Derivative. That’s the word most associated with YA adaptations now when it comes to filmmaking.
Enter Universal’s “The House with a Clock in its Walls.” You might not know it, but this is a YA novel from 1973, by an author, who just happens to be one of my favorites, John Bellairs. RIP 1991.
Way before R.L. Stine, Bellairs was Mr. Slightly Sinister, and my gateway into Stephen King back in the day, churning out dozens of gothic scares, usually with the help of artist Edward Gorey, who added his wonderfully creepy illustrations along the way. Like many serial pulps, Bellairs’ yarns follow certain tropes, however there was always something special about his books, something mysterious, and alive in terms of mythology. At that time, in the 70s and 80s, horror-themed YA wasn’t really a thing, and Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew weren’t exactly bedfellows.
Where Eric Kripke‘s script shines in character banter and magical heart, it drags in plot development and exposition. The third act in particular gets overcrowded with noisy moments of cheap children’s gags and exposition that kids will sleep through. The magic gets less and less creative, to the point where Blanchett literally uses her wand as a laser gun to shoot creatures with by the climax. Roth even clumsily adds so much terribly spliced in ADR that’s never convincing. It’s a shame when kids films assume far too often that children can’t be expected to grasp onto simple developments without being directly told them and "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" grows ever more guilty of this as the run time plunders on. None of this is helped by saddling Kyle MacLachlan with an underwhelming villain role who monologues about an absurd plan that seems to come out of nowhere. At least he’s got some creepy makeup on, though.
Despite those crucial faults, "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" still balances out to a heartfelt spooky romp. It could easily serve as a light hearted introductory horror film for young kids who can be enchanted by the charming whimsy enough to counteract the scarier moments.
The screenplay by Eric Kripke stays true to the original heart of the story but it expands it charmingly to make an entertaining 1 hour and 45 minutes. The movie is gorgeous. The sets and costumes are breathtakingly beautiful. It is easy just to sit back and get lost in the 1950’s scenery. Just in time for Halloween and all things creepy, comes T"he House with a Clock in Its Walls" directed by Eli Roth. This movie has just the right amount of ‘scary’ for the young ones. Adults will find it entertaining as well.
Enter Universal’s “The House with a Clock in its Walls.” You might not know it, but this is a YA novel from 1973, by an author, who just happens to be one of my favorites, John Bellairs. RIP 1991.
Way before R.L. Stine, Bellairs was Mr. Slightly Sinister, and my gateway into Stephen King back in the day, churning out dozens of gothic scares, usually with the help of artist Edward Gorey, who added his wonderfully creepy illustrations along the way. Like many serial pulps, Bellairs’ yarns follow certain tropes, however there was always something special about his books, something mysterious, and alive in terms of mythology. At that time, in the 70s and 80s, horror-themed YA wasn’t really a thing, and Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew weren’t exactly bedfellows.
Jeff Bock
NewsWhistle
Where Eric Kripke‘s script shines in character banter and magical heart, it drags in plot development and exposition. The third act in particular gets overcrowded with noisy moments of cheap children’s gags and exposition that kids will sleep through. The magic gets less and less creative, to the point where Blanchett literally uses her wand as a laser gun to shoot creatures with by the climax. Roth even clumsily adds so much terribly spliced in ADR that’s never convincing. It’s a shame when kids films assume far too often that children can’t be expected to grasp onto simple developments without being directly told them and "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" grows ever more guilty of this as the run time plunders on. None of this is helped by saddling Kyle MacLachlan with an underwhelming villain role who monologues about an absurd plan that seems to come out of nowhere. At least he’s got some creepy makeup on, though.
Despite those crucial faults, "The House With A Clock In Its Walls" still balances out to a heartfelt spooky romp. It could easily serve as a light hearted introductory horror film for young kids who can be enchanted by the charming whimsy enough to counteract the scarier moments.
Thomas Mariani
marianithomas
The screenplay by Eric Kripke stays true to the original heart of the story but it expands it charmingly to make an entertaining 1 hour and 45 minutes. The movie is gorgeous. The sets and costumes are breathtakingly beautiful. It is easy just to sit back and get lost in the 1950’s scenery. Just in time for Halloween and all things creepy, comes T"he House with a Clock in Its Walls" directed by Eli Roth. This movie has just the right amount of ‘scary’ for the young ones. Adults will find it entertaining as well.
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