"In the Tall Grass" is a horror novella co-written by acclaimed American authors Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. It marks their second literary collaboration, following their 2009 novella "Throttle". The story was initially released to the public in a serialized format, published across two issues of Esquire magazine in the summer of 2012, specifically the June/July and August editions. Later that year, on October 9, 2012, it was made available as a standalone e-book and audiobook, with the audiobook version narrated by actor Stephen Lang. The novella was subsequently collected in Joe Hill's 2019 short fiction anthology, "Full Throttle".
The premise centers on a pair of inseparable siblings, Cal and Becky DeMuth, who are on a cross-country road trip. Becky is pregnant, and Cal is helping her relocate to San Diego. While driving through a remote stretch of Kansas, they hear the desperate cries of a young boy named Tobin coming from a vast, seemingly endless field of tall grass. Compelled to help, they enter the field, only to quickly discover that the grass harbors a sinister, supernatural force that distorts space and traps them in a nightmarish labyrinth where escape is impossible. The story is a visceral, claustrophobic tale of terror that explores themes of familial bonds, desperation, and the unknowable horrors lurking in plain sight.
