The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a 2018 American family fantasy film directed by Eli Roth, based on the 1973 juvenile fiction novel of the same name by John Bellairs. The film follows a young boy who is sent to live with his uncle in his creaky old house. He soon learns it was previously also inhabited by his uncle’s former friend who happens to be a warlock. I thought this movie was going to be a really good one, which is not the case.
The House with a Clock in it’s Walls is set in the year 1955. Ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) goes to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black) who lives in a creaky old house which has a mysterious ticking sound that seems to be coming from the walls. Despite being recently orphaned, Lewis just wants to have a normal childhood but discovers his Uncle Jonathan is a mediocre but well-intentioned warlock, while his next-door neighbor and good friend Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) is a far more powerful good witch. The house was previously owned by Isaac (Kyle MacLachlan) and Selena Izard (Renée Elise Goldsberry) a powerful couple in the game of witchery and a partner to Uncle Jonathan. Before dying, this sinister couple constructed a diabolical plan that puts the whole world in jeopardy. The ticking has something to do with their plan, so Uncle Jonathan and Ms. Zimmerman spends most of their time investigating where and what the ticking is and what exactly, the plan, left by Issac and his wife, is. In the meanwhile, Lewis is trying his best to fit in and makes a friend, Tarby Corrigan (Sunny Suljic) in school.
I absolutely hated this movie. It was boring, slow and silly, as it was all over the place. I felt the whole production was a waste of Cate Blanchett’s talent. She is definitely over qualified for this role. While I realize The House with a Clock in it’s Walls is a children’s movie, I don’t think any child would fall for the ridiculous plot. I didn’t enjoy the movie nor did I find the cast convincing. This may have been the worse movie Disney put their efforts in. All I can say is The Clock and the House is a ticking time bomb. If you must see The House with a Clock in it’s Walls, try and wait for the DVD.
CAROL's WORLDS 