The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)

Director Eli Roth is not known for being one of the better horror filmmakers out there. From 'Cabin Fever' to 'The Green Inferno', his work has ranged from above average to downright abysmal but thankfully he has been saved by the most unlikely thing: a family friendly horror film. 'The House with a Clock in its Walls' is by far his best work thanks to it's well made script, awesome cast, and the same charm that 'Goosebumps' has. The film's story comes from the 1972 novel of the same name and tells the tale of a young boy named Lucas who comes to live with his uncle (Jack Black). It doesn't take him long to realize that there's more to his new home than meets the eye, and he must deal with malevolent forces that threaten his town and the world.

Like I mentioned before, the film takes many cues from Sony's 'Goosebumps' film from 2015 and seeing as how Jack Black also starred in that film, it's not hard to see the comparisons straight away. That's not to say the movie is a copy and paste re-working, but rather it works just as well by knowing the core audience and makes it just tense and spooky enough for them while also entertaining both children and their parents. Only a few jokes kind of flop and some will find Black's performance no different than others he's done, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by how well written this screenplay was. It doesn't rely on crude humor, save for one or two, and instead goes for a dry humor with some effective visual gags to go with it. The funniest moments were between Black and Cate Blanchett, who plays his neighbor and best friend. Watching them bicker back and forth is the best part, and they work off each other very well. I also love the cinematography of the film, recreating the 1950's very well along with playing up the Gothic imagery perfectly. It can lean towards the trope side of things, but I always love watching an old fashioned film like this and the visuals reflect the story, the time frame, and the tone perfectly. 

There are some negatives that tend to plague many films in general, with the biggest being the villain. I won't spoil anything here, but I have to say their motives were not only weak, but they seem crammed into the film at the last minute as if they forgot to put an antagonist into it and rushed something together. I know this isn't how the novel portrays it, so the screenplay while being well made compared to other children's films does have this major flaw. The only other antagonistic character we get is a cliche school bully that adds nothing to the film other than a quick laugh at the end so overall I will say that while it doesn't ruin the movie for me personally, the villains are very weak.

Overall, I walked out very satisfied and happy with 'The House with a Clock in its Walls'. Eli Roth has shown that he does indeed have the talent and ability to tell a good story without going over the line. His stories always had the idea down, but he would always stumble on the execution and yeah, this isn't a perfect film or anything and I wouldn't recommend it over 'Goosebumps', but it's a great Halloween film for the family and I would recommend you take them this holiday. It's funny and has just the right amount of spookiness for everyone to enjoy.

4/5