Eli Roth is a huge favourite of many a genre fan, with that largely down to him diving to the depths of depravity with horror heavy efforts such as Cabin Fever, the Hostel franchise and The Green Inferno. Here, though, this modern-day horror fave turns his attention to more family friendly scares with The House with a Clock in Its Walls.
Adapted from John Bellairs and Edward Gorey’s 1973 novel, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a magical fantasy tale with elements of the spooktacular sprinkled throughout. At the heart of the story, we have 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vacarro); an orphan sent to live with his slightly eccentric uncle (Jack Black). Oh, and said Uncle Jonathan just so happens to be a mighty, magical warlock. And what sort of neighbour does just such a warlock have, you may ask? Why, that would be a powerful witch called Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). Fear not, for Florence is a well-meaning witch whose darker acts come in the form of sarcastic back-and-forths with Jonathan.
Of course, there is one entirely larger character in the middle of this movie: the house itself. Overflowing with wizarding, wonderful charm, the titular house is a living, breathing character all of its own; full of imagination, full of friendly warmth towards young Lewis, yet with a clear darkness lurking within its corridors. That darkness manifests itself in the shape of Kyle MacLachlan’s Isaac Izard, a former partner of Jonathan’s who went a little nuts and attempted to bring an end to all existence. But he’s dead, right? Never to be seen again, right? So no threat to our core trio, right? Err, something like that…
With The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Eli Roth has crafted a massively enjoyable spooky romp of a movie that evokes memories of classic kid-friendly tales of yesteryear. While the film is clearly skewed towards a younger audience, that’s not to say that there’s not a whole lot of fun to be had by adults, too. Roth has again shown a deft touch for scares and chills at just the right moment, albeit adapted for those of a younger age. And visually, the house at the centre of this picture is an utter delight to explore; interesting artefacts and characters lurking around each and every corner.
In terms of performances, each of the core cast deliver perfectly for what is needed. Owen Vacarro is clearly a talent to keep a watchful eye on, with the range of emotions shown here from the youngster hugely impressive. Similarly, Cate Blanchett shows yet again just how versatile an actress she is; delivering a Florence Zimmerman who can be both cold and warm, seemingly simultaneously, and always with a wry smirk or zinging one-liner not far away. Jack Black is, well, Jack Black. By this point in the game, you know what the Tenacious D star brings to the table, and here his wide-eyed wonderment is a perfect accompaniment to the mysterious and magical journey that we find ourselves on.
Where the bonus material is concerned, this Blu-ray release of The House with a Clock in Its Walls serves up a multitude of magnificent content for you to sift through. Whether its behind-the-scenes chicanery you’re after, details on the casting process, or even the process of adapting the 1973 novel, it’s all covered here in a collection of featurettes that shows you just how much fun all involved seemingly had with this project.
All in, The House with a Clock in Its Walls harks back to the classic heart-warming ghost stories of yesteryear, just with a dollop of Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. And when all is said and done, that’s proved to be quite the successful formula here.
Special Features: Eight featurettes / Gag reel / Deleted scenes
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: ELI ROTH / SCREENPLAY: ERIC KRIPKE / STARRING: OWEN VACCARO, JACK BLACK, CATE BLANCHETT, KYLE MacLACHLAN, COLLEEN CAMP, RENEE ELISA GOLDSBERRY / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 28TH
