REVIEW: The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Courtesy of Universal

The House with a Clock in Its Walls
(Rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.)

If you’d told me a while back that I’d be taking my 7-year-old daughter to see Eli Roth’s new movie, I would’ve questioned your sanity. However, that’s exactly what happened earlier this week after the guy best known for torture porn like Hostel and The Green Inferno decided to take a stab at directing a kid’s movie with The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Considering there are more than a few creepy moments and a ton of gross-out humor, Roth turns out to be a solid fit for the material.

Based on the 1973 children’s novel by John Bellairs, this mystery-horror hybrid introduces viewers to 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) following the death of his parents. Right away, Lewis realizes something is amiss with his strange uncle, the creepy house he lives in – with a strange ticking sound within the walls – and bizarre-but-kindhearted neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett).

Eventually, Lewis uncovers a shocking secret about his new caretakers: Uncle Jonathan is a warlock and Mrs. Zimmerman is a witch. These powerful beings have been working to thwart a diabolical plan put into motion by an evil being (Kyle MacLachlan) who used to be their friend. But when Lewis accidentally raises him from the dead, the trio must step up their timetable to prevent the end of the world.

Clearly made for children, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a fun family outing as long as your little ones aren’t easily frightened. The subject matter is intense are there are a handful of jump scares, but it’s no scarier than the recent Goosebumps movie (coincidentally, also starring Black) or the Harry Potter series.

The film is from Amblin, Steven Spielberg’s production company, so it hearkens back to those iconic ’80s flicks that were technically PG, but always felt a little more intense. (Roth even gives them a cute shout-out at the beginning of the movie. The story takes place in 1955, and when Lewis gets off the bus to meet his uncle, the local movie theater is playing Space Man from Pluto – what then-president of Universal Sid Sheinberg wanted to call Back to the Future.)

Although the film’s pacing is lethargic at times and it’s a bit shaggy at 105 minutes, Roth and screenwriter Eric Kripke (creator of cult television series Supernatural) ultimately craft a wondrous, unique world full of intriguing characters. It’s gorgeous to look at and the visual effects are just cartoonish enough to make the environment seem appropriately dreamlike. There are also quite a few entertaining “pets,” like a loyal armchair and a topiary straight out of Stephen King’s The Shining that’s in serious need of litterbox training.

The performances are mostly top-notch. Jack Black can sometimes be tough to take for long stretches of time, but he’s perfectly cast as the delightfully weird Uncle Jonathan. He gets the vast majority of the film’s laughs and almost singlehandedly carries the film through its slower moments.

Blanchett is also fantastic (as always), demonstrating wonderful chemistry with both Black’s character and the young actor who plays Lewis. She completely sells Mrs. Zimmerman’s heart-wrenching backstory, which is admittedly a bit intense for a kid’s movie. MacLachlan is also terrific, although he’s not used nearly enough. His character is interesting, but only pops up sporadically. The same goes for his wife, played by Hamilton star Renee Elise Goldsberry, who’s clearly having a blast chewing the scenery.

Unfortunately, the movie’s only wrong casting choice is with main character Lewis. It seems cruel to criticize a kid, but Vaccaro exhibits serious “child actor syndrome.” It feels like he’s “Acting” in every scene, particularly those that call for him to show fear or sadness – especially the moments where he’s supposed to cry.

Still, despite some qualms, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is worth a look. What’s more, it has several cool local connections: it was filmed in Newnan and two crew members – Sam Carter and Eddie Stone – have strong ties to Carrollton. This one should have strong legs through the Halloween season, a time when there aren’t a lot of spooky cinematic options for kids.

Grade: B-