I'm just as surprised as you, but this is an Eli Roth movie that actually looks good! Playing in a similar key to Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it's spooky but not super scary. The film is based on a 1973 children's book, though as an Amblin production, it definitely has a vibe similar to other kids-in-crazy-situations movies from Steven Spielberg's production company.
Owen Vaccaro (Daddy's Home 2) stars as Lewis, an orphan who goes to live with his eccentric uncle Jonathan (Jack Black). Though at first he finds him a little odd, he soon learns Jonathan is actually a warlock, and his neighbor Mrs. Zimmermann (Cate Blanchett) is a witch.
The title refers to Jonathan's home, where his evil predecessor (Kyle MacLachlan) implanted a countdown to the end of the world. Written by Eric Kripke (creator of Supernatural and Timeless) and directed by Eli Roth (Hostel), the film should have enough genuine scares to keep general audiences interested, but not enough to terrify little kids.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls opens Friday, September 21.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
