What kind of imagery does the Midwest conjure up in your mind? Cattle roaming a wildflower-studded pasture, a farmstead in the distance surrounded by a field of swaying cornstalks? Well, thanks to father-and-son horror masters Stephen King and Joe Hill, those pastoral daydreams are about to be washed in a dark wave of terror. The trailer for Netflix's adaptation of In the Tall Grass just dropped, and we’re experiencing serious Children of the Corn flashbacks.
Co-written by Stephen King and Joe Hill, the novella In the Tall Grass was first published in Esquire magazine in 2012. It's the second collaboration between King and Joe Hill—the pen name of Joseph Hillström King, Stephen and Tabitha King’s oldest son. A New York Times bestselling author and Bram Stoker Award winner, Hill is a formidable horror storyteller in his own right (see: Horns, Heart-Shaped Box, and the bestselling nightmare NOS4A2). It’s only natural that the father-son pair would join forces to craft a twisted tale.
Related: GIVEAWAY: Win a SIGNED Hardcover Copy of Joe Hill's New Book Full Throttle!
In the trailer, we're transported to a lonely rural road where a church overlooks a sea of tall grass. What’s so frightening about such a seemingly peaceful backdrop? For starters, there’s the terrified voice of a young boy calling out from the field. Upon stopping their car, siblings Cal (Avery Whitted) and Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) hear the pleas; they decide to help. So the siblings venture into the tall grass in search of the lost boy. But they quickly become lost in the overgrowth, and soon discover that they're not alone. Others are lost in the tall grass as well—some of whom seem to mean well, while others are far more sinister.
Related: 22 Best Stephen King Movies for a Night of Terror
In the Tall Grass was written and directed by Vincenzo Natali and stars Patrick Wilson, star of The Conjuring universe who most recently creeped the hell out of us in 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home. In the Tall Grass hits Netflix on October 4, 2019. In the meantime, watch the trailer below, and prepare yourself for a night King family terror.
Promotional still from 'In the Tall Grass' via Netflix
