TL;DR – An interesting idea, and full-on creepy, but it did leave me feeling a bit hollow at the end.    

Score – 3 out of 5 stars

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene

Review –

Well it is October and that means it is Halloween month, so it is time for the many, many new horror films to make their way into the world. It is the perfect time for horror and what goes bump in the night but it can be hard to get your head above the crowd. However, if there is any way to do that basing your work on something written by Stephen King is sure one way to do it.

So to set the scene, we open in on a brother Cal (Avery Whitted) and sister Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) as they make their way across the country to San Diego. They are moving to a new life, getting ready because Becky is quite pregnant. They stop on the side of the road because Becky gets morning sickness and needs to let heave. As they wait they hear a voice call out from the long grass on the side of the road. A young boy called Tobin (Will Buie Jr.). They run into grass to try and help the boy but get separated, but that’s okay because they are really close. But soon voices get warped, people get moved around, and there is more than whispers out there in the long grass.

From a production and story point of view, you have me immediately hooked because I grew up on Jurassic Park so the mere mention of walking into the long grass is enough to get the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. For something so singular I have to give the production team a lot of props for bringing variety to long grass. The way it flows, the way it sounds, the way it works in the sun or night. Add to that a Black Rock that might be the most menacing thing I have seen in a long while and a dilapidated church and you have a real setting for a creepy film.

I think part of what makes this setting work, is that long grass has a way of replicating that claustrophobic feeling that you get when things close in around you. Also there is the feeling of swimming where you can’t see the bottom of the ocean. What I am saying is that watching this right before bed was maybe not the wisest move. What amps everything up is the ethereal musical score that does not fall into the background. It is always there creating an eerie mode and sometimes it attacks you with sound.

Of course while it has the creepy factor, and yes that is really taken to the next level with the casting of Will Buie Jr. as Tobin with his giant eyes that stare into your soul and of course Patrick Wilson really going there as Ross Humboldt. However, once you get over the creepiness and the interesting twisting timelines it just feels like there is nothing else going on. There are these religious allegories that don’t really go anywhere, some scenes where even mother! would go, ‘I think you are going too far there’, and an ending that felt a bit flat to me.      
         
In the end, do we recommend In the Tall Grass? Well maybe. If you are a fan of creepy or a fan of Stephen King or Joe Hill’s work then yes I think we would. However, if you are looking for something a little more in your film then it is not going to be there. Though, I think part of me wants to recommend it for its musical score alone.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched In the Tall Grass?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of In the Tall Grass
Directed by – Vincenzo Natali
Screenplay by – Vincenzo Natali
Based on – In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill
Music by – Mark Korven
Cinematography by – Craig Wrobleski
Edited by – Michele Conroy
Production/Distribution Companies – Mosaic, Copperheart Entertainment & Netflix
Starring – Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr., Patrick Wilson, Harrison Gilbertson & Rachel Wilson    
Rating – Around an Australia: MA15+;