The House with a Clock in Its Walls review

Eli Roth is a director associated with horror movies. Hostel and Cabin Fever were two of his big hits.

The man has now turned his creative talents to a black fantasy thrill ride called The House with a Clock in Its Walls.

The film may set its sights on a young adult market, but it’s a distinctly creepy affair in Roth’s hands with surprises (and shrieks) around each corner.

Though vaguely using a Harry Potter-type concept, this production features a variety of black magic set pieces which, I daresay, will scare some younger viewers.

Strange mechanical dolls, menacing jack-o’-lanterns that come alive, an armchair that thinks it’s a pet dog and a secret book of ancient rituals that can bring the dead to life – these are some of the “things” that inhabit this mansion of mystery.

A scene from The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Picture: Universal Studios

The story is somewhat familiar, about a bright 10-year-old orphan, Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), whose parents were killed in car crash. He goes to live with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (played by an overzealous Jack Black) and picks up some nifty moves in this house of ticks.

Uncle Jonathan just happens to be a warlock and looks like an old fashioned magician. There is also an engaging neighbour, the elegant Mrs Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), a lilac-clad sorceress with the tongue of a serpent. These two characters are forever at each other’s throats, but otherwise they get along just fine – especially when the chips are down.

Adapted by Eric Kripke from John Bellairs’ 1973 children’s classic, Roth and his key characters make a meal of the situations that confront them, including the spirit of the previous owner, an evil wizard named Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan), who is dead and buried but believes he still owns the house.

His “house” is awash with atmosphere, sporting numerous doors with big brass locks which lead to dusty oversized rooms crammed with creepy memorabilia of every conceivable kind.

Owen Vaccaro and Vanessa Anne Williams in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Picture: Universal Studios

Every wall is festooned with clocks of every imaginable size and shape, all ticking along merrily, and there are warped stained glass windows and framed pictures that come alive.

The plot, which has something to do with changing time, also embraces elements of family bonding, school bullying and, of course, magic.

While not exactly original, the film is inventive, has plenty of striking imagery and there is fun in it to boot.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Cast: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Suljic, Colleen Camp, Lorenza Izzo, and Kyle MacLachlan.

Director: Eli Roth

Classification: 10-12 PG

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