar Production, 2007. Misery, collectors ed. DVD, 2007.
Misery. Directed by Rob Reiner, Columbia Pictures, 1990.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Directed by Milos Forman, United Artists, 1975. Special ed., widescreen version, Warner Home Video, 2002.
