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[REVIEW] Netflix’s ‘In the Tall Grass’ Requires Your Full Attention

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In the Tall Grass

Netflix’s adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s novella In the Tall Grass hits the streaming service this Friday, October 4, 2019.

Adapted and directed by Vincenzo Natali (The Cube), the film focuses on Cal (Avery Whitted) and his sister Becky (Laysla De Oliveira). Becky is pregnant and they are traveling across country to San Diego where she plans to give the baby up for adoption.

After a bout of morning sickness on the side of the road next to a field of grass taller than their heads, they hear a young boy’s cries for help. Stepping inside in order to help him, they soon become separated and realize there is something sinister about this particular field.

The film boasts several good performances including Oliveira who is vulnerable without being completely helpless as Becky, giving a layered performance that quickly garners sympathy from the audience.

As her brother, Whitted also gives an interesting performance. You believe that he wants to protect his sister, but at times you’re not entirely sure what motivates his protective instincts.

The real scene-stealer here, however, is Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring). Wilson took over the role of Ross, the father of Tobin AKA the boy whose cries drew Becky and Cal into the field, when James Marsden had to leave the production due to scheduling conflicts according to IMDb.

Wilson attacks the role with gusto. You’re never entirely sure which Ross will emerge from the tall grass at any given moment, and that brings its own brand of tension to the film.

In the Tall Grass is a twisting, turning narrative with a lot of moving parts. The field twists reality so that events repeat and time and space do not move the same way for everyone who finds themselves inside its boundaries. Because of this, the plot becomes fairly intricate quickly.

All of this is to say that the film is one that fairly demands the viewer’s undivided attention. If you’re going to get up to leave the room, even for a minute, pause the film. If your phone chimes and you need to answer a text, pause the film. If you don’t, you will most assuredly miss something.

This isn’t to imply that the film is too complicated, nor is it unlike other works by both King and Hill. In fact, parts of it feel eerily similar to another of King’s stories, Children of the Corn. At points, I wondered if He Who Walks Behind the Rows wasn’t somehow related to the nefarious presence inside this field which causes the mud to hold onto your shoes just a fraction of a second too long and the blades of grass to move just a little too quickly to cut exposed flesh.

Natali is, among other things, a storyboard artist, and you can see that artist’s eye in the production’s often stunning visuals. However there are moments where he almost seems to become preoccupied with the image rather than the storytelling which slows the pacing in the film.

Sadly, it becomes so heavy-handed at times that you can almost feel him pointing at an object or scene saying, “Look at what I’m showing you!” It’s jarring and can push you out of the narrative of the film.

Despite this, Into the Tall Grass is still enjoyable if not quite as terrifying as it could have been, and easy to recommend for fans of the novella on which it is based.

Into the Tall Grass debuts on Netflix on October 4, 2019. Check out the trailer below!

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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