Movie Review: “In the Tall Grass” is a trippy King/Hill adaptation from the director of “Splice”

Movie Review: “In the Tall Grass” (R)

“In the Tall Grass” is a trippy (and creepy) fusion of “Children of the Corn,” “The Blair Witch Project,” and “Field of Dreams.” The “Children of the Corn” influence should come as no surprise as the story this often effective and smaller-scale horror show was based on was co-written by the legendary Stephen King. And proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, King collaborated on this project with his own son, Joe Hill. That’s right — it’s two Kings for the price of one!

As “In the Tall Grass” opens, pregnant Becky DeMuth (Laysla De Oliveira) is on a road trip with her brother, Cal (Avery Whitted). It’s clear that Becky is hoping to put some relationship troubles behind her and start a new life. Along the way, while traveling through the tall grass-filled fields of the Kansas countryside, the DeMuth siblings pull over for a break. Shortly thereafter, a child’s voice calls to them for help from those same fields. With no reason for any sort of real concern, Becky and Cal enter the tall grass in an effort to offer assistance to this mysterious child. But fairly quickly, they’re separated from one another and soon realize they’ve made a terrifying mistake, for these are no ordinary fields. No, something sinister resides within this vast patch of tall grass, and once you enter, there’s no way out. As Becky and Cal continue looking for one another, they come face to face with both the source of that voice (played by young Will Buie Jr.) and the boy’s father, Ross (played by Patrick Wilson.)

“In the Tall Grass” was directed by “Cube” and “Splice” creator Vince Natali (who also co-wrote the screenplay), and he wastes absolutely no time suggesting that these fields weren’t meant to be entered. The tone throughout is eerie and menacing, and even though the religious-extremist aspect of the plot feels a little over the top (Gareth Evans’s “Apostle” handles similar religious themes in stronger fashion), the movie gets a lot of mileage out of its overall look and the way it plays with our sense of time.

The performances are pretty good, too. Relative big-screen newcomer De Oliveira (“iZombie”) conveys a real sense of fear here, not only for herself but for her unborn child. Whitted (“The Vanishing of Sidney Hall”), also relatively new to the film scene, is equally solid as Becky’s concerned brother. Buie Jr. (Disney’s “Bunk’d”) is terrific as Tobin, a trapped child looking for a way out of a horrific set of circumstances. Finally, we have Wilson (“The Conjuring”). If there’s a more flashy performance in “In the Tall Grass,” it’s definitely his fun, magnetic, and often bigger-than-life turn as Ross.

King has enjoyed quite the cinematic renaissance over the last few years by way of the “It” films, the “Pet Sematary” remake, and the much-buzzed about “Doctor Sleep” adaptation as well as effective Netflix efforts like “1922” and “Gerald’s Game.” “In the Tall Grass” ranks somewhere in the middle. For all it’s creepiness, solid performances, effective cinematography, and bold shocks (there’s one sequence in particular so disturbing that I almost had to stop watching), there’s a bit of a campy vibe that sometimes diffuses the movie of its genuine horror element. It should also be noted that there are a couple of distracting digital shots that momentarily take the viewer out of the action. Again, though, the overall tone of the picture and the effective central location alone are enough to make this one worthy of watching, particularly if you’re a fan of King and the genre in general.

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