The House with a Clock in Its Walls achieves a lot of things in a short amount of time, but still lacks the magic that appeals to kids. Hopefully we'll get to explore more of these characters in subsequent adaptations of the other books in the series.
“In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett star in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. The magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town’s sleep façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches. Based on the beloved children’s classic book.”
The film opens as Lewis travels by bus to go live with his uncle Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black) after his parents were killed leaving no one to care for him. As the two meet and see how weird each other are, Jonathan takes Lewis back to his house which is even stranger. A dark and sinister looking house littered with jack o’ lanterns on the outside and just as many clocks on the inside. Stepping out from the inside a large one comes Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), Jonathan’s next door neighbor who quickly demonstrates her playful banter with Jonathan by tossing insults back and forth at him. Lewis finds that Jonathan is very lax when it comes to rules of any kind, allowing him to eat cookies for dinner and have no bed time. As the night progresses, strange things begin to happen to Lewis. His cards magically change while playing poker, and then he sees his uncle skulk about the house in the darkness with his ear to the walls.
During his first day of school, Lewis meets Tarby (Sunny Suljic) who shows Lewis some compassion and includes him in several activities that other students tried to exclude him from. Tarby informs Lewis of the past history of the house and how the previous owner was killed, causing Lewis to be a bit suspicious of some of the goings on there. The next night things start to get even weirder as the house begins to try and communicate with Lewis in pretty frightening ways, leading him to see his uncle with an axe chopping away at a wall. When Lewis is finally calmed down, Jonathan explains everything to him. He’s a warlock and is searching for a magical clock built by his former partner and owner of the house, Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan). Naturally, Lewis wants to learn to be a warlock as well, and after Jonathan’s initial refusal leads to a more persistent request, Jonathan relents, in a true Jack Black fashion. Lewis’ studies open his mind to possibilities he couldn’t even imagine, and as he delves deeper into witchcraft, Jonathan tells him of only one rule he has, never to open a cabinet in his study that is protected by charms to ward off evil.
Back at school after Tarby has won class president, he changes, not wanting to hang out with Lewis any more. Desperate to keep his friend, Lewis spills the details of everything he’s doing and offers to teach Tarby spells for him to excel in sports. Skeptical but yet still intrigued, Tarby joins Lewis back at home where he convinces Lewis to open the cabinet that his uncle warned him about. Inside is a book of necromancy spells, magic that will raise the dead. Wanting to convince Tarby it’s real, they go to the cemetery to test a spell, unleashing something horrible back into the world that has one purpose, to activate the clock in the walls before Jonathan can destroy it.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls has a lot of elements that don’t seem like they would fit together. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett starring side by side, and most notably Eli Roth directing a children’s movie. Cabin Fever, Hostel, The Green Inferno, are all horrific, bloody massacres that push the boundaries of the horror genre, the genre he’s most known for. Knowing he directed this film had me more than intrigued to see for myself how he handled a lesser rating geared toward children and if he’d leave his mark on the film. The film does push the boundaries of PG considerably, as there are many frightening sequences that young children would definitely find horrifying: the demonic dolls in the house, the raising of the dead, all are pretty mature themes and sequences that will no doubt leave some kids screaming, but I feel that’s what Eli is aiming for. As far as themes go in the film, you’ll want to make the obvious comparison to another children’s book/film involving magic but try not to. This film isn’t about young Lewis becoming a warlock and learning magic to save the day. The film has so many more layers to it than that, that explore the many dimensions of not just Lewis, but Jonathan and Florence as well. Lewis’ fear of being alone drives his entire character, first losing his family and then his only friend which drives him to unleash something horrible is painfully tragic and is expressed quite well in the limited time of a single film.
Jack Black, as usual, excels in this type of film. He’s hilarious, eccentric, bumbling, yet cares deeply for Lewis’ wellbeing. Jack Black plays this character extremely well, proving yet again he can thrive in different genres, but the best ones involving children. Cate Blanchett delivers a great performance as well. Although we don’t get to see her character at her full potential for 99% of the film, she plays her character who pushes the pain of losing her family deep inside her very well. The kid, Owen Vaccaro, also does a great job as far as child actors go. He’s entirely believable throughout the film, providing some good laughs and sympathetic acting that allows the audience to connect with him instantly.
One concern I have about the film is a seeming lack of conflict until the very end. Portrayed as a kid’s film about magic, there doesn’t really seem to be a whole lot of magic in it. A few neat tricks, of course Lewis raising the dead, and then at the end, but in between there was just that ‘something magical’ missing that I think would have appealed more toward children. It tackles some of the more mature themes perfectly, but doesn’t leave room or time for the younger audience to be swept away by the mystery and magic of the house that’s alive and the wonders of the warlock and witch world. Granted, this is a series of books in which we explore Lewis’ journey, and this is only the first. Hopefully, this will garner enough attention to warrant the further exploration of the series.
Video
The video is presented in 4k Ultra HD 2160p 2.39:1 with HDR. This film is perfect for the High Dynamic Range to really impress with the different types of locations that contain some brilliant brights of magical spells and the deep darks you’ll see as the majority of the film takes place in the house at dark. The detail of the picture is amazing, with perfect clarity throughout with no defects noticed.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos and is one of my favorite things about the set. There are some great sequences that take full advantage of all the surrounds, mainly dealing with the house. The clock ticking in the walls will echo throughout your house, providing a very creepy sequence. Levels all sound fantastic, never overpowering the dialogue of the center channel.
Special Features
Some great and fun extras on this set, which are included on the Blu-Ray disc. Eli Roth provides a lot of insight to the film and if you were wanting his take on things you won’t be disappointed. This set includes:
- Alternate Opening and Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Warlocks and Witches
- Movie Magic
- Tick Tock: Bringing the Book to Life
- Eli Roth: Director’s Journals
- Owen Goes Behind the Scenes
- Theme Song
- Do You Know Jack Black?
- Abracadabra!
- Jack Black’s Greatest Fear
- The Mighty Wurlitzer
- Feature Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black
The House with a Clock in Its Walls has a lot of heart to it while still managing to thrill and excite. Eli Roth’s goal was to create a horror film geared toward children, and in that aspect, he definitely succeeds. While younger kids may need a bit more magic in the story, hopefully this can be achieved in the exploration of the other books.
