Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. Based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King and Joe Hill. Starring Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Harrison Gilbertson, Will Buie Jr., Rachel Wilson and Patrick Wilson.
Plot: a brother and sister venture into a vast field of tall grass after hearing a little boy crying for help, but they soon discover that there may not be a way back out.
While driving across the country, Cal (Whitted) and his pregnant sister, Becky (De Oliveira), stop on the side of a Kansas road so that she can puke. While standing next to a field of tall grass, they hear a young boy calling to them from inside the grass. He says he’s lost and needs help. They go in looking for him. They get seperated easily, it gets dark, Cal finds the dead body of a golden retriever and gets even more spooked. Then, Cal finds the little boy, Tobin (Buie Jr.), who takes Cal to a huge rock in the middle of the field with strange drawings on it.
Elsewhere, Becky comes across Ross (Patrick Wilson), Tobin’s father. Something about him rubs her the wrong way, but they end up seperated anyhow. Later – much later as it turns out – Travis (Gilbertson), the baby’s father, comes down the same Kansas road looking for Becky. He sees Cal’s car on the side of the road and stops. Thinking he hears Becky inside the tall grass, he too enters and gets lost.
I won’t reveal any of the secrets here. I’ll just tell you to give it a chance. There’s layers of story here. Layers to peel back before you can truly see what’s happening. And no, not every question you ask is going to be answered, but most will and I was very satisfied. The movie had heart and I think I like it even better than the novella since this ended in a more happy way.
The story is interesting. It’s also original. There are no real rules to it all, but the direction is good enough to keep you intrigued. The effects are outstanding, the opening was powerful and the cast was just about perfect, especially little Will Buie Jr. (see the pic above) who is so adorable I want to eat him up. It’s an intense movie that’s more atmospheric than jumpy, which was fine with me since DJ didn’t watch it with me.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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