The Tall Man

When I began this film, I was sure it was going to be a horror based upon the “Slender man” Internet meme/scare story of an elongated ominous figure in the woods capturing small children.  I assumed this film would be full of the supernatural, special effects, and fright I’d come to expect. Not at all.

Jessica Biel plays Julia Denning, a nurse-turned-doctor-in-absentia in a remote town in Washington State.  The town is dying; its economy was once supported by a once-booming mining industry.  Now that the mine is closed, the town is poverty stricken, run-down, and all but cut off from the modern world.  Julia’s husband was well respected and well liked by everyone in town.  Since his passing, Julia has taken over as the sole medical professional.

“I saw HIM.”

The film goes on to tell the tale of the “Tall Man”, a boogeyman in local lore who appears in the woods surrounding the town, snatching the small children of the town, never to be seen again.  Some vehemently believe while others assume the Tall Man to be a ghost story, as does Denning, until her son is taken. From here, the film takes extreme swerves, veering both in direction, and genre.  Horror, action, suspense, mystery; all correct ways to describe the film.  The varied shifts aren’t overly difficult to follow, but the ultimate resolution was an interesting twist I didn’t see coming (and I had several guesses, fueled by the misdirections given as the film progressed; all were wrong.)

All of the performances in the film were solid; Jessica Biel shows a range in her acting that she rarely gets to stretch.  Jodelle Ferland, who I recognized from the Silent Hill franchise, also does well as the mute Jenny, and always-enigmatic Stephen McHattie as Lt. Dodd.  The film premiered at the 2012 South by Southwest festival, where Image Entertainment, who also put out Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, purchased distribution rights.  From here, the film had a very limited release in August of 2012, and almost immediately went to DVD and Blu-ray home media in September of 2012. This is enough mystery and story to hold the film, and remain interesting, but at times the sudden shifts can be disjointing in the viewing experience.  Should the viewer stay to the end, though, this investment is rewarded.   Having the additional benefit of the writer and director being the same person is clear in this film’s presentation; it never appears as if any corners were cut from the film’s premise.

“So, you believe it too?”

Unfortunately, and quite likely due to the films quick-to-DVD release and limited advertising, as of this writing The Tall Man has only grossed $5m of its $18m production budget.  While distribution writes on Netflix may help recoup some of this cost, only a quarter of production cost return could be interpreted as a failure.  Again, this is unfortunate, because this is a decent movie, with a great original story.  While there is limited violence, it never becomes gory or gratuitous, and the storyline is never difficult to follow.

The Tall Man is currently available on DVD, and Blu-ray home media, as well as newly available on Netflix streaming, Amazon Instant video service, and xFinity OnDemand.