Stephen King has never been more popular. The peerless horror scribe continues to churn out terrifying stories by the year, with Hollywood adapting old and new ones more than ever before. Be they on the big or small screen with titles such as It: Chapter 2 or HBO’s The Outsider currently circulating, King has never been more relevant.
One of King’s most recent horror tales to get the Netflix treatment is 1922, written and directed by Zak Hilditch. The film follows a vexed farmer (Thomas Jane) in 1922 who hatches a plot to murder his wife to obtain her plot of land, implicating his son in the process. The slow-burner simmers until an explosive final ten minutes takes hold. If you liked 1922, here are 10 somewhat similar movies to watch!
In The Tall Grass (2019)
If a Stephen King horror joint set in the rural country tickles your fancy, then you must wade In The Tall Grass of King and his son’s newest Netflix horror!
Co-written with King by Joe Hill (King’s son) and directed by Vincenzo Natali, In the Tall Grass is a labyrinthine chiller about a grove of tall grass along a Kansas highway, in which mysterious phenomena takes place as strangers from the side of the road go missing. After hearing a distant cry, a brother and sister enter the grass at their own peril.
Rattlesnake (2019)
If you dug 1922, it only stands to reason to show interest in director Zak Hilditch’s follow-up film. Fortunately, Netflix has Rattlesnake available to coil up to at this very moment!
Starring Carmen Ejogo as a single mother, the film revolves around her decision to accept help from an enigmatic drifter after her daughter sustains a rattlesnake bite. Reluctant at first, grateful at last, the woman slowly learns that she’s made a sort of pact with the devil to keep her daughter alive and show her gratitude. While not quite as praised as 1922, Hilditch delivers a decent sophomore Netflix effort.
Apostle (2018)
For another chilling period-set Netflix horror flick, look no further than Gareth Evans’ explosive 2018 movie Apostle!
Set in 1905, the film follows a mysterious wanderer (Dan Stevens) who accepts the perilous task of tracking his kidnapped sister. As he traverses the harsh topography and ends up at a secluded island, the drifter becomes embroiled in a sinister cult steeped in religious fervor. The closer he gets to his sister, the farther away he feels from reality, setting up a harrowing finale.
Gerald’s Game (2017)
Released just one month before 1922, Stephen King’s other 2017 Netflix horror film was good enough to land director Mike Flanagan a room at the Overlook Hotel!
Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, Gerald’s Game follow a boring married couple looking to spice up their love life. However, once hubby ties wife up in bed with plans to ravish her body, he suddenly falls dead of a heart attack. Left tied to the bed with not a sign of help nearby, the woman retreats to the horrific memories of abuse at the hands of her father to find the strength to physically escape.
Deadly Blessing (1981)
What’s a legit horror list without the inclusion of Wes Craven? Nonexistent! As such, if you loved 1922, you’re bound to feel the same about Craven’s Amish-set religious horror flick Deadly Blessing!
Set in a rural religious community of Hittites, a woman becomes increasingly terrorized after her husband dies in a mysterious tractor accident. The Hittites begin to believe the woman is “the incubus” and try to rid their community of her presence, but the woman fights to prove her innocence while getting to the bottom of her hubby’s death.
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow (1981)
For fans of 1922, one of the best made-for-TV horror movies you can find is called Dark Night of the Scarecrow, which originally aired in 1981.
Set in a rural southern small-town, the action picks up when a mentally-impaired man is wrongfully accused of murdering a young girl, who was really attacked by a dog. The townsfolk convict the man and put him to death with the help of three locals who claim to have witnessed the murder. Later, the man returns from the grave to serve bloody vengeance!
The Conjuring (2013)
Few farmhouse horror flicks of recent memory can outdo the unwavering terror provided by The Conjuring. This summer, chapter three of the franchise loudly confesses The Devil Made Me Do It!
Based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and the case they took in 1971, the film revolves around a demonic scourge plaguing a Rhode Island family’s farmhouse. When Ed and Lorraine arrive, they immediately sense a supernatural presence with evil intent.
Frailty (2001)
Of all the rurally-set horror flicks on this list, the one that would best play as a double-feature with 1922 has to be Bill Paxton’s Frailty!
In a tour-de-force performance and piece of direction, Paxton plays Dad Meiks, a religious fanatic who claims God personally speaks to him and tells him to murder inherently bad men. Dad brainwashes his two sons to help him perform his biblical duties, but one of the boys has enough common sense and moral decency to object. A twist ending will leave your jaw on the floor!
Children Of The Corn (1984)
While watching 1922, one can’t help conjure to mind King’s preeminent tale of rustic horror, Children of the Corn!
King’s classic 1984 film adaptation centers on a cryptic cult of zealous children who believe that everyone over 18 years of age must be murdered. As you might imagine, this puts a serious bind on Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton), two unsuspecting adults who wander into town. As they fight for survival, they uncover a long-kept town secret.
Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
Since the IMDB plot description of 1922 evokes the classic crime-tale, Bonnie and Clyde, we defer to such with the inclusion of the iconic lovers-on-the-run movie.
Starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the titular bank robbers, the hyper-violent film plays as an episodic road movie, with the two criminal lovers tearing through the country in stolen cars as they search for money to steal. The movie is infamous for stylizing violence in a way never before seen in Hollywood, something every Stephen King movie has benefitted from since.
