1922: another Stephen King thriller lands – just in time for Halloween This really has been ‘the year of Stephen King‘ on the big and small screens. We’ve had adaptations of IT, […]

This really has been ‘the year of Stephen King‘ on the big and small screens.

We’ve had adaptations of IT, The Dark Tower, Mr Mercedes and Gerald’s Game. And now another King thriller joins the party.

‘1922’ hits Netflix this Friday (October 20), bringing subscribers a slice of gothic, American heartland horror.

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It stars Thomas Jane as Wilfred James, a Nebraska farmer desperately clinging to his family land in the 1920s.

When his wife Arlette (Deadwood and House of Cards’ Molly Parker) inherits another large plot of land, she dreams of selling it on and moving to the city with the proceeds.

The idea doesn’t sit will with Wilfred, who has no intention of leaving behind his simple, country life. But his wife persists.

His solution? Hatch a plan to murder her, bringing his 14-year old son Henry (Dylan Schmid) into the ruse to guarantee his silence.

Once the brutal deed is complete, Wilfred buries the body, but soon finds himself terrorised by rats.

His life begins to unravel, and he becomes convinced his wife is haunting him.

A gory tragedy

The Netflix Original movie is based on King’s 131-page novella of the same name, published relatively recently in the horror writer’s 2010 collection Full Dark, No Stars.

It’s a refreshingly simply story among the more ambitious King adaptations of the year.

IT – the most impactful of 2017’s efforts – was the first of a two-film saga. The Dark Tower’s muddled narrative was the result of trying to pack an epic eight-novel universe into a 90-minute blockbuster.

Gerald’s Game went the other way, with a one-location premise.

1922 isn’t reaching for the stars, but it’s ambiguous horror (the exact nature of which is reportedly left up to the viewer) that makes for a gory tragedy.

The cast of 1922 also have varied and well-respected resumes.

Coen Brothers meets Edgar Allan Poe

Thomas Jane is well-known to King fans after his starring role in The Mist – and he’s also shone in sci-fi show The Expanse.

Early previews have suggested he’s the right man for the job, while Molly Parker’s turn as Congresswoman Jacqueline Sharp in House of Cards earned her an Emmy nomination.

1922 deals with consequences, guilt and shame. Some have called King’s original story a riff on the dark works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Though 2017’s King adaptations have been varied in their success, there’s no denying each has been a unique take on the prolific author’s canon, and 1922 looks to be no different.

A rural, Western horror with a premise that sounds almost Coen-esque, it will be interesting to see what director Zak Hilditch will do with the source material.

1922 is available on Netflix from October 20