Stephen King collaborated with his oldest son Joe Hillstrom King (Joe Hill) to create the terrifying novella, “In The Tall Grass.” Check out my review for the soon-to-be Netflix movie.
Originally released in the June/July and August 2012 issues of Esquire magazine, “In The Tall Grass” can now only be acquired as an e-book. If you get the opportunity to acquire this novella or even just read it, I highly recommend you do it.
Cal and his sister Becky are travelling across country to move Becky into their aunt and uncle’s house. During their drive, on a desolate road in Kansas, Cal and Becky hear cries for help coming from a tall grass field on the side of the road.
They park at a seemingly abandoned church, The Black Stone Church of the Redeemer. All the cars in the lot are covered in dust; looking like they’ve been there for ages. Cal and Becky now hear cries from a little boy named Tobin, and his mother. They try leading the source of the voices toward them, out of the grass.
Eventually the siblings go into the grass in search of the lost mother and son. They get separated and insanity ensues. They cannot find their way out, or to each other, no matter what they do. There are moments when King describes the siblings jumping and yelling to find each other, but the landscape moves around them, making it impossible.
Once in the grass, King fans immediately think of his short story “Children of the Corn.” The tall grass and tall corn are where the similarities stop though. This is a much more brutal and disturbing story that had a couple scenes, one particularly, that made my jaw drop.
I want to go deeper into this; the gruesome scenes the overall sense of desperation, distress, claustrophobia and hopelessness… but I don’t want to spoil the story. It is very good and quite terrifying. I am really interested to see how Netflix goes about adapting it.
Anyway, I highly recommend you get your hands on this thriller as soon as you can, it’s worth it. Hopefully the movie doesn’t cut too much of the gruesome parts out… they are just insane.
It has been over two months since I updated you all on the multitude of Stephen King adaptations, and A LOT has happened. So, without further ado, get your reading glasses on, sit back, get comfy, and get caught up.
IT’S “CASTLE ROCK” WEEK!!!
It’s finally here. “Castle Rock” will be available to stream Wednesday July 25thon Hulu. I personally am extremely excited, and I know almost every constant reader is too.
John Anderson, writer for The Wall Street Journal, wrote an excellent review for “Castle Rock,” one I hope to emulate when I finish the show. All reviews out there are saying similar things, very good things, which only heightens my excitement.
Andre Holland and Bill Skarsgard reportedly run the show. I can’t wait to see Bill in action again, especially after watching him terrify audiences as Pennywise in the 2017 adaptation of “IT.”
Speaking of “IT,” filming for “IT: Chapter Two” is underway and set to release September 6th, 2019. The cast and crew look to be doing an amazing job.
Let’s run through a little casting call to get everyone up to speed and be sure to check out shaunwatson87 on Instagram. He’s made some amazing pictures featuring cast members from the adult and young Losers’ Club.
The Losers’ Club:James McAvoy ⇒ adult Bill Denborough. Jessica Chastain ⇒ adult Beverly Marsh. Andy Bean ⇒ adult Stanley Uris. James Ransone ⇒ adult Eddie Kaspbrak. Jay Ryan ⇒ adult Ben Hanscom. Isaiah Mufasa ⇒ adult Mike Hanlon (hopefully he’s ready to make some calls), and last but definitely not least, Bill Hader ⇒ adult Richie Tozier.
The cast who portrayed the young Losers’ Club will be reprising their roles in “Chapter Two” in flashbacks. Stephen Bogaert is returning as Beverly’s father, and Ari Cohen is returning as Stanley’s father. Two other major members reprising their roles: Jackson Robert Scott ⇒ Georgie Denborough and of course, Bill Skarsgard ⇒ Pennywise.
Other notable casting info: Teach Grant ⇒ adult Henry Bowers. Yeah, Henry isn’t dead. Jess Weixler ⇒ Audra Phillips, Bill’s wife. Will Beinbrink ⇒ Tom Rogan, Beverly’s abusive husband. Xavier Dolan ⇒ Adrian Mellon and Taylor Frey ⇒ Don Hagarty. Adrian and Don are a young gay couple who get harassed by a group of bullies and then attacked by Pennywise.
All the set photos and promos that have been circulating seem to be shaping this film into something spectacular (as expected). I am pumped.
Speaking of pumped, studios aren’t pumping their breaks on Stephen King adaptations, and why would they? “Mr. Mercedes” Season 2 has wrapped up filming and airs August 22nd on the Audience Network.
Season 1 was a major hit and Season 2 looks to be just as good. All the major characters will be reprising their roles, yes even Harry Treadaway is returning as Brady Hartsfield.
The first season of “Mr. Mercedes” followed Stephen King’s novel of the same name to a T. The second season, however, will follow the events of the third book in the Hodges Trilogy, “End of Watch,” said producer/director Jack Bender.
Wait a second… season two follows book three not book two? Yep, I was confused and a little disappointed too, but Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson don’t really factor into “Finders Keepers,” (book two), until about halfway through.
With these three characters being such a major part of the first book and first season, fans don’t want to watch a show and have to wait for the halfway point to see the heroes.
I personally really enjoyed “Finders Keepers,” and hope it gets an adaptation, but unfortunately it is doubtful. “End of Watch” is a very dark book and a great finale for King’s trilogy, so season two of “Mr. Mercedes,” should be excellent.
As I mentioned in my last post, the producers of “Mr. Mercedes,” Jack Bender and Marty Bowen have been tapped to work on a 10-episode TV series adaptation of King’s newest novel “The Outsider.” The novel has some Hodges Trilogy ties, so they’re the perfect guys to work on it.
Before I go, here are a couple more updates for you:
John Lithgow poses for a portrait at The Collective and Gibson Lounge Powered by CEG, during the Sundance Film Festival, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)
Stephen King and Maryland author Richard Chizmar have teamed up again. They co-wrote the novella Gwendy’s Button Box, but this time they have co-written a script for a film titled “Trapped.” Filming recently began, so stay tuned for more updates.
Sorry this post ended up a little long winded, but it had been a while since I updated you and, like I said earlier, a lot happened! Anyway, thanks for reading and again stay tuned and keep checking in for more updates.
The 2019 remake of “Pet Sematary” signed another actor and the director made some big statements. Meanwhile, Netflix nabbed the rights to the co-written novella “In the Tall Grass.”
They are aiming for a more “grounded and psychologically horrific” adaptation. Buhler also said “if you love the book, you’ll love this movie.” Which is very encouraging.
King’s 1983 novel tells the tale of a doctor and his family who move into a new home in Maine and discover a secret cemetery behind their house that harbors a greater power than they could imagine.
Last week, I told you “Pet Sematary” had landed its leading man; Jason Clarke as Louis Creed. Well, as soon as last week’s post published, it was announced the movie had begun negotiations with another actor.
John Lithgow poses for a portrait at The Collective and Gibson Lounge Powered by CEG, during the Sundance Film Festival, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)
John Lithgow has joined the cast and will portray the Creed’s neighbor, Jud Crandall. Jud becomes a great friend of Louis and tells the younger man about the horrific past of the cemetery behind his home.
Lithgow, known for his work on “The Crown” and “3rd Rock from the Sun,” should be a perfect casting choice for the elderly neighbor. Jud is a wise, sad, and caring old man; all traits which Lithgow can express perfectly. I just hope he hides his goofier side and based on the direction the movie seems to be heading, I’m sure there will be very little room for levity.
“Pet Sematary” is my favorite King novel. I am hoping for an excellent adaptation and I’m chomping at the bit for any news and updates, stay tuned!
“In the Tall Grass” was originally released in two parts in the June/July and August 2012 issues of Esquire magazine. In October of 2012, the novella was released in e-book and audiobook formats.
The novella tells the tale of a brother and sister who venture into tall grass in Kansas after hearing a young boy’s cry for help but discover there may be no way out…
Natali and Hoban worked together on the film “Splice” and Miller and Riley both produced the movie “The Lazarus Effect.”
In 2017, Netflix released two other King adaptations: “1922” and “Gerald’s Game.” Both films were very well done and received great reviews among King’s faithful constant readers.
“In the Tall Grass” will begin production this summer in Toronto but a release date has yet to be announced, so again, stay tuned and thanks for reading!
Tony's Horror Corner 