The Stephen King Horror Thriller On Netflix That Messes With Your Head
If you love horror, then you most likely love the works of Stephen King. And even if you’re not a fan of the legendary author’s books (we get it: reading over 1,000 words about an evil clown is pretty time-consuming), movie adaptations of his works have led to some of the best horror films in Hollywood history. Like many of King’s monsters, one of his movies has been hiding in plain sight: In the Tall Grass, a heart-pounding horror thriller that you can stream on Netflix today.
The Stephen King adaptation In the Tall Grass is streaming on Netflix.
Unsurprisingly, In the Tall Grass is an adaptation of the Stephen King novella of the same name. What might surprise you is that he wrote the novella with his son Joe Hill, a great author in his own right (his Doctor Sleep novel is great, as is NOS4A2). In short, this was a book with two great talents bringing it to life, creating a story scarier than much of King’s output in recent years.
Fortunately, the film adaptation of In the Tall Grass has plenty of talent behind it as well. For example, it’s directed by Vincenzo Natali, who directed some of our favorite episodes of Hannibal as well as the criminally underrated horror thriller Cube. It stars Patrick Wilson, whose appearance in the Conjuring and Insidious franchises has rightfully made him a horror legend.
What, though, is In the Tall Grass about? It’s about two siblings (one of whom is pregnant) who enter the titular tall grass when they hear a young boy calling for help. However, because this is a Stephen King story, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and they soon get separated and lost in the tall grass.
When they begin to encounter everything from ghosts to tall grass that can move people around with supernatural ease, it becomes increasingly clear that entering the grass in the first place was a terrible mistake that none of them may walk away from.
Before In the Tall Grass was filmed, manga artist Shintaro Kago helped create the concept art for the movie adaptation.
We also love the fact that director Vincenzo Natali has considered directing In the Tall Grass something of a passion project from the very beginning. Back in 2015, he praised the narrative prowess of Stephen King and Joe Hill, noting how the two of them managed to transform something as innocent and innocuous as a field in Kansas into something iconic and horrific. This is something King (who has made us scared of clowns, cars, dead pets, and everything in between) has always been good at, and it’s on full display in this ambitious film adaptation.
Interestingly, this adaptation of In the Tall Grass had some behind-the-scenes cast changes that most likely led to a stronger film. For example, the lead actor was originally going to be James Marsden, but due to his scheduling conflicts, we ended up with Patrick Wilson instead. Considering that Wilson is horror royalty and Marsden was trading quips with a CGI Sonic the Hedgehog just last year, we’re pretty confident that Wilson was the better choice of leading actor.
Additionally, if you’re a fan of anime, you might be drawn to some of the designs at play in the film. Before In the Tall Grass was filmed, manga artist Shintaro Kago helped create the concept art for the movie adaptation. Not only does this give the film a cool cultural connection to Japan, but it also helps explain why so many of the designs are refreshingly original compared to most Western horror film designs.
When it comes to critical reception, In the Tall Grass ended up receiving some mixed reviews. For example, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 36 percent rating from critics who thought there was too much reliance on scares and not enough actual plot. But horror fans really dug the film, and it ended up earning a nomination for the Best Streaming Premiere at the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (a ceremony designed to highlight the best horror films in any given year).
[T]he lead actor was originally going to be James Marsden, but due to his scheduling conflicts, we ended up with Patrick Wilson instead.
After you watch In the Tall Grass, we can guarantee that you’ll never look at rural fields and tall grass the same ever again. While your mileage may vary, that’s our favorite kind of horror story: the kind that makes us realize the potential for terror lurking in the places where we’d least expect it. And if you’re expecting to stream something scary ahead of the spooky season, we recommend you watch this film on Netflix today.
