In the Tall Grass (2019) - Review

Oh, look! Another horror film produced by Netflix and available now! Oh, look! It’s another Netflix horror film based on a Stephen King story! Oh, look! Here’s another review for a Netflix horror movie based on a Stephen King Story!

Pros

Patrick Wilson hamming it up
Interesting and trippy special effects
Time paradoxes can be fun with horror too

Cons

Too long
Some not-so-good-looking special effects
A somewhat stupid plot where not a whole lot really happens

Plot & Thoughts

Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) and her brother, Cal (Avery Whitted), are on a road trip to San Diego from Kentucky. Becky is in her third trimester of pregnancy, which brings its varying degrees of discomfort when it comes to long-distance travel. While pulled over to the side of the road to allow Becky to deal with some nausea, she and Cal hear the calls of a young boy. He’s calling for help and apparently has been trapped in the tall grass next to the road for days. Becky and Cal are willing to look for him, but the boy’s mother is also calling and telling them to stay away. It’s a weird situation, but they decide to go into the grass to look for them anyway.

Well, that quickly proves to be a bad idea because, once you go into the tall grass, you don’t get out. It takes very little time for Becky and Cal to become separated and unable to regroup, even though they can hear each other’s voices as though they were only a few feet away. There’s something mystical about the grasses that move people in and out of spots, making it nearly impossible to navigate. Somehow, it always brings you back to the center where a weird rock with some petroglyphs sits. Not to mention, there seems to be a time paradox as well, causing the people trapped in the grasses to relive their unfortunate deaths over and over again without realizing it. How does all this work? What’s the reason for the mysterious rock? Probably an Indian burial ground or something along the lines of a typical Stephen King story.

The script and story of In the Tall Grass seem interesting, at first. Time paradoxes always add a bit of thought to the experience, and I’m down for a bit of unconventional horror. However, this movie is way too long for its own good. It savors its characters and lingers on the situation too much, with lots of fluff dialogue to pad out the pacing. When you look at the big picture, not a whole lot happens. Not to mention, when the “horror” does occur, it’s not very interesting or scary. There’s a cool psychedelic sequence towards the end with a top-down camera shot that is a bit of an exception, but the movie isn’t very tense.

It’s entertaining enough with some somewhat interesting characters and situations. Patrick Wilson hams up his role and is probably the most entertaining thing about In the Tall Grass. The character dynamics between Cal, Becky, and Becky’s ex-boyfriend Travis (Harrison Gilbertson) add some good drama to the mix, as well. The time paradox stuff is cool. However, it doesn’t justify the film’s run time, which is the main issue. Had the fluff dialogue in which characters take too long to get to the point been trimmed down a bit; had the needless moments in which the film showed more paradox clues—after it was obvious that there was a paradox—been removed; had it all been edited and cut to something under 90 minutes, In the Tall Grass would not feel so tedious to get through. If anything, this feels like something that could have been done in a 30-minute episode of The Twilight Zone, and it might have ended up being a more effective, compelling experience.

TL;DR (Conclusion)

In the Tall Grass is not the worst movie I’ve watched on streaming services lately. It’s got a somewhat interesting plot with the grass labyrinth and the paradox scenario, but that’s about it. Patrick Wilson’s eccentricity can only entertain for so long. If you are in the mood for a horror movie, there are plenty of other things to watch. But if you want a film that’s not scary and just has a few mind-bender plot points to play in the background while you do something else, In the Tall Grass is not unbearable.

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