10 Facts About Stephen King And His Son Joe Hill In Honor Of Their Movie Adaptation ‘In The Tall Grass’
When Joe was a teenager, he would write every single day and hand his father the pages to edit. Even as an adult, it is common for the family to pass around their writing.
In The Tall Grass is an upcoming adaptation of a short story published in Esquire Magazine. It tells the tale of a young brother and sister who hear a cry for help coming from tall grass. They walk into the grass to investigate, become separated, and realize something evil lurks there.
Stephen King penned this story along with his son Joe Hill. Here are some facts about the father and son duo:
1. Joe Hill does not have to worry about living in his father’s shadow because he has achieved success all on his own. He has created beautifully disturbing books like Heart-Shaped Box, The Fireman, and Horns. Back in 2013, Horns was turned into a dark horror fantasy film starring Daniel Radcliffe.
2. Joe’s birth name is Joe Hillstrom King, but when he began writing, he wanted to succeed based on his writing skills, not because he is related to the greatest horror writer of all time. Hill published over twenty short stories, won writing awards, and published a novel without anyone knowing about his father.
3. Stephen King has also used a pen-name in the past. He wrote under the name Richard Bachman after gaining popularity because he wanted to know he could still achieve success based on the quality of his writing, not on his name alone.
4. Writing runs in the King family. Tabitha, Joe’s mother, is also a celebrated novelist. His brother, Owen King, is an author. And his sister-in-law, Kelly Braffet, is an author. Growing up, he assumed it was normally to be locked away in an office writing — and that is exactly what he decided to do as he aged.
5. When Joe was a teenager, he would write every single day and hand his father the pages to edit. Even as an adult, it is still common for the family to pass around their writing. Before he published The Fireman, his mother made edits.
6. While writing Gerald’s Game, King was concerned with whether one of the scenes was realistic. It involved a woman attempting to free herself from her confines. King called one of his sons into his room and tied him to the bed (with permission!) to see if he could make it out the same way as the character does.
7. In The Tall Grass is the second story King has collaborated on with Hill. They also wrote Throttle, a novella about a faceless trucker and motorcycle outlaws. King has also written a novel called Sleeping Beauties with his other son, Owen.
8. When King wrote 11/22/63 it originally had a different ending. After a suggestion from Hill, King ended up publishing an alternate ending on his official website. Since then, the ending has been altered in the published versions of the book as well.
9. Stephen King is a big Twitter user. Between his posts about politics and book recommendations, he makes sure the world knows how proud he is of his son.
https://twitter.com/stephenking/status/1054039795066982400?lang=en
https://twitter.com/stephenking/status/671711590283091968?lang=en
10. In The Tall Grass is being released on Netflix later in the year. It is directed by Vincenzo Natali who believes the pair has taken an average Kansas field and turned it into a scene of unimaginable horror. 
