THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (2018)

THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (2018)

In this one a kid moves in with his uncle after losing his parents. He lives in a giant house that basically looks like The Haunted Freakin Mansion, if Ripley’s Believe It Or Not threw up inside it, and discovers his uncle is the worst father figure of all time. Oh and he’s a warlock, but in this movie that is almost completely secondary to his crappy guardianship skills. You want to know who doesn’t suck and does have guardianship skills? His neighbor and friend Florence Zimmerman who used to be witch but for reasons I won’t disclose here, she’s taking a long depression-induced break.  Anyway, so this big house has a clock that scrambles around in the walls and basically it’s the worst place to try and get a good night sleep in the whole town. It doesn’t take long before we find out the clock is a big problem as well as the sinister powers behind it.

Jack Black (as Jonathon Barnavelt)  is solid in these types of roles, but I really didn’t find myself rooting for him until near the end of the flick. Cate Blanchett on the other hand steals the show as Florence Zimmerman so I am really hoping she returns if this series continues. I never read the books, so I don’t have a clue what happens from here on out. Owen Vaccaro (best known for the “DADDY’s HOME” films) is fine as Lewis Barnavelt but in this movie. I am sometimes just impressed when a younger actor doesn’t feel totally out of their element and he doesn’t.  

The setting, effects and pacing are very Harry Potter-ish, on top of being well-directed. For me this was a bit of a shocker since I haven’t liked a single film from Eli Roth that I accidentally watched. There is a really cool villain in this one and it comes from an un-expected source. There is a good amount of emotional development in the story here which ads to my rating. Overall this one is perhaps a bit creepy for younger kids, but just right for anyone over 11 I would say.

I do think this one is better than GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN, but it is pretty damn fun and worth heading out to the theater if there is still one showing it in your area. I will definitely be buying it on BLU-RAY or DVD.

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