The House with a Clock in Its Walls is an upcoming family-friendly horror fantasy film directed by Eli Roth. Obviously, family-friendly is the last phrase that comes to mind when talking about any project that Eli Roth is involved with, however, this one looks to change that. The film is based on a children’s horror novel bearing the same name, written by John Bellairs.
Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious `tick tock’ noise. He soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and his feisty neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are powerful practitioners of the magic arts. When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town’s sleepy facade suddenly springs to life, revealing a secret and dangerous world of witches, warlocks, and deadly curses.
The trailer for The House with a Clock in Its Walls wastes no time bringing attention to the ticking of the clock and introducing us to 10-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro). It appears that Lewis will be staying at a gothic-style house with a man and a woman who turn out to be a warlock and witch, Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black) and Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett).
If you are familiar with the book, then you know the details of what is going on, but the trailer gives very little information as to what the clock actually is about. Mr. Barnavelt tells Lewis that “things are quite different here.” He also admits that they don’t know what the clock is, only that it is nothing good.
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There is so much packed into this two-minute trailer, with the story feeling very Goosebumps-esque but on a larger scale and with a darker tone. Supernatural fans may recognize the name of the scriptwriter, Eric Kripke, who also wrote the screenplay for 2005’s Boogeyman.
It will be very interesting to see what Eli Roth can do with a PG-13 rating. You can check the trailer out on YouTube now!
