Siblings Cal and Becky DeMuth are driving through Kansas on their way to California where Becky is planning on delivering the baby she doesn't want. The radio is off, the windows are down, and as they pass an old church in the middle of nowhere, they hear a voice calling for help.
Cal and Becky stop to see what's what and discover a boy and his mother are lost in a vast field of grass just off the highway. The boy is screaming for help, while the boy's mother, who is obviously not with her son, is screaming for him to be quiet before "he" finds them. Cal and Becky don't know what's going on, but people need help, and they're going to do what they can.
So into the tall grass, they go, in search of the boy and his mother. Cal steps in first and the grass is so tall, and so thick, the siblings are immediately separated. And that's when Becky and Cal realize just what it is they've gotten themselves into.
IN THE TALL GRASS is a novella written by the father and son team of Stephen King and Joe Hill and was originally published in two parts in ESQUIRE Magazine, their second collaboration, and it just further cements the fact that the Kings really know what they're doing.
IN THE TALL GRASS is such a simple premise I can't believe it hasn't been written before. And the way they handle the characters and the situation, plus that wonderfully evil ending (I'm not 100% sure the denouement is necessary, but what're you gonna do?) . . . I just loved it.
I did feel a certain aspect of the story was a little too TOMMYKNOCKER-ish and harkened back a few too many classic science fiction stories--and not just King stories, I'm talking even further back, but it's not a bad thing necessarily; the plot device is so often used because it works. I just wished it hadn't been the catalyst for the weird goings on in this case. I'd hoped for something else entirely original and unexpected. But in the end, I think it works, and it certainly doesn't keep the story from being a great read.
IN THE TALL GRASS really highlights what makes horror so fun to read. King and Hill have taken a situation that, while certainly not all that common, is definitely one you wouldn't expect to find this particular kind of horror in, but there it is. And the fact they pulled it off so well just goes to show, again, they really know what they're doing and the imagination that runs through those genes is still a thing to behold. As a writer, IN THE TALL GRASS shows talent will win out over flash in the pan bandwagon stories any day. And as a reader, it shows there are still new horrors out there waiting to be discovered.
I like that thought. It gives me hope.
This story is horror for the sake of horror, it's a story written for the joy of writing it, a story the authors clearly had a great time collaborating on. And for me it's a story that shows horror is still alive and well. It's the kind of story that makes me want to get back to work and dream up something amazing.
The ebook runs only about 75 Kindle pages and can easily be read in a day and it's definitely worth the $4. IN THE TALL GRASS is a great horror story, and I definitely recommend it.
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