The Tall Man

2012 Thriller

A nurse races to rescue her young son from a seemingly supernatural figure who's been snatching children from a depressed mining town in this downbeat tale of terror from Martyrs director Pascal Laugier. For years, a mysterious entity known as The Tall Man has been abducting children from Cold Rock. The moment they vanish, they're never seen again. Once a prosperous mining town, Cold Rock has fallen to ruin, yet local nurse Julia (Jessica Biel) writes off rumors of the elusive Tall Man as local superstition. Then one night, to her horror, Julia awakens to find her son David in the arms of the spectral figure, who steals the boy away into the darkness. Now Julia won't stop searching for David until he's back safe in her arms, and the truth about the missing children of Cold Rock is finally revealed.

Director: Pascal Laugier

Starring: Jessica Biel, Jodelle Ferland, Stephen McHattie, William B. Davis, Samantha Ferris

 15 Reviews  1 Awards

Reviews

  • Ultimately his story draws more energy from class than from criminality: awash in sludgy browns and rotting greens - the colors of poverty and decomposition - this unpredictable oddity is a little bonkers but a lot original.

    Jeannette Catsoulis - The New York Times

    11 May 2013

  • In easily her best performance - and sadly, one few will see, given the film's modest release strategy - Jessica Biel stars as a single mother in Cold Rock, Washington.

    Scott Tobias - The A.V. Club

    11 May 2013

  • Long on atmosphere and short on sense, The Tall Man becomes less gripping as it grows more ridiculous.

    - Los Angeles Times

    11 May 2013

  • Spits out enough scares and twists to maintain our interest, but the film's psycho-sociological layer is almost as cheesy and unconvincing as its low-rent action scenes.

    Kyle Smith - New York Post

    11 May 2013

  • Once you get through the flaming, Bowser's Castle-like gauntlet of the rest of the story's implausibilities, you end up in a different movie than the one on the creepy poster.

    - Village Voice

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Actress

    Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (2013)

     

Lists

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