Review of In the Tall Grass (2019) by Davrosdaleks1 — 23 Oct 2019

Based on the novella by the father-son team of Stephen King and Hoe HIll, this film continues the King tradition of bringing horror out of common things. In this case, long grass can be pretty freaky. There have been instances where people or children have gotten lost and died of dehydration in corn fields. The same principle applies here. A brother and sister end up lost in a field of tall grass and even before things start getting weird the film does a great job of showing the usual unpleasantness of being stuck out in the heat and the mud.

The freaky stuff equally helps make this film. I don't know if I'd call this the scariest film ever, but it does a good job of being uneasy or uncomfortable. A fair part of this is the scares being subtle but when the nasty stuff happens: it is definitely memorable. There is one thing in particular you won't see coming.

This is one of those horror films that plays a little too fast and loose with the rules of how things work for some viewers tastes.

Director VIncenzo Natali (who directed Splice) has a good eye for visuals here. There are so many shots and computer and set designs that stand out. However, the computer graphics can be a bit obvious at points.

Mostly decent cast, but the standout is Patrick Wilson. I won't go into detail, but he really gets the chance to play more of a character role than he usually gets. I did have issues with Will Buie Jr., the movie's only child actor. The issue isn't that he's a bad actor. He's given dialogue that just sounds too adult. Buie does a such competent job of delivering his lines he doesn't sound like a regular kid either.

Once again, Netflix has produced another good Stephen King adaption. I recommend this.