Movie Review
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
8/10
The Facts
Synopsis: A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.
Director: Eli Roth
Stars: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Kyle MacLachlan, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, Lorenza Izzo, Sunny Suljic
Rated: PG
Running Length: 105 minutes
The Thoughts
I was fairly gobsmacked when I saw the name of the director of this adaptation of the 1973 novel by John Bellairs: Eli Roth. The horror director of gross films like Hostel, Cabin Fever, and The Green Inferno was known for spearheading the rise of the torture porn movement and here he was at the helm of a family-friendly film. How was this going to turn out? The answer: surprisingly well.
The Final
Released in the fall, The House with a Clock in Its Walls was a fun little PG adventure with just enough scares to keep older kids interested but not so many that it would keep them up at night. It’s the kind of film I would have loved to have had around when I was a pre-teen and likely would now have on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray had it been released in 1987. Stars Jack Black (Goosebumps) and Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) are an odd couple pairing but work like gangbusters together. Blanchett, especially, looks like she’s having a downright ball and that energy becomes infectious. I don’t know what drew Roth to lock away the blood, guts, and gore he was used to playing with but he’s made the transition to family fare with ease. Keep this one in mind next Halloween.
8/10
Reviewed by Joe Botten
Joe Botten is The MN Movie Man, a Twin Cities film critic writing spoiler-free reviews since 2012. He also writes for Loud and Clear Reviews, a Rotten Tomatoes approved site. Find him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
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