Introduction: Welcome to the Farm – Where the Gravy Train Has Left the Station
It’s not every day you come across a horror film based on a Stephen King novella, let alone one that’s set in a dusty corner of Nebraska where murder, rats, and regret take center stage. 1922 is exactly that type of film—an atmospheric slow-burn of guilt, ghosts, and, of course, a very special relationship with some truly territorial rodents. Based on the novella by King and directed by Zak Hilditch, this film pulls you into a world of dark, rural despair where a man’s decision to murder his wife is literally eaten alive—by rats. Oh, and by the way, you’ll be questioning your life choices for the next week, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Plot: The Rat Race to Regret
The film opens with Wilfred “Wilf” James (played by Thomas Jane), a farmer in 1920s Nebraska, making a decision so mind-numbingly bad, it would make even the most morally questionable characters in King’s stories raise an eyebrow. His wife, Arlette (Molly Parker), wants to sell their farm and move to the big city of Omaha. But Wilf has no interest in a life of modern conveniences or plumbing, so he convinces their 14-year-old son, Henry (Dylan Schmid), to help him murder Arlette. Yes, you read that correctly—he literally involves his own son in the murder of his wife because he’s too lazy to move to the big city. Parents of the year, right?
So, in a scheme straight out of a bad sitcom (if sitcoms had a penchant for brutal murder and bad parenting), Wilf gets Arlette drunk, and he and Henry slice her throat with a butcher’s knife. To dispose of the body, they decide to dump her in a well. Of course, rats find her body (because why wouldn’t they?), and soon, the entire situation escalates into a gross, festering mess of guilt, blood, and things that you’ll really, really wish you didn’t know.
Wilf and Henry’s emotional response to the murder is nothing short of dramatic—Henry turns into a brooding teen filled with regret, while Wilf, well, Wilf gets to really deal with the consequences, like getting harassed by rats, having his house fall apart, and sinking into an alcoholism-induced breakdown. It’s basically a masterclass in how not to handle life’s little regrets, if you ask me.
The Rat Pack: It’s Not Just the Family That’s Hungry
If you think this film is just about a man and his haunted soul, you’re wrong—the rats are the real stars here. The rats don’t just appear as passive bystanders; they are vicious. After Arlette’s body is eaten by the rats, the infestation spreads like a plague. They’re everywhere—on the floor, in the walls, in Wilf’s mind, and, later on, inside his room. So, let me get this straight—Wilf not only has to deal with a severely disintegrating life, but now he’s also stuck in an endless battle with rodents who won’t stop nibbling on his sanity (and his hand).
The best part? Wilf’s inability to get his act together while the world around him falls apart makes this such a fun watch. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a good dose of “man vs. nature,” especially when it involves rats feasting on corpses like it’s a Golden Corral buffet?
By the way, in case you’re wondering: no, Wilf never actually gets around to fixing up his house, despite taking out a mortgage for the task. Who needs to repair your roof when you’ve got ghosts, rats, and a really bad decision-making track record? (Seriously, 1922 asks: “Why not just make everything worse?”)
Guilt, Ghosts, and More Guilt
You know how sometimes you make a terrible mistake and the only thing that keeps you awake at night is the sound of your own self-loathing? Wilf’s self-loathing is louder than a storm, especially when it’s accompanied by the spectral presence of his wife and the consequences of his poor judgment. The film leans heavily into the idea that Wilf is haunted not just by ghosts but by the awareness of his wrongdoings.
Eventually, Wilf is confronted by the ghost of Arlette, surrounded by the very rats that consumed her. And you know what? I’ll give him credit—he seems genuinely remorseful. That’s probably the only thing that feels somewhat real in the whole film: the raw regret Wilf has for making a series of terrible decisions that leave him trapped in a house of horrors, both metaphorical and real. Who would’ve guessed that a little murder and some bad parenting would spiral into this? Oh wait, the entire movie is a slow-motion car crash, so we kind of knew that was coming.
The Horror of Bad Decisions (A Special Feature)
As we’ve established, 1922 thrives on Wilf’s slow descent into insanity, fueled by rats, alcohol, and a complete failure to acknowledge that maybe—just maybe—he made a few questionable choices along the way. His guilt, however, doesn’t just sit pretty; it festers like a wound, and soon enough, it’s joined by another disastrous family affair. Turns out, Henry and his girlfriend, Shannon, run off and end up on a crime spree, which somehow feels almost fitting given how terriblythis entire situation has been handled.
In the film’s climactic scene, Wilf, in an attempt to repent or at least understand the mess he’s made, comes face-to-face with his son’s tragic fate, made all the more tragic by the fact that Wilf’s inability to accept responsibility for his actions has led him down this path. So, yeah. You can see where this is going.
The Ending: No Happy Endings Here
No one’s getting a happy ending here, folks. No redemption arc. No “we learned from our mistakes” moment. Just the slow, painful unraveling of a man’s life, where rats feast on his regrets and ghosts serve as constant reminders that your actions have consequences—even if those actions were carried out with the worst possible logic.
But hey, 1922 isn’t about sugarcoating anything. It’s about drowning in guilt, haunted by the things we’ve done—and the things we’ve neglected to fix along the way. And when Wilf finally has to face the music, it’s not a pretty sight. His last moments are filled with rats, ghosts, and the very hand that failed him when he needed it most. And let’s be honest, thatwas a fate he deserved, right? A slow, agonizing realization that your bad decisions have finally caught up with you.
Conclusion: A Rotten Life, Literally and Figuratively
In conclusion, 1922 is a bleak yet oddly compelling film about guilt, remorse, and rats. It’s the kind of movie that makesyou feel the weight of poor choices, from the literal rats gnawing at your conscience to the metaphorical ones lurking in every corner of your life. It’s dark, it’s tragic, and it’s filled with the kind of dark humor that only a King adaptation can bring: a sense that, no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can’t outrun the rats.
So, if you’re into morbid thrillers that make you question your life, your decisions, and possibly your entire existence, 1922 is the perfect ride. Just remember to stay away from any dry wells and never, ever, ignore the consequences of your actions—because they might just come back to bite you… quite literally.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Watch it for: The rats, the ghosts, and the sheer grimness of it all.
Mood: “Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in bad choices?”
