The world ofStephen Kinghas inspired many artists for decades, and in 2018, the horror TV seriesCastle Rockarrived to give a new look at King’s universe, and it also made one of his best villains even scarier.The works of Stephen Kinghave brought some of the most iconic and scariest characters, some of them human and others supernatural. Through his novels and short stories, King has allowed generations of readers to explore a variety of fears, places, and worlds, some of which have now become part of pop culture.
Many of Stephen King’s stories have been adapted to film and TV, some even more than once, while they have also served as inspiration for new stories. Such is the case for the TV seriesCastle Rock, created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason. Set in the title town, which is a recurrent setting in King’s stories,Castle Rockwasn’t based on any of King’s books or short stories, and, instead, it brought together characters from them along with original ones in new stories – and in its second season, it made one of King’s best villains even scarier.
Annie Wilkes Was Played By Lizzy Caplan
Castle Rockseason 1 told the story of Henry Deaver (André Holland), a death-row lawyer who returned to the titular town when a mysterious, newfound Shawshank prisoner, referred to as “The Kid” (Bill Skarsgård), said his name. The Kid turned out to have a direct connection to Henry, and he was revealed to come from another timeline, himself being Henry Deaver in it.Castle Rockseason 1 left some huge questions, especially about The Kid’s origin and true nature, but season 2 didn’t continue this story, instead opting for a completely new and separate one.
For its second season,Castle Rockopted to bring a younger version ofMisery’s villain, Annie Wilkes, to life. Played by Lizzy Caplan,Castle Rock’s Annie Wilkes became stranded in the titular town with her teenage daughter, Joy (Elsie Fisher), after an accident. Annie, being without her pills for a week due to the accident, took a job at the local hospital under a fake name and began to steal pills to keep her anxiety and hallucinations under control. It all took a turn when Ace Merrill, her landlord, discovered her identity, so Annie killed him after he threatened Joy.
Believing that Joy was possessed by one of the cultists, Annie drowned her, realizing her mistake a bit too late.
However, when Annie tried to get rid of the body, she discovered Ace was alive, and he went on to form his own cult. Meanwhile, Joy learned the truth about her backstory, but she remained loyal to Annie, despite the latter being tormented by hallucinations. Joy and Annie ended up being taken by the cult for a ritual, but they escaped – however, believing that Joy was possessed by one of the cultists, Annie drowned her, realizing her mistake a bit too late.
Annie tried to revive Joy and succeeded, but this was revealed to beone of Annie’s hallucinations, and Joy was no longer around.Castle Rockended with Annie and Joy at a book signing, waiting to meet their favorite author, Paul Sheldon, thus linking their story to the events ofMisery.
Castle Rock Season 2 Made Annie Wilkes Even More Terrifying
Annie Wilkes Is One Of King’s Most Terrifying Villains
Misery(both the book and the movie)already made Annie Wilkes one ofStephen King’s most terrifying villains, as there’s nothing supernatural about her, and thus is the type of villain anyone could encounter at some point in their lives (but hopefully that will never happen). However, Annie’s story inCastle Rockadded to it and made her even more terrifying.Castle Rocktook a look into Annie’s backstory, revealing her mother tried to kill her and herself in a car crash (but only her mother died), and her father cheated on her mother with Annie’s tutor.
Joy was actually Annie’s half-sister(and her name was Evangeline), whom she escaped with after killing their father and stabbing Joy’s mother. This, along with Annie’s actions inCastle Rock, drowning Joy, and her hallucinations, in addition to everything she did inMisery, made her even more terrifying, unpredictable, and dangerous.
Why Castle Rock Was Canceled After Just 2 Seasons
Castle Rock Didn’t Stick Around For Long
DespiteCastle Rockbeing well-received by critics and general audiences – with its first season holding an 87% critics' score onRotten Tomatoesand season 2 an 89% score –,Castle Rockdidn’t go past two seasons. This decision wasn’t based on ratings and critical reception, and, instead,Castle Rockwas planned to stay for only two seasons. Although it would have been interesting to see which other Stephen King charactersCastle Rockcould have explored and linked to each other, the show was meant to end with Annie Wilkes’ story.
