Entertainment
Stephen King’s R-Rated Netflix Original Will Haunt Your Darkest Thoughts
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I’m a huge Stephen King fan, but I’m not necessarily a superfan of anything or anyone. As a result, my personal headcanon is scattered at best, and until we invent a machine that lets me enjoy more hours per day, I plan to operate on this level for the foreseeable future. That is all to say that while I thoroughly enjoyed the 2017 Netflix Original adaptation of his novella 1922, I can’t tell you how faithful the movie is to its source material.
What I can tell you, however, is that writer-director Zak Hilditch is a master at generating suspense for a story that has no mystery. 1922 isn’t about a murder its protagonist is about to commit. It’s about the murder he already carried out, and the guilt that consumes him from the inside out as he slowly loses his sanity while recounting the events that transpired.
Wilfred, Henry … And Arlette For A Few Minutes
1922 boasts a barebones plot because it’s more concerned with the guilt and shame that eat away at a man’s sanity after committing an unspeakable act. The act in question is the murder of Arlette Winters James (Molly Parker), committed by Wilfred “Wilf” James (Thomas Jane), with the help of his 14-year-old son, Henry (Dylan Schmid).
The short version is that Wilf owns 80 acres of Nebraska farmland that he wants to hold onto for his family for generations. Arlette owns an additional adjoining 100 acres that she inherited from her father, and she wants to sell the property so she can move to Omaha and live out her dream of becoming a dressmaker. The problem is that if she sells to the livestock company that’s interested, Wilf won’t be able to make a living or maintain the legacy he wants to pass down to Henry.
Refusing to entertain any sale, Wilf rejects the idea outright, prompting Arlette to begin divorce proceedings. She plans to bleed him dry with legal fees and move to the city with Henry anyway, so Wilf doesn’t feel like he has a lot of options. What he does have is influence over his son, who’s reluctant to leave because he’s in love with the neighbor girl, Shannon Cotterie (Kaitlyn Bernard).
Wilf convinces Henry that the only way to stop the land from being sold and the family from being torn apart is to kill Arlette. And they do. Henry reluctantly covers his mother’s face while she sleeps, and Wilf slits her throat. They spend the next day cleaning up the crime scene and dump her body in a dry well near the house. What Wilf doesn’t anticipate is how this act will come back to haunt him and destroy everything he thought he was protecting. Not a supernatural curse, but one born entirely from guilt.
You Can Take This One Literally
There’s no need for deep symbolism in 1922 because the premise is already doing the work. The movie opens with Wilf writing a confession letter to an unknown recipient. There’s no suspense leading up to the murder because it’s inevitable. He tells you what he did, and then the film shows you how it happened.
There are no traditional ghouls or specters, but Wilf is clearly haunted. He sees apparitions of his wife’s corpse, especially when he hits the bottle too hard. The well where he dumped her body has a direct path to the house, and the rats that feed on her remains eventually invade his home, serving as a constant, physical reminder of what he’s done.
Henry doesn’t fare any better. Though he was manipulated into helping murder his mother, he’s immediately shaken by his actions. He leaves the farm with Shannon to start a new life, but that life quickly spirals into reckless decisions and petty crime. Wilf killed his wife to keep the family together (in his warped logic), and still manages to lose everything.
That’s what 1922 is really about. Wilf technically gets away with murder, but he can’t live with it. He destroys everything he claims to stand for, and the guilt eats away at him piece by piece. The rats aren’t just a gross detail, they’re a constant reminder that there’s no escaping what he’s done.It’s a slow-burn descent into madness that’s meant to make you extremely uncomfortable, and Zak Hilditch delivers on that promise.
One of the better Stephen King adaptations in recent memory, 1922 gets under your skin and stays there. If this is your idea of unwinding after a long day, it’s waiting for you on Netflix whenever you’ve got the stomach for it.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
Mashable Light Speed
The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Social Good
Family & Parenting
Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
$299
Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
Mashable Deals
Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
$39.99
at Amazon
$79
Save $39.01
There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
It offers a portable blood oxygen saturation monitor, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and so much more. All of this data, including workout information, steps, and much more, can be synced across all your favorite fitness apps, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. There are 120 sports modes to choose from, GPS positioning, and even a 3D warm-up exercise guide to help get you on your feet each day.
Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
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