In the Tall Grass is a movie about a field of grass that refuses to let anyone out. It is also a movie about a pregnant woman, her brother, a lost boy, and a father who shows up late to save them. Vincenzo Natali directs and writes the adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s 2012 novella. The film runs 101 minutes, plays as horror, and spends most of that time doing one thing: trapping people inside a maze of stalks.
The premise is simple. Becky DeMuth, a pregnant woman, and her brother Cal hear a child screaming from the green depths of a vast field of tall grass. They park near a mysterious abandoned church and enter the field. They discover they are not alone. They also discover they cannot escape. The grass is the villain, and it does not want to let them go.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Becky and Cal Enter the Field
Becky and Cal are the anchors of the story. Becky is played by Laysla De Oliveira, and Cal is played by Avery Whitted. They are the ones who hear the cry, the ones who decide to investigate, and the ones who get lost. The film opens with them driving through the countryside, heading somewhere unspecified, when they hear the boy calling for help.
The field itself is the star. It is tall, dense, and endless. It moves, it shifts, and it seems to have a mind of its own. The tagline says it best: “Some places have a mind of their own.” The grass is not just a setting. It is a character. It traps. It tricks. It kills.
The film does not waste time explaining why the grass behaves this way. That is part of the horror. The audience is left to wonder, along with Becky and Cal, what is happening. The answer is never fully explained. The grass simply is.
Tobin and His Family
Tobin Humboldt, played by Will Buie Jr., is the boy who screams. He is accompanied by his mother, Natalie Humboldt, played by Rachel Wilson, and his father, Ross Humboldt, played by Patrick Wilson. They are the other family in the field. They are also trapped.
The film introduces them slowly. Becky encounters Ross first. He tells her to stay close and not to lose sight of him. She does not listen. Cal finds Tobin later, holding a dead crow. Tobin says the grass will not move dead things. He buries the bird in the path and says a rock mentioned that Becky would die soon.
The family dynamic is strange. Ross seems protective. Natalie seems desperate. Tobin seems broken. Together, they form the second group trying to survive. The film jumps between Becky and Cal’s perspective and Tobin’s, showing how the field affects each of them differently.
Travis Arrives Too Late
Travis McKean, played by Harrison Gilbertson, is the father of Becky’s unborn child. He arrives looking for the siblings. He investigates the field, stumbling across Tobin, who implies that they know each other and leads him to Becky’s corpse. Travis is the one who says the siblings have been missing for two months.
His arrival changes the stakes. Now there is a man searching for them. Now there is someone who knows they are in trouble. The film uses Travis to show how long the situation has been going on. Two months is a long time to be stuck in a field of grass.
The performance by Gilbertson grounds the film. He plays Travis with desperation and fear. He is not a hero. He is a father who is too late. His search for Becky and Cal is frantic and sad. He finds Becky’s corpse, which is a turning point in the film. It shows that the grass has claimed its victims.
The Church and the Rock
The abandoned church is where Becky and Cal first park. It is a landmark, a place of refuge that turns out to be no refuge at all. The film uses the church as a point of orientation. From there, the grass spreads outward.
The rock is the key object. Tobin leads Cal to it. Cal touches it and hears Becky’s scream. Then a ghost attacks him. The rock is a marker. It is a place of power. It is also a trap.
The church and the rock are the only fixed points in the film. Everything else is fluid. The grass moves. The paths shift. The landmarks disappear. The audience is meant to feel lost, just like the characters.
The Ghost and the Dead Crow
The ghost is a presence in the film. It appears when Cal touches the rock. It is not shown in full. It is implied. That is the right choice. The ghost is more frightening when it is not seen.
The dead crow is a small detail that carries weight. Tobin found it in the field. He held it. He buried it. The crow represents death. It is a warning. The grass moves dead things. It does not move living ones.
The film returns to the crow later. Becky receives a call from someone warning her not to keep making the same mistake. The mistake is entering the field. The mistake is trusting the grass. The mistake is staying.
The Dog and the Final Escape
Freddy, the family dog, is the catalyst for the final movement. He is drawn into the grass. That leads Tobin, Natalie, and Ross to follow and get separated. The family panics. The siblings re-enter the grass as Tobin states that Freddy died.
The death of the dog is a tragedy. It is also a practical problem. Now the family is split. Now everyone is in danger. The film uses the dog to push the story forward. Without the dog, the final act would stall.
The reunion is tense. Travis, Becky, and Cal move toward Tobin. All four find each other. Travis says the siblings have been missing for two months. That line is heavy. It means the grass has held them for a long time.
The Ending and the Mistake
The ending is where the film loses focus. Becky receives a call from someone warning her not to keep making the same mistake. The grass seems to enter Becky’s uterus. She passes out. She is revived by Ross, who then reunites with Tobin and says he will show them out.
The film ends with Ross leading them to the rock. Natalie confronts something. The confrontation is left unfinished. The film cuts away before the question is answered. That is a choice, not a failure. It leaves the audience wondering what happens next.
The message is clear. The mistake is entering the field. The mistake is trusting the grass. The mistake is thinking there is a way out. The film wants the audience to feel that mistake. It wants the audience to share the fear of Becky and Cal.
What Works and What Does Not
The performances are strong. De Oliveira is convincing as a pregnant woman in terror. Whitted is believable as a brother who is scared for his sister. Wilson is commanding as Ross. Gilbertson is desperate as Travis. The supporting cast holds up the film.
The atmosphere is thick. The grass is oppressive. The field is vast. The film captures the sense of being lost. The audience feels the dread. That is the film’s strength.
The dialogue is a problem. Some lines sound unnatural. Some exchanges feel forced. The film relies on action and image over talk. That works in stretches. It fails in others.
The tone is inconsistent. The film starts as a thriller. It becomes a horror. It then drifts into something stranger. The tonal shifts are jarring. The film does not commit to a single mode.
The film is faithful to the source material. The novella is short. The film expands it. That expansion is not always successful. Some scenes feel added. Some feel necessary.
Key Facts
- Title: In the Tall Grass
- Director: Vincenzo Natali
- Writer: Vincenzo Natali
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Genre: Horror
- Release Date: October 4, 2019
- Streaming Service: Netflix
- Score: 4.6/10
The Verdict
In the Tall Grass is a flawed but memorable horror film. It gets the atmosphere right. It gets the terror right. It gets the idea of being trapped right. It fails at consistency. It fails at dialogue. It fails at tone.
The film is worth watching for the grass. The grass is the star. It is a real threat. It is not a gimmick. It is a force of nature. The film understands that. It respects that.
The film is not perfect. It is not even close. But it is not a failure. It is a movie that tries to scare you. It mostly succeeds. It is a movie about a field that does not want you to leave. That is a good premise. It deserves credit for sticking to it.
The film is a reminder that horror is about fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the natural world. Fear of being trapped. In the Tall Grass delivers that fear. It is not a masterpiece. It is not a failure. It is a solid horror film with a great premise and a shaky execution.
The film is a good example of horror done right. It is a bad example of horror done wrong. It is both at once. That is the tension. That is the appeal. That is the film.
The film is a mixed bag. It is a good bag. It is a bag with problems. It is a bag worth opening. It is a bag worth watching. It is a bag worth remembering.
The film is a movie about a field. That is all it needs to be. It is a movie about a field that will not let you leave. That is enough. It is a movie about a field that will not let you leave. That is the truth.
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