Solid ‘Clock’ does tend to drag
The House with a Clock in Its Walls Rated: PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language. Running time: 105 minutes. out of 4
The film is well-scripted, well-intentioned and wellcast, with maximum effort by Jack Black and Cate Blanchett as a warlock and witch trying to solve a mystery in a haunted mansion.
But it could use a game a Quidditch, or a car chase, or a road trip somewhere — anywhere — other than the claustrophobic house where the vast majority of the action takes place. Technically, it’s a very solid movie, but tonally it has problems, which build with each similarly dark and unsettling scene.
The film is directed by Eli Roth, known for his gleefully violent and nihilistic horror films, including “Hostel” and “The Green Inferno.” He makes the PG equivalent here, crafting a movie that pushes the boundaries of the rating, and will be a memorable milestone for young children whose parents go by the very comedic trailers and don’t realize the actual film is relentlessly scary.
“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” begins in the 1950s with Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), a 10-year-old orphaned boy who is sent to live with his strange uncle Jonathan (Black), a warlock who bounds around a living house — with a hidden ticking clock at the center. Lewis, Jonathan and their witch neighbor Florence (Blanchett) create an odd but endearing family unit, before an evil is unleashed in the second act.
After that, “Clock” is basically “It,” minus the scary clown. Lewis learns magic spells and raises the dead and battles vomiting pumpkins at night, with the occasional welcome scene or two in the light of day at his elementary school.
Based on John Bellairs’ 1973 book by the same name, “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is all charm and production design in the beginning, led by the lively energy of Black, and the wonderful nuance of Blanchett. You could put Blanchett up against anyone, including Streep, in a contest of subtle glances. She’s superb in this film, especially when her character’s own sad history comes into view.
The house is fun as well, blending visual effects artistry with imagination and a steady creepiness. There are very few cheap jump scares in “The House with a Clock in Its Walls,” just a building sense of fear and dread, which reaches your-children-will-be-sleeping-inyour-bed-this-week levels of fear once the big evil has risen. We’re maybe two small shovelfuls of dirt away from a “Pet Sematary” sequel here.
(And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Jim Henson liked to scare small children too.)
The problems aren’t with content, but with pacing. The house is relentlessly dark, and its odd quirks start to feel repetitive. As the plot thickens, we get fewer scenes with Black and Blanchett in a fun banter, and more dread. Movie clichés add to the sense of slog, as Lewis is too-easily tricked into releasing the big bad, takes way too long to fess up to his error, and is treated sympathetically … despite possibly ending the world.
It’s understandable why the “Clock” commercials in particular are so deceptive, seemingly cramming in every light and jokey moment into 30 seconds. Above-average quality aside, the film has no clear target audience. The scariness limits the age range of children who will leave satisfied. And the lightness on action and adult horror will disappoint Eli Roth’s core audience.
By the end, the 105-minute movie feels another third as long. You’ll likely respect the effort. But you’ll be more than happy to leave “The House with a Clock in Its Walls.”