Filmmaker, Eli Roth, known for his violent and bloody horror films, brings a new film to theaters this weekend with “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”. While certain parts of this dark fantasy comedy, quasi-kids-film may appeal to younger audiences, I had a difficult time finding anything more than below average entertainment.
After the death of his parents, ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt finds himself in the fictional town of New Zebedee, Michigan, forced to live with his bizarre uncle in a magical, somewhat haunted house. He soon learns that his uncle is really a warlock who practices magic and that the house has been more or less cursed by its previous owner. After learning from his uncle, Lewis inadvertently performs a ritual that raises the previous owner and former partner of his uncle, Isaac Izard, from the dead, which sets off a chain of events that threatens the fate of all mankind.
From acting roles in films such as “Inglorious Bastards”, to various producer and director credits like “Cabin Fever”, “Hostel”, and the recent “Death Wish” remake, I’ve long followed Eli Roth’s career with mostly admiration. So naturally, I had certain expectations for his newest film. I was quickly and continually disappointed to find a PG-rated family fantasy film that had mediocre special effects, a minimal scare factor, and cheesy dialogue and humor at best. The varied “scary” elements of the film were over the top and almost too goofy to take seriously. While I can appreciate the filmmaker’s attempt to explore a new genre and create a kid-friendly movie, it doesn’t seem to offer more than mild childish fun.
The film constantly reminded me of Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion” film or a “Goosebumps” type presentation (2015 version also featuring Jack Black), and I continued to look for reasons to like Roth’s new movie, but overall I couldn't find much to praise, at least for more of an adult viewer. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a few adult humor-related, innuendo type jokes, which were fairly non-existent (those present were about as corny as could be), but I do hope younger audiences will be able to find value in “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” where I could not.
“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor, and language. Running time is 1 hour and 44 minutes.
