TV_and_Satellite_Week_-_28_September_2019

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Patrick Wilson (left)

with co-stars Harrison

Gilbertson, Laysla De

Oliveira and Avery Whitted

After scaring us silly with thrillers

Gerald’s Game and 1922 in the past

few years, Netflix and Stephen King

join forces for a third time this week

when the streaming service releases

his latest film, In the Tall Grass.

The one-off drama is adapted from

King’s eerie 2012 novella of the same

name, which he penned with his

horror writer son Joe Hill.

DETOUR INTO DISORDER

The action follows Cal (Avery Whitted)

and his sister Becky (Laysla De

Oliveira), who are embarking on

a road trip through Kansas when

they hear a young boy’s cry for help,

and run into a vast field of grass in

an attempt to help him.

However, it soon becomes apparent

that there’s no way out and their

encounter with the mysterious Ross

(played by Fargo’s Patrick Wilson) only

seems to confirm their predicament.

‘When they go to assist the boy, they

discover that strange forces are at work,’

explains director Vincenzo Natali. ‘The

field is an ineffable maze from which

there is no escape and before long they

have lost their bearings and each other.

‘In the field, space is warped so that

one minute Cal and Becky are together

and the next they are miles apart

• and it turns out they are not alone.’
  In the Tall Grass is one of a slew of
  recent projects for Stephen King.
  Movie sequel It Chapter Two opened in
  cinemas in September, and Doctor Sleep,
  a sequel to The Shining starring Ewan
  McGregor, is released in late October.

PARANORMAL PAY-OFF

The author admits he has never been

a fan of the 1980 movie version of The

Shining, which was directed by Stanley

Kubrick and starred Jack Nicholson,

but he has high hopes for the sequel.

‘I think The Shining looks terrific –

but it’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac

with no engine inside it,’ says King. ‘I

kept my mouth shut at the time, but

I didn’t care for it much. My problem

with the film is that it’s so cold.’

Next up for King is a TV adaptation

of his 2017 book Sleeping Beauties,

while he has just published his 61st

novel, The Institute, about a boy who

is abducted and imprisoned in an

experimental facility for children with

paranormal powers.

With several more film and TV

projects in the pipeline, the 71-year-

old says he’s a long way from retiring.

‘I’ve had this late burst of success

and it’s very gratifying. I want to cram

in as much as I can,’ he says. ‘I’ll either

collapse at my desk or the ideas

will run out. As long as I feel like

I’m still doing good work, I can’t

see myself stopping.’

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NEWGenre: Horror Available: Friday 4 October

Runs: 101min TVSW says: The king of horror works his magic again

In the Tall Grass

Two siblings face

a terrifying force in

the spine-chilling

new film from

horror writer

Stephen King

Field of