| 1922 | |
|---|---|
 Paperback issue | |
| Author | Stephen King |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Published in | Full Dark, No Stars |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Pages | 129 |
| Publication date | 2010 |
1922 is a novella by American writer Stephen King, originally published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars (2010), and then as a stand-alone publication in 2017.
In 1922, Wilfred James, a farmer in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, owns 80 acres of farmland that have been in his family for generations. His wife, Arlette, owns an adjoining 100 acres willed to her by her father. Wilfred scorns the thought of living in a city, but Arlette is discontented with farm life and wants to move to Omaha. She seeks to sell her land to a livestock company for use as a pig farm and slaughterhouse. If she does so, Wilfred's property will no longer be farmable and he will be forced to sell as well. Wilfred resorts to manipulating his teenage son, Henry, into helping him murder Arlette.
As part of their plot, Wilfred and a reluctant Henry get Arlette drunk. Arlette proceeds to make crude remarks about Henry's girlfriend, Shannon Cotterie, which angers the boy enough to commit to Wilfred's plot. After taking Arlette to bed, Wilfred brutally slashes her throat with a butcher knife. Wilfred and Henry then dump the body in a dry well behind the barn. Later, as Wilfred dumps her suitcase into the well with Arlette, he notices that her body has become infested with rats.
Wilfred decides to fill in the well to hide the body, but knows that doing so will arouse suspicion. He purposefully has one of his aged cows fall into the well to provide a cover story for filling it in. Right afterwards, the local sheriff, acting on behalf of the livestock company, searches the farmhouse to look for Arlette, but finds nothing. Wilfred and Henry fill the well, but a rat crawls out of the soil. Henry kills it, believing that Arlette is now haunting them. Wilfred later encounters a rat when it attacks one of his other milk cows, severing one of her teats.
A few months later, Henry, who has become emotionally troubled since the murder, impregnates Shannon. The pregnancy sours the friendship between Wilfred and Shannon's father, Harlan, a neighboring farmer. Shannon is sent to a Catholic school for pregnant girls in Omaha, but Henry helps her escape. They begin a highly publicized career as a pair of Bonnie and Clyde-style bank robbers, becoming wanted in several states.
Wilfred is emotionally destitute in Henry's absence. He again encounters the rat from the barn, which bites his hand and causes it to become severely infected, necessitating its amputation. Soon after, Wilfred claims that Arlette's living corpse, which is accompanied by a large group of rats, leaves the confines of the well and enters the farmhouse, confronting him. Arlette gives him a detailed premonition of the demise of both Henry and the pregnant Shannon in Nevada. Soon afterwards, the roof of Wilfred's farmhouse caves in during a storm.
When Arlette's prophecy comes true, Wilfred tries to sell the land parcel he killed her for. However, Harlan and the townspeople, all disgusted with Wilfred, refuse to help him. He is forced to leave Hemingford Home as a pariah after selling the land to the livestock company for a pittance. He moves to Omaha and spends the first two years visiting the scenes of Henry's crimes and drinking away the money he received from selling the land. He finds two jobs, the first as a garment factory worker and the second as a librarian. He quits both, he claims, when the rats begin to stalk him again.
Wilfred sits in a hotel room in Omaha, writing down his story and claiming that the corpses of Arlette, Henry, and Shannon are present. Wilfred plans to commit suicide before the rats consume him, but apparently misplaces his gun. The story ends with a newspaper clipping about Wilfred's death, stating that he was found with bite marks that appeared to be self-inflicted; this leaves the reader to speculate about whether Wilfred's account was true or delusional. Wilfred's papers are found to be illegible, having been chewed to pieces.
A film based on the novel was released on Netflix on October 20, 2017. [1]
Count Orlok is a fictional character who originally appeared in the silent film Nosferatu (1922) directed by F. W. Murnau, as well as its subsequent remakes, which is based on Bram Stoker's character Count Dracula. In the original 1922 film Count Orlok is portrayed by German actor Max Schreck.
King Rat is an urban fantasy novel by British writer China Miéville, published in 1998. Unlike his Bas-Lag novels, it is set in London during the late 1990s. It follows the life of Saul Garamond after the death of his father and his meeting with King Rat. As King Rat takes Saul under his wing, the young man is quickly embroiled in a centuries-old rivalry. King Rat was Miéville's debut novel.
A rat-catcher is a person who kills or captures rats as a professional form of pest control. Keeping the rat population under control was practiced in Europe to prevent the spread of diseases, most notoriously the Black Death, and to prevent damage to food supplies. In modern developed countries, such a professional is otherwise known as a pest control operative or pest exterminator.
Willard is a 1971 American horror film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Gilbert Ralston, based on Stephen Gilbert's novel Ratman's Notebooks. Bruce Davison stars as social misfit Willard Stiles, who is squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father. His only friends are a couple of rats raised at home, including Ben and Socrates, and their increasing number of friends. When Socrates is killed by Willard's boss, he goes on a rampage using his rats to attack.
Laboratory rats or lab rats are strains of the rat subspecies Rattus norvegicus domestica which are bred and kept for scientific research. While less commonly used for research than laboratory mice, rats have served as an important animal model for research in psychology and biomedical science.
The Rat King is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles multimedia franchise. The character was created by Jim Lawson and first appeared in the comic Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 written by Jim Lawson and has made various appearances since, in the comic books and other media, such as animated series and video games.
"The Last Rung on the Ladder" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.
Rat-baiting is a blood sport that involves releasing captured rats in an enclosed space with spectators betting on how long a dog, usually a terrier and sometimes referred to as a ratter, takes to kill the rats. Often, two dogs competed, with the winner receiving a cash prize. It is now illegal in most countries.
Gregor the Overlander is a children's epic fantasy novel. The book was written by Suzanne Collins and was published in 2003 as the first book of The Underland Chronicles. It was received well by critics, and was listed as one of New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. It was featured by National Public Radio in 2005.
The Muppet Musicians of Bremen is a 1972 television special that is an adaptation of Town Musicians of Bremen, featuring The Muppets. It is directed and produced by The Muppet's creator Jim Henson. Kermit the Frog hosts the special.
Black Sheep is a 2006 New Zealand comedy horror film written and directed by Jonathan King. It was produced by Philippa Campbell and stars Nathan Meister, Danielle Mason, Peter Feeney, Tammy Davis, Glenis Levestam, Tandi Wright, and Oliver Driver as a group of people who must defend themselves when a genetic engineering experiment turns harmless sheep into bloodthirsty zombies.
The Rats (1974) is a horror novel by British writer James Herbert. This was Herbert's first novel and included graphic depictions of death and mutilation.
Wild Blood (1999) is a fantasy novel by British-Irish writer Kate Thompson. It concludes the stories of Tess, a young Irish shapeshifter, and Kevin, a former Switcher. It also introduces several other characters, such as Tess's three cousins and their father Maurice. The plot deals with the events leading up to Tess's fifteenth birthday, the day on which all Switchers lose their powers forever, and must choose a permanent form in which to spend the rest of their lives.
Graveyard Shift is a 1990 American horror film directed by Ralph S. Singleton, written by John Esposito, starring David Andrews, Stephen Macht, Kelly Wolf, and Brad Dourif, and based on the 1970 short story of the same name by Stephen King which was first published in the October 1970 issue of Cavalier magazine, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.
Of Unknown Origin is a 1983 psychological horror film directed by George P. Cosmatos in his North American film debut, and starring Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale, Lawrence Dane, Maury Chaykin, Kenneth Welsh, Louis Del Grande and Shannon Tweed in her film debut. Based on the 1979 novel The Visitor by Chauncey G. Parker III, it focuses on a mild-mannered Manhattan banker who becomes increasingly obsessive and destructive in his attempts to kill a rat loose in his renovated brownstone. The film's title refers to the misconception that rats have no known origin.
Rats: Night of Terror is a 1984 post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Bruno Mattei about a biker-gang that find themselves trapped in an abandoned research lab fighting for their lives against hordes of bloodthirsty killer rats.
Lizzie and Mika Samuels are fictional characters from the fourth and fifth seasons of the AMC television series The Walking Dead portrayed by Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kenedy, based on The Walking Dead comic book characters Billy and Ben, gender-swapped in-adaptation. Introduced in the fourth season premiere, Lizzie and Mika are two young siblings, and the daughters of Ryan Samuels. Following the death of their father, Carol agrees to raise the girls as her own children. The struggles of Lizzie and Mika are contrasted within the series as Lizzie, capable of taking a human life, is unable to kill walkers, instead believing she can communicate with them and have an emotional connection. Conversely, Lizzie's younger sister, Mika, willingly kills walkers, but her compassion for others prevents her from taking the life of another human being.
"The Graveyard Rats" is a horror short story by American writer Henry Kuttner, first published in the magazine Weird Tales in March 1936.
1922 is a 2017 American horror drama film written and directed by Zak Hilditch, based on Stephen King's 2010 novella of the same name. Starring Thomas Jane, Neal McDonough, and Molly Parker, the film was released on Netflix on October 20, 2017.
