The Horror Movie saga: 1922

You do find that any story that’s remotely disturbing gets lumped into the horror category, if anyone were to read a review like this and want a quick blurb, my disclaimer would be that you shouldn’t expect an out and out horror movie. Instead you’re in for a story of tragedy and woe, the events of which are horrifying, but not necessarily following the recipe of an artful horror.

There’s plenty that I captured my attention and bits that I enjoyed during this movie. For instance, the opening half hour was a scary insight into certain family dynamics, and the setting we were introduced to was scenic and authentic. Certain scenes that followed were traumatic, and, similar to the theme during the rest of the film, very gritty and real.

It’s difficult to easily identify criticisms, because they don’t occur to me so much when I’m actively trying to enjoy something, but I think it was a bit drawn out. Just over 100 minutes isn’t a very long film, and actually quite a lot occurred in the story, but it seemed like the bits that were interesting and the bits that weren’t so interesting were almost given the same allotted screen time. A story about trauma and repercussions is something much better suited to writing I believe, as even the great acting of Thomas Jane (Wilfred) will never convey and encapsulate regret and haunting as well as description in book pages.

I get the sense many that in some way relate to the events in 1922, although hopefully not too closely, would summarise this film as quite a teachable and intriguing watch. From my own perspective, and the only perspective I can explore, 1922 lacked a solid direction. This may have been partly down to the mix of genres, but also the lack of an inner monologue that writing provides. Yes, this was another Stephen King adaptation.

Being harsh with ratings is a good way to go forward in the long term but I should make it clear that the label I would attach to this rating implies fairly good film-making and quite an interesting story, but with elements that saw it miss out on the higher marks.

Rating: 5.5/10