The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world.

Director:

Eli Roth

Writers:

Eric Kripke (screenplay by), John Bellairs (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Black	...	Jonathan Barnavelt
Cate Blanchett	...	Florence Zimmerman
Owen Vaccaro	...	Lewis Barnavelt
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Isaac Izard
Renée Elise Goldsberry	...	Selena Izard
Colleen Camp	...	Mrs. Hanchett
Sunny Suljic	...	Tarby Corrigan
Lorenza Izzo	...	Mother
Braxton Bjerken	...	Woody Mingo
Vanessa Anne Williams	...	Rose Rita Pottinger
Ricky Muse	...	Bus Driver (as Ricky Lynn Muse)
Charles Green	...	Soda Jerk
De'Jon Watts	...	Clark (as DJ Watts)
Aaron Beelner	...	Clown Automaton
Joshua Phillips	...	Clown Automaton

Storyline

Lewis Barnavelt, after losing his parents, is sent to Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan. He discovers his uncle is a warlock, and enters a world of magic and sorcery. But this power is not limited to good people: Lewis learns of Isaac Izard, an evil wizard who constructed a magical clock with black magic, as long as it exists it will keep ticking, counting down to doomsday. He died before he could finish the clock, but he hid the clock in his house, where Uncle Jonathan now lives. Now Lewis and Jonathan must find the clock before it finishes its countdown and ends the world.

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Plot Keywords:

child | oddity | hair bun | hair curlers | year 1955 | 

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Taglines:

Magic lives behind every door.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA Canada India

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Filming Locations:

Greenville Street, Newnan, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,608,020, 23 September 2018, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$68,549,695

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,457,147

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Amblin Entertainment, Mythology Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS: X) Auro 11.1 IMAX 6-Track Dolby Atmos (Dolby Atmos+Vision) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Lewis is walking through school, the voice over the PA system is Eli Roth's.

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Goofs

Jonathan's last name is Barnavelt, the same as Lewis. But Jonathan is Lewis' mother's brother, and his last name should be her maiden name, not Barnavelt. The only ways they both could be named Barnavelt would be if her husband's name also just happened to be Barnavelt, or if the family used a naming convention that was extremely unusual and nonconforming by the standards of 1940s-1950s America.

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Quotes

Mrs. Zimmerman: The house is a very old place.

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Crazy Credits

The Amblin Entertainment logo is the 80s version.

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Alternate Versions

Theatrical versions of the movie are longer by 10 seconds, with a bumper for Universal Parks and Resorts placed before the Amblin Partners logo. this is removed from home video releases however, instead cutting directly to the Amblin Partners logo after the credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Film Review: Episode dated 21 September 2018 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Doggone That Moon
Written by Rosella Rue
Performed by Johnny Mosby (as Johnny) and Jonie Mosby (as Jonie)
Courtesy of SONY/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Masters International

User Reviews

A Good Film but Not Great

Good cast, good special effects & interesting storyline, yet it lacked story depth & attention to story details. If had been done right, the story could have been better than mediocre. First and foremost this story is about 3 people in search for love, family and finding where one belongs. The screenplay failed to show hints of romantic love between Jack Black & Cate Blanchett's characters. Jack Black showed little attachment to the Boy which could have been demonstrated by hands on magical instruction by Black to the Boy. Thirdly, the movie could have spent a scene or two with the "true friend" with the boy. Finally, I thought the back story of Black's nemesis was clumsily done. It seemed to me that this movie was half baked instead of being nurtured into a mature film that could have been fully entertaining to kids and adults. Sorry to say, but I give this film a 6.5 to 7.