The Tall Grass

I was so pleased to hear about L, D & R's new season. The first season has been hit and miss. This was a season with fewer episodes but better content. This episode had the right amount of mystery, intrigue and the supernatural. It felt were in early times, about the early 1900s and the short but horrific journey the main character goes through is futile. We all think his fate is sealed. Great and gripping from start to finish.

A fun tale about listening when someone warns you not to do something.

And I loved the unique animation style.

When the steam of modernity stops, the old world creeps back upon us in all its superstitious horror.

Another win for Season 2. I enjoyed the setting in 1800's on train making it's way across the country. I feel the style this was drawn mirrors the time period well. You have bouts of stop motion that accent the older time period and compliment the technology used like stop watches and lanterns. But don't let that fool you, there is detail if you know where to spot it. For instance, when the wind changes, you can see the smoke off a cigarette change directions. You can see the surrounding grass rustle with movement. Sparks glow brighter the longer the brakes are applied. And the creatures are made all the more terrifying with the harsh brush strokes of this art style. Just watch closely as the monster screams, it's flesh ripping whenever it opens its jaws. Now that is truly disturbing.

The conversation at the end was rather meh. I feel like the writers had to try to explain what those creatures are without explicitly explaining what they are. The conversation feels forced, and I would've preferred a simple "I don't know what those things are" over the dialogue that is stated. All in all though, a decent way to kill 10 minutes.

'The Tall Grass (2021)' focuses on a man who becomes entranced by otherworldly lights as he waits for a train to get back in working order. The piece has an atmospheric presentation, with a painterly graphical style that almost emulates something like 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)' (but with less chaotic energy). It's initially a slow burn, as our hero makes his way through the eponymous vegetation to find those alluring lights, but it soon picks up the pace for its action-oriented finale. It's rather suspenseful, if not scary, and it works well for what it is. It's enjoyable pretty much all the way through. That is until its exposition dump of an ending, which does nothing but take all the steam out of the affair. It's too late to be learning the sort of stuff it covers, as the thing's one-and-done story is essentially over already, and much of it doesn't make sense anyway so it would have been better to keep those elements ambiguous. Still, it doesn't ruin the rest of the affair, which is typically an effective suspense piece. 7/10.