The Perfect Family Horror Movie Is Being Hidden From Audiences

My kids and I watch The House with a Clock in Its Walls every year when fall begins to prepare for Halloween. We have a whole roster of scary movies to enjoy, but this one is always first.

The storyline is intense and disturbing, the acting is superb by Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, and Owen Vaccaro, and the direction keeps you in suspense while also laughing yourself silly. This is not an easy combination to pull off, but director Eli Roth does it like a true pro. 

Roth and Eric Kripke developed The House with a Clock in Its Walls from a novel series by the same name, and they made real spooky magic. The film opens up in 1955 with a ten year old boy, Lewis (Vaccaro), whose parents have just died in a tragic car crash.

Lewis is a bit quirky, carrying his magic 8 ball around with him, and he is now traveling by bus to go live with an uncle he has never met in New Zebedee, Michigan.

When Lewis arrives, he is greeted by said uncle, Jonathan (Black) in a robe. “It’s a kimono.” Jonathan smartly informs Lewis, and the two set off for Jonathan’s large Victorian home in the quaint little town. Jonathan brings Lewis into the house, where the beautiful gray haired lady, Florence Zimmerman (Blanchett) emerges from a grandfather clock.

We learn that she is Jonathan’s neighbor and best friend. Jonathan and Florence trade barbed but humorous quips, and she says goodnight after leaving chocolate chip cookies for Lewis. 

Jonathan guides his bewildered nephew to his bedroom, but along the way, viewers are treated to pictures that move, an armchair that squeaks, and other clearly enchanted parts of the home. Lewis hasn’t quite caught on to what is happening in the house with a clock in its walls.

It all becomes clear when Lewis awakens in the middle of his first night and hears ticking noises. He goes downstairs to explore and finds his uncle attacking the walls with an ax. 

Terrified, Lewis tries to flee the house, only to have the clocks chiming loudly in protest, the armchair burst in front of him to bar his way, and his uncle race after him to stop him. Jonathan finally confesses to his nephew that he’s a wizard.

“So you’re a boy witch?” Lewis asks. “No, I’m a wizard.” Jonathan responds. “Right. A boy witch.” Lewis confirms. Enter Florence, who admits that she is also a witch. 

It turns out that the house with a clock in its walls used to belong to a best friend of both Jonathan and Florence, Isaac Izard, who became a dark warlock after he returned from fighting in World War II.

Apparently, he cursed the house, planting a clock in the walls that is counting down to some unknown doom, and he disappeared. Now, Jonathan is trying to find the clock and stop whatever doom is about to arrive. 

Still, danger is ever lurking in the background, and things take a dark turn as the clock remains elusive. 

GFR SCORE

To tell you any more would be to give away far too many spoilers. Suffice to say this family friendly movie is not for the faint of heart. Eli Roth is known for his love of gore for a reason, and while this movie is not over the top bloody, it can get gruesome for kids that aren’t fans of scary films.

But for lovers of all things spooky, it doesn’t get better than The House with a Clock in Its Walls. 

I highly recommend The House with a Clock in Its Walls as Halloween approaches. I finally relented and bought it from Amazon Prime, so we can watch it over and over without stressing out about trying to find it each year. But you can also rent it wherever you rent movies on streaming. Three cheers for Black, Blanchett, Vaccaro, and their supporting cast members. May Roth and Kripke team up again for another clear win.