Reviews: In the Tall Grass (2019) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery
Subgenres: Mystery, Psychological, Thriller, Dysfunctional Family, Folk Horror
Horror fans searching for a breakdown of In the Tall Grass (2019) will find our review covers the plot, themes, and the shocking ending everyone talks about.
In the Tall Grass (2019), directed by Vincenzo Natali and based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, is a surreal, mind-bending horror film that traps its characters — and its audience — in a nightmare of endless grass, time loops, and spiritual manipulation. While the film builds atmosphere and tension early on, it ultimately collapses under its own ambition, leaving viewers more disoriented than disturbed.
In the Tall Grass (2019) – Lost in the Weeds of Time and Terror
Plot, Themes, and Character Development
The story begins simply enough: Becky (Laysla De Oliveira), a pregnant woman, and her brother Cal (Avery Whitted) stop by a roadside field after hearing a young boy crying for help. They step into the tall grass — and soon find themselves hopelessly trapped, unable to escape or find one another, as the field seems to obey its own set of sinister, supernatural rules.
As more characters enter the fray — including the boy’s parents and Becky’s ex-boyfriend Travis (Harrison Gilbertson) — the timeline fractures. The field manipulates space, time, and reality itself, creating a looping maze where cause and effect unravel and something ancient and malevolent lurks beneath the ground.
Themes of grief, guilt, sacrifice, and destiny are present, but mostly drowned in the swirling structure of the story. The film hints at deeper spiritual allegory and biblical symbolism (especially around the ominous black rock in the center of the field), but never fully explores them with clarity. Characters rarely grow beyond survival instincts, and dialogue is often expositional or melodramatic.
Acting and Cinematography
The performances are solid across the board. Patrick Wilson steals scenes as Ross, a man slowly driven to madness by the power of the field. He transitions from concerned father to religious zealot with unhinged charisma, injecting energy into the second half of the film. Laysla De Oliveira is also strong as Becky, balancing physical vulnerability with emotional resilience.
Visually, In the Tall Grass is striking. Cinematographer Craig Wrobleski uses the towering green maze as both a trap and a character. Long aerial shots emphasize the claustrophobic vastness, and the disorienting camera movements echo the characters’ mental spirals. The field itself feels alive — whispering, watching, and reshaping time.
However, the CGI-heavy sequences, particularly involving the central rock and some of the temporal shifts, feel inconsistent. The film is at its best when grounded in physical unease — dirt, sweat, lost bearings — and loses some potency when diving into digital spectacle.
Directing Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Vincenzo Natali, known for mind-warping genre films like Cube and Splice, is no stranger to high-concept horror. He brings that same ambition here, and his vision of a supernatural time-bending trap is bold. The problem is structure and clarity — the film becomes more convoluted with each loop, offering no strong narrative anchor to keep viewers emotionally invested.
The first act is tense, eerie, and full of promise. But as the film leans deeper into its abstract horror mythology, the tension gives way to confusion. The repetition of events dulls emotional stakes, and the lack of clear rules for how the field works makes each reveal feel random rather than earned.
That said, the ambition is notable. There’s a mythic horror vibe here that’s rare in modern Netflix horror, and it tries hard to do something different. With tighter editing and more thematic focus, it could’ve become a standout — instead, it lands as an interesting but frustrating watch.
Strengths:
Unique concept blending supernatural horror and time manipulation
Patrick Wilson’s intense, charismatic performance
Gorgeous and eerie cinematography that makes the field feel alive
Early tension and mystery are well-crafted
Weaknesses:
Convoluted plot that becomes hard to follow
Weak character development, especially in the latter half
Thematic ideas are introduced but never fully explored
Overreliance on repetition and time loops that dull tension
Lacks emotional payoff or narrative resolution
Final Verdict & Score: 5/10
In the Tall Grass is an ambitious, atmospheric horror film that starts strong but ultimately gets lost in its own concept. It offers unsettling visuals and moments of true dread, but its meandering structure, vague mythology, and lack of payoff keep it from reaching its full potential. For fans of experimental horror or King completists, it’s worth a watch — just don’t expect to find your way out with clarity.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- In the Tall Grass Rating Scores
- Our Score: 5/10
- Overall Score: 4.72/10
- IMDB: 5.5/10
- MetaCritic: 4.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 3.6/10
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