[Review] 1922

Tapping further into the harvest of Stephen King deep cuts, the Zak Hilditch-directed 1922 is a dark, old-fashioned murder tale with a twist of horror that has recently cropped up on Netflix.

Set on a southern farm in - yes - 1922, the story revolves around the cold and distant Wilfred (Thomas Jane), who somehow convinces himself that it would be a good idea to kill his wife Arlette (Molly Parker) over property disputes. After he does the deed and does away with the body (with the help of his son), he becomes haunted by guilt and terrorized by Arlette's spirit.

Similar to this year's Gerald's Game (another King adaptation on Netflix), this film falls closer to the psychological drama side -- but as you know -- the essence of a psychological drama often is horror, and there are plenty of horror elements to be found here -- including creepy silhouettes, nasty surprises, and grisly, skin-crawling imagery (along with lots and lots of rats...so many rats). Faith No More's Mike Patton lays down a plucky and sporadic musical score of screechy strings that greatly increases the anxiety and dread.

The film also has a southern gothic literary feel to it, especially with Wilfred chiming in as not only an unreliable narrator - but a morally corrupt man whose life is completely unraveling. And when Winter comes in 1922, things get a lot lonelier and desperate. The snow doesn't cover up the tracks of the past - it just makes them more bitter. As Wilfred says, "In the end, we all get caught."

( 7.5/10 )

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