Short Story Peril: In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill

source: purchased
title: In the Tall Grass
authors: Stephen King/Joe Hill
first line: He wanted quiet for a while instead of the radio, so you could say what happened was his fault.
pages: 41
genre: short story/horror

My thoughts:
Oh how my heart skips a beat at the thought of Stephen King writing with his son Joe Hill. They need to write more together. I wish a collaboration on a full length novel was in the works between these two. One can only wish.

In the Tall Grass was one of the first e-books I downloaded years ago when hubby bought me a Nook for Christmas and it was definitely worth a re-read.

In this frightening short story, siblings Cal and Becky DeMuth are driving cross-country to San Diego. At nineteen, Becky is six months pregnant and wants to stay with her aunt and uncle at least until after the baby is born. Cal takes the semester off from school to stay with Becky as well, the two are pretty much inseparable.
They are driving through a remote road in Kansas on a warm Spring day when they hear someone calling for help from a long stretch of tall grass.
King and Hill set up the scene perfectly. Here are this brother and sister, driving along and minding their own business on a long stretch of deserted road when they hear a call for help that they cannot ignore. The childlike voice says things like “help me” and “I’m lost”. How can they not respond to a child calling for help?

This time the look they exchanged was full of alarmed understanding. The grass was incredibly tall. (For such an expanse of grass to be over six feet high this early in the season was an anomaly that wouldn’t occur to them until later.)
p. 7, In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill

As you may have guessed, they walk into the tall grass and all manner of nightmarish and twisted things await them. There is horror here with a dash of the paranormal.
I could easily visualize the sight, smell and even the sounds of the tall grass as I was easily drawn into this scary story. I always find King has a way of making everyday things terrifying. It reminded me a bit of King’s Children of the Corn.

For a short story this one really packs a punch and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick dose of horror. Be prepared to cringe.

This has been part of R.I.P. X.

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this story. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill.