Movie Review: “1922”

The movie 1922 is a Netflix released movie and was based on a novella by Stephen King. Zak Hilditch was
the director and screenplay writer. Cast members included: Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Neal
McDonough and Dylan Schmid.

The movie takes place in the year 1922 on a small farm in Hemingford Home, Nebraska. Main character
Wilfred James, portrayed by Thomas Jane, conspires to kill his wife in order to keep the farmland that
she intends to sell since it is in her name. He acquires the help of his son Henry James, portrayed by
Dylan Schmid, to carry out the murder plan.

After slitting the wife’s throat, they decide to throw her body down a dry well near their home. They
clean the house and make it look as though she has abandoned them. Eventually, the son leaves the
farm and enters into a life of crime.

After the successful murder and his son leaving, a series of strange events begin to happen to Wilfred.
However, it takes almost the entire movie for the strange events to take place, and once they start the
events all happen rather suddenly. The dead wife seems to rise from the dead to haunt Wilfred for his
actions.

The movie did not have great scenery or vibrant colors. Most of the movie took place on the farm
property which had an extremely dull appearance.

If you choose to watch 1922 be prepared for some moderately gory scenes, as they do have several
dead bodies throughout the film.

I did not think the film was scary at all, and I was very disappointed. Whenever I hear the name Stephen
King, I look forward to being on the edge of my seat and terrified. Instead, the storyline was very weak
and for most of the movie I was trying to figure when it was either going to get scary or when there was
going to be a major shock. The movie was rather predictable. In fact, I often found my mind wandering
away from the film because it did not hold my attention.

1922 is told as a confession through a letter that the main character is writing. In it he hopes of
explaining why he murdered his wife and why he is constantly plagued by his wrong decisions.

The acting was fairly good. The best actor was Neal McDonough, who played a neighbor.
1922 was not a scary movie, but rather a weird psychological movie delving into the concept of choices
and their consequences. Overall, the movie was subpar and I would rate it a 5.0 out of 10.