2017 was a good year for Stephen King fans, as Andy Muschietti’s updated version of It managed to dominate the box office and become the highest grossing horror movie in history. However, overshadowed by the film’s release was another King adaptation that quietly made its way onto Netflix, and got an even higher rating from critics. Overlooked for far too long, this phenomenal period piece is definitely worth a second chance.
Titled 1922, the horror movie was written and directed by Zak Hilditch, and took its cues from King’s 2010 novella of the same name that was published in Full Dark, No Stars. It holds a Certified Fresh rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics (58% from fans), which is seven points higher than the 85% score given to It. Called a “new type of Stephen King movie” by Zach Dionne from Decider, critic Felix Vasquez Jr. wrote in his review:
“1922 is a compelling and gripping look at murder, the act and the aftermath, and its simplicity helps propel it into one of the most sophisticated Stephen King cinematic adaptations.”
Starring Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Dylan Schmid, Kaitlyn Bernard, Bob Frazer, Brian d’Arcy James, and the always-fantastic Neal McDonough, 1922‘s story is a simple tale that’s as old as time, albeit with a twist: A rancher conspires to murder his wife for financial gain and convinces his teenage son to participate. Of course, this is King we’re talking about, so the movie wouldn’t truly have his fingerprints on it unless there was a bit of an otherworldly element to the overall plot. Whether it’s truly something paranormal or the delusions of guilt is left for the viewer to decide, but you can check out the full synopsis below:
“1922 follows Wilfred James (Jane), a stern Nebraska farmer who confesses to murdering his wife, Arlette (Parker), in order to keep control of their land. After convincing his teenage son (Schmid) to help with the crime, Wilfred buries her body in a well, but guilt, tragedy, and a series of eerie, possibly supernatural events begin to unravel his life. As the consequences close in, Wilfred’s confession becomes a chilling tale of greed, guilt, and inevitable doom.”
Stephen King Is a Big Fan of the ‘1922’ Adaptation
While there have been countless adaptations of King’s work that the author hasn’t been a fan of, such is not the case with 1922. Though he was initially shocked that someone wanted to adapt the story in the first place, speaking with Vulture back in 2017, he said he was surprised by the outcome:
“With 1922, was I a little surprised that somebody wanted to make it? I was, and I was also pleased by the challenge of it and anxious to see what would come out. And you know, what 1922 reminded me of was a film called There Will Be Blood. It has the same kind of flat, dead-eyed, effect to it, so it made for a really good suspense picture, and it’s a movie that won’t leave my mind. It has this sort of poisonous effect, it just sort of sticks there because some of the images are so good.”
King’s approval of 1922 alone makes it worth checking out if you’ve never done so, or perhaps just want to reexamine it with his comparison to There Will Be Blood in mind. Either way, 1922 is now available to stream on Netflix.
- Release Date
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October 20, 2017
- Runtime
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101minutes
- Director
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Zak Hilditch