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:

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

basketball | mouse | bowtie | knapsack | year 1955 | 

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Taglines:

You're invited somewhere timeless.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kyle MacLachlan played Cary Grant in Touch of Pink, and Cate Blanchett played Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator. Grant and Hepburn appeared together in Bringing up Baby and The Philadelphia Story.

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Goofs

Florence uses the phrase "24-7", a saying that didn't come into use until the mid-1980s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jonathan Barnavelt: [writing letter] Dear Lewis: Enclosed, please find one bus ticket and two silver dollars for your trip to Michigan. I'm really sorry about the loss of your parents. Your mom was my sister, so that makes you family. And I'll do my best to make you feel right at home. As Einstein said, life is like a bicycle. To stay balanced, you got to keep moving forward. And so will we. I look forward to meeting you. Your Uncle Jonathan. PS Sorry for the stain on the letter. That's chocolate.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits sequence are filled with with characters and objects from the film, in the artwork of Edward Gorey (a Goth artist who collaborated on John Bellairs novels).

At the end of the closing credits, the film's cast wave goodbye.

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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

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

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Soundtracks

Must Be Fallin' in Love
Written by Anthony Gourdine and Paul Winley
Performed by Anthony Gourdine (as Little Anthony) & The Duponts
Courtesy of Phase One Network, Inc.
By arrangement with Fine Gold Music

User Reviews

People are too easily scared and scared for their children

Why are people saying this movie is not for kids? I don't understand, it's perfect for kids, we had way more scary movies when I was younger, and we grew up fine. Teach your kids the difference between movies and real life, you'll see, it works.

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

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