TakaNekro Review – In the Tall Grass (2019)

Stephen King novels appear to be a mainstay of the horror movie genre, their legacy continue with the new Netflix movie, In the Tall Grass (2019) directed by Vincenzo Natali and staring Patrick Wilson, Harrison Gilbertson, Will Buie Jr. and Laysla De Oliveira. This psychological thriller is based on Stephen King and Joe Hill’s In the Tall Grass published in 2012 by Esquire.

“After hearing a boy’s cry for help, a pregnant woman and her brother wade into a vast field of grass, only to discover there may be no way out.” – Netflix Summary

Image provided by DigitalSpy.com

Story

The story starts off innocently enough with Cal (Avery Whitted) and his sister Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) on their way to San Diego. After hearing a boy calling for help from the tall grass, the couple naturally go in to help. If you were faced with a panoramic featureless maze and a choice to go in or not – would you? We soon find out that there is no leaving the maze, and the inhabitants of the tall grass are part of the mystery as well. One cardinal rule about the tall grass is that it does not move what’s already dead. Hopefully, the newest residents won’t end up that way in the end.

Psychological Thriller

Strap yourselves in for a mind-bending thriller that’s going to leave you stroking your chin by the end. Going into the tall grass is a classic game of hide and seek with specific rules to follow, and loops that are sure to lead you back to square one. Part of the fun for a movie like this is finding things out for yourself, so it helps to be vague. It doesn’t take long before you realize things are not as they seem. What’s real, what’s not? Has this happened already? And most important of all, how do we stop it?

Music and Sound Design

If there’s one thing I want to experiment with is watching this movie with surround sound. It does a great job of giving you the sense of being as lost as the characters in the story. The soundtrack is suspenseful, with a beating thrum that waxes and wanes with the movement of the grass onscreen. There’s nothing too memorable to keep you up at night, but it’s a fitting track for a thrilling experience.

Verdict

In the Tall Grass is already available on Netflix and its definitely a great watch for anyone who’s into Stephen King and psychological thrillers with “whoa” moments to keep you guessing. While it’s not a very scary movie, it will make you look at mazes from a different light altogether.

Story: 8/10
Music & Sound: 8/10
Scares: 6/10
Gore: 6/10

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