HBO Max Users Have Less Than a Week Left To Watch One of Stephen King’s Best Movies

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Director Rob Reiner’s 1990 psychological horror thriller Misery, an a adaptation of King’s 1987 novel of the same name, will stop streaming on HBO Max on October 31st. An exploration of the dark side of fandom, Misery stars Kathy Bates in a career-defining role as Annie Wilkes, a former nurse and obsessive fan of novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan). When Paul gets into a serious car crash, Annie brings him to her remote cabin to recover and forces him to write a new book just for her.

Why You Should Watch Misery

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There are a lot of great adaptations of King’s work out there, but Misery is arguably one of the best. The movie is a faithful adaptation of the source material, only making a handful of changes, and captures the essence of the book’s psychological terror. Reiner’s expert direction and the single setting create a suffocating sense of dread and claustrophobia that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, and Bates and Caan deliver outstanding performances, with Bates in particular unforgettable as Annie, the actress perfectly embodying the obsessive, unpredictable nature of the character. Even decades after its release, Misery remains a masterpiece and a benchmark for psychological thrillers.

The film is one of the highest-rated King movie adaptations on Rotten Tomatoes with a “Certified Fresh” critic score of 91% and an audience rating of 90%, putting it just below other great works like Chain Reactions, Carrie, and Stand By Me. The movie also holds the distinction of being the only adaptation of King’s work to win an Oscar after Bates took home an Academy Award for Best Actress and is also one of the few horror films to win an Oscar, an honor achieved on seldom occasions by other movies like The Silence of the Lambs and Get Out.

Where to Stream Misery After It Leaves HBO Max

Misery is leaving HBO Max at the worst time. Not only is it the peak of spooky season, but King’s works are back at the forefront of horror discussions with the release of It: Welcome to Derry and numerous other adaptations of his work in the pipeline, such as The Running Man, which is slated for a November 14, 2025, release.

Unfortunately, fans hoping to revisit some of the earlier adaptations of King’s work will be out of luck when it comes to Misery. The movie is currently only streaming on HBO Max, but it is possible it could move to a different streaming service in the near future. November 2025 streaming newsletters are just beginning to roll out, so it’s too early to tell if Misery will be available on a major platform next month. The film is available on VOD.

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