La Prophétie de l'horloge

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a throwback to the good old-school fantasy horror flicks with a pinch of comedy. The acting and directing perfectly compliment this effective blend. This is sure to be an enjoyable watch for anyone looking for a family fun time.

The story follows orphan Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) as he is sent to Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) and family friend Florence (Cate Blanchett). He discovers his uncle is a warlock and enters a magical world unlike any before. Nonetheless, this power can come of great malice, especially under the control of Isaac Izard (Kyle McLachlan), an evil wizard who wants to pioneer the beginning of time at the cost of all who live. To do this, he assembled plans for a time-travelling clock under the influence of blood magic and, as long as it exists, it will keep ticking, counting down to the Apocalypse. However, he died before he could finish the clock and hid the clock in his house, where Uncle Jonathan and Florence now live. Now, Lewis, Jonathan, and Florence must find the clock before it is too late, as necromancy threatens to rebirth Izard.

Owen Vaccaro, as Lewis, debuts impressively characterizing his inner pedant and emotional vulnerabilities. It is truly exciting to watch his character struggle and master the magic arts and current social status. Jack Black, as Jonathan, is my favorite character as he excels with vibrant gestures and comic timing. His struggles and determination to connect with nephew Lewis about his orphanage are touching to watch and strengthened the movie's emotional core. Cate Blanchett, as Florence, is enthralling with her sharp remarks and magic finesse. Last, but not least, Kyle McLachlan, as Isaac Izard, goes all in with his villainous and determined goals with the help of his equally cunning wife Selena, played by Renee Elise Goldsberry.

Eli Roth talentedly directs the movie with his previous horror techniques taking full play in the movie's suspenseful scenes with the blood taking a backstage. 80s influences are clear within these, too, enlightening those of older ages. My favorite scene is the movie's introduction of the clock's ticking because the ambient sound mixing and design left me craving more. However, my problem with this movie stems from the plot development in general as the movie does not really get going until halfway through by delving full force into Izzard's endeavors. This leaves the first half feeling dull and repetitive at times as it just feels like an hour-long introduction to the house.

The message of the movie is to always believe in hope and people, as that carries Lewis past his family tragedy and elevates him to become a hero. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 10 because of some intense horror.

Reviewed by Arjun N., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org

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.

(Some parents are complaining about the rating but are ignoring the quality of this movie for their little issues. It's why parent's can actually look up reviews before watching a movie with their kids. Like you guys are fine letting your kids watch prince charming kiss unconscious princesses but mild horror, oh no?)

Anyway, yeah this movie was good, and most kids will like it too, if they love Harry Potter, then this will be great for them. I did want to give it 10/10 for the rating being so low but that wouldn't be an honest review of the quality of the movie. It was definitely entertaining and thrilling for me.

The most frequently encountered criticism, here on the website as well as elsewhere in external reviews, is that "The House with a Clock in its Walls" doesn't have real target audience! Supposedly the special effects and spooky moments are too frightening for children, whereas the story is said to be too childish for adult audiences. Nonsense! You want to know who it's for? For weird and moderately twisted children of all ages; - like your truly!

Today, at age 40, I am a hardcore horror fanatic. As a 7 to 12-year-old, I was already hooked on dark & macabre children's movies, and preferably those with long and imaginative titles, like "The Watcher in the Woods", "Island at the top of the World" or "Something Wicked this Way comes". "The House with a Clock in its Walls" would have fit perfectly among my childhood favorites. Correction! It STILL fits perfectly among my favorites, and now also my own children (aged six and eleven) show a fascination. Perhaps the target audience for films like these isn't very large but we are devoted fans, to say the least.

"The House with a Clock in its Walls" was a more than pleasant surprise! The story, neatly adapted from John Bellair's novel by Eric Kripke, is playful and compelling. There is suspense, comedy, family sentiment, valuable life-lessons (most notably: it's okay to be different), and the special effects are top-notch. I never was much of a Jack Black fan, but he's tolerable here, and he's formidably supported by Cate Blanchett and Kyle McLachan. With this film, Eli Roth demonstrates that he evolved a lot since "Cabin Fever", and that he's capable of more than repulsive torture-horror.

The main kid is so adorable and Jack Black is a delight as always! It's shocking how every film before this that Eli Roth did had elements of horror and some kind of super gruesome scenes; highly respectable he changed things up. Great story about a haunted house among other things and still watchable for kids. Unfortunate how it's only got 6.0 on IMDb it deserves a lot better.