The Netflix Stephen King Horror Thriller Is His Darkest Movie Ever

Stephen King’s 1922 Netflix movie is set in Hemingford, Nebraska, where Wilfred James (Thomas Jane) finds himself at odds with his wife, Arlette (Molly Parker), who wants to sell their farm and move to Omaha. Driven by a dark conviction, Wilfred convinces his 14-year-old son, Henry (Dylan Schmid), to help him murder Arlette, using Henry’s girlfriend, Shannon, as leverage.

The murder is carried out with gruesome efficiency, and as guilt gnaws at Henry, Shannon’s life takes a tragic turn. Pregnant and sent away by her parents, she and Henry become the Sweetheart Bandits, caught up in a criminal life that ultimately leads to Shannon’s death and Henry’s suicide. As winter sets in, Wilfred’s life begins to unravel.

Haunted by guilt and surrounded by rats, which symbolize the decay of his morality, Wilfred descends into madness. The ghost of Arlette and the rats that devoured her corpse also appear to torment him. Stephen King’s 1922 adaptation comes to an end in 1930 with Wilfred surrounded by the apparitions of Arlette, Henry, and Shannon.At its core, Stephen King’s 1922 is a tale of guilt and the inescapable consequences of one’s actions. It explores the psychological toll of murder, the disintegration of familial bonds, and the haunting presence of remorse. The film weaves a story that delves into the darkest recesses of the human psyche, ultimately revealing that, in the end, people cannot escape the shadows of their past.

1922 was announced as part of a larger project adapting several of Stephen King’s works into films and series. The novella provided a dark and atmospheric source material, and Hilditch aimed to capture the psychological horror and tension present in King’s writing.Production on Stephen King’s 1922 took place in Vancouver, Canada, with cinematographer Ben Richardson. However, the search for a suitable farmhouse with a cornfield was hindered by the ongoing harvesting season. As a result, the corn featured in the film was created using corn props imported from China, computer graphics, and footage captured in Boort, Australia.

A farmhouse situated in the city of Langley was eventually secured for Stephen King’s 1922 film and served as the location where significant scenes were filmed. The movie was released globally by Netflix in October 2017. While It didn’t generate as much buzz as other King adaptations, the film contributed to the growing library of content inspired by his works available on streaming platforms.

Critical reception for Stephen King’s 1922 was generally positive, with the film still holding a 92 percent critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Viewer responses were less favorable, as evidenced by its 57 percent audience score. While some appreciated the slow burn, others found it to be overly drawn out and tedious.