Different from any horror I’ve watched, 1922 – a film based on the novella by Stephen King – takes one unforgettable night and conveys its gutting effect over the span of a long, inescapably torturous year. With what feels like no way out, Wilfred James (played by Thomas Jane) murders his wife Arlette (played by Molly Parker) with the help of a very hesitant Henry, the couples’ son (played by Dylan Schmid) – who is forced to choose between his mother and father in the worst possible circumstances. A husband who wants to work the farm they live on and pass it down through generations, struggling against a wife who wants to move to the city and open a dress shop – intending on taking Henry with her. As you can imagine, this leads to a house full of palpable tension, a tension Wilfred intends to cut with a kitchen knife one fateful summer’s evening. But no matter how well the blood washes out from their clothes, the toll Arlette’s death takes on the devoutly Christian James family is unimaginable. I will say that some manifestations of guilt lacked a little subtlety, which could’ve made them more powerful – and I occasionally found myself imagining how some scenes could be made more raw and emotionally intense. Still, if you’re a horror fan, be prepared to hold your breath in fearful anticipation while watching an artfully compelling, slow burn thriller.  

Rating: 8/10