Adventure, magic, hocus-pocus, fantasy, a plot where kids don’t suffer horrendous deaths at the hands of a clown aren’t the words you’d usually associate with an Eli Roth flick, especially since he mostly doles out the kind of macabre gory flicks that scare the hibbie-jibbies out of everyone (think, the “Hostel” series, “Knock Knock,” “Clown,” etc.). His latest offering however, a dark fantasy titled “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” (based on the namesake book by John Bellairs) provides all that and more, proving he’s as good at fantasy-horror as he is at gore.
I mean, the movie cleverly starts off with an inviting close-up of a gooey chocolate chip cookie, as if to say: “Viewer, you’re in for a treat!”
Following the ‘cookie closeup,’ the viewers are introduced to the young protagonist, Louis, a dorky orphan with a penchant for new vocabulary, who sets off with his handy 8-ball and heavy suitcase of dictionaries to live with his eccentric, kimono-wearing, saxophone playing uncle Jonathan—who shares a large mansion in New Zebede, Michigan with his heartbroken yet feisty ‘platonic’ neighbor, Mrs. Florence Zimmerman (Sorry, no kissy faces here, folks!).
From the get go, we know jolly ole uncle Johnny’s hiding something—and after a series of secrets and suspenseful buildup later, it’s revealed he’s a boy witch…ahem…a warlock. And so is Mrs. Zimmerman (although, compared to the unqualified Jonathan, she’s far powerful and actually has a degree in witchcraft). Together, they’re on the hunt for a mysterious, dangerous clock hidden somewhere inside the walls of the mansion (which already has its share of wall clocks of every shape and size)—a clock built by Jonathan’s deceased fellow warlock frenemy, Isaac Izard that’s slowly driving Jonathan nuts, and which could bring about the end of the world if not found and destroyed.
However, young Louis’ accidental tryst with necromancy further adds to the danger as he accidentally raises Isaac from the dead. With the return of its master, the house and its furnishings which previously already had minds of their own, now turn on the occupants. It’s now up to the trio of Black Swans (as they call themselves) to speed things up, find the clock, and prevent the end of the world before they run out of time.
Sunny Suljic and Owen Vaccaro in a scene from “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” (DreamWorks, 2018).
On the acting front, Mr. Roth (who himself has a blink and miss role as Louis’ favourite TV show character) could not have picked a quirkier actor than Jack Black to breath life into the equally quirky Uncle Jonathan. His camaraderie with the brilliant, kick-ass Cate Blanchett and the potshots they take at each other add to the comic relief and fun-factor of this family flick. Owen Vaccarro is lovable as Louis, (an underdog you’ll root for), although his crying on cue skills in the emotional scenes could use a bit more polishing. The other child actors are promising as well. Kyle Maclachlan’s villainous turn as Isaac will haunt and creep you out more than his act as ‘The Captain’ in TV’s “How I Met Your Mother” did, while Renee Elise Goldsberry is scintillating and equally haunting as his wife, Selena the witch who provides most of the twists and turns in the story.
The CGI is on point and everything from the live lion topiary in need of potty training to the puking jack-o’-lanterns who pursue the brave trio are a treat to the eyes. At times, scenes like the one where Louis is taught magic will even remind you of “The Sorcerers’ Apprentice”—another memorable fantasy flick. The soundtrack and sets complement the ‘50s era in which the movie is set, and costumes like Louis’ cool steampunk goggles and bowties go with the overall quirkiness of this movie.
So, if you’re looking to ‘kill some time’ (pun intended), then this movie is totally worth every second!
