In the Tall Grass (film)

In the Tall Grass is a 2019 Canadian supernatural horror drama film written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. It is based on Stephen King and Joe Hill's 2012 novella of the same name. It stars Harrison Gilbertson, Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr., Rachel Wilson, and Patrick Wilson.
The project was in initial development in early 2015 but failed to start. Then, in May 2018, the video streaming site Netflix announced that it had purchased the film rights with Natali as director, who also wrote the adapted screenplay. Principal photography was expected to begin on July 30, 2018 lasting until September 14, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario.
The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2019, and was later released on October 4, 2019, by Netflix. It received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the performances, atmosphere and faithfulness to the novella, but criticizing its inconsistent tone and dialogue.
Plot.
Siblings Becky, 6 months pregnant, and Cal DeMuth travel to San Diego. They hear a young boy, Tobin, calling for help from a field of tall grass. His mother, Natalie, shuts him up. Concerned, they enter but quickly get separated and finds that their distance changes unnaturally. Panicked, they decided to leave but can't find the road. Becky encounters Tobin's father Ross, he tells her to stay with him and don't lose sight of him. She does lose him. Cal stumbles across a bruised, dirty Tobin holding a dead crow. Tobin claims the grass won't move dead things and buries the bird in the path. He tells Cal that Becky will die soon and that the rock told him that. Tobin leads Cal to a rock in the field and tells him to touch it, interrupted by Becky's scream, he is attacked by a ghost.
The father of Becky's child, Travis, arrives looking for her and Cal. He investigates the field, stumbling across Tobin, implying that they are acquaintances, leading him to Becky's corpse. Tobin arrives at a nearby church with his parents. Hearing Travis, who is now calling out to Tobin, their dog Freddy runs into the grass, and the family runs in after him, where Travis hears Tobin and looks for him. The family panics, with Ross stumbling across the rock and touching it. Becky and Cal re-enters the grass as Tobin states that Freddy died. Knowing the grass's trait, Becky and Cal move towards Tobin, and all four find each other. Travis tells Becky and Cal that they had been missing for two months.
The group spots a building in the distance. Becky receives a phone call from someone warning them not to keep making the same "mistake." The grass seemingly enters Becky's uterus, and she passes out, only to be revived by Ross, who then reunites with Tobin and says he'll show them out. Ross leads them to the rock where they are confronted by Natalie, she warns them not to touch the rock. Then, she claims she saw Becky's corpse earlier. Natalie warns that Ross is dangerous, and the others decide to leave. Travis attacks Ross who then breaks his arm and crushes Natalie’s head. Ross claims the rock showed him the truth and the way out, but he doesn't want to leave.
Becky, Cal, Travis, and Tobin reach the building, and while scouting, Travis and Cal discover that Freddy has managed to escape the field via a "hole" that leads to the road. Jealous Cal, implied to have incestuous feelings for Becky, lets go of Travis as he slips, causing him to fall off the roof. Tobin flees into the field when Ross follows them to the roof. The two follow Tobin, but Becky refuses to leave Travis and goes back as Cal flees, Cal is strangled to death by Ross. It is revealed they are in a time loop, with Cal permanently being hunted by an insane, possessed Ross in the grass. Travis survives and searches for Becky. Becky says the baby will be fostered.
Becky is attacked by Ross but escapes by stabbing him in the eye, and a thunderstorm begins. Becky is confronted by Grass Creatures, who carry her to the rock, which has prophetic marks relating to her pregnancy. Becky makes a phone call, pleading for her past self to prevent Cal from hurting Travis. As she screams in pain from contractions, the ground underneath the rock opens, revealing multiple roots that turn into humanoid figures reaching towards her. She passes out and wakes up to Cal who squeezes water into her mouth. He is holding her baby. She goes back to sleep and wakes up to Cal feeding her baby to her and telling her it is just grass and seeds. Becky realizes that "Cal" is Ross. Tobin finds Travis and tells him that Ross killed both the baby and Cal, and is going to keep killing them over and over. They are confronted by Ross, who mortally wounds Travis. As Ross forces Tobin to touch the rock, Becky attacks him and scratches out his other eye, before dying from her wounds. Travis kills Ross. To understand, Travis touches the rock and sees strange visuals. He grabs Tobin's hand and guides him to an exit, instructing him to stop Becky and Cal from entering.
Tobin emerges across the road as Becky and Cal are about to enter the grass, convincing them to stay out by showing them Becky's necklace that Travis gave him, hence closing the loop. Becky decides to keep her baby as they drive back home. Travis listens to them leaving and dies.
Production.
Development.
Director Vincenzo Natali wanted to do a film adaptation of "In the Tall Grass" as early as 2015 when he announced:
On May 7, 2018, it was announced that Netflix was producing an adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill's short story "In the Tall Grass". Natali was hired to write and direct, with Steve Hoban, Jimmy Miller, and M. Riley producing.
On May 28, 2018, Natali announced that manga artist Shintaro Kago would be the concept art designer for the film adaption.
Casting.
Alongside the initial production announcement, it was stated that James Marsden was in negotiations for the film's lead role. On August 7, 2018, it was announced that Marsden had bowed out of the film due to scheduling conflicts and been replaced with Patrick Wilson. Additionally, it was reported that Laysla De Oliveira, Harrison Gilbertson, Avery Whitted, Rachel Wilson, and Will Buie Jr. had also joined the cast.
Filming.
Principal photography was expected to begin on July 30, 2018, and last until September 14, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario. On July 24, 2018, it was reported that a dilapidated church set had been constructed for the film on a rural road in Perth South, Ontario. On September 20, 2018, filming took place outside of a bowling alley in Elmira, Ontario.
Release.
The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2019. On October 4, 2019, the film was available to stream on Netflix.
Reception.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 36%, based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 5.15/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "A potentially intriguing premise is rapidly lost in the weeds during "In the Tall Grass" which struggles to stretch its slim source material to feature length." On Metacritic, the film has an aggregated score of 46 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Accolades.
The film was nominated for Best Streaming Premiere at the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.