THE HOUSE — It’s been slow for movies lately, but this weekend offers up the family-fantasy film “The House with a Clock in Its Walls.”

The movie stars Jack Black and Cate Blanchett and is based off the novel of the same name. In the film, recently orphaned 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) moves in with his new guardian, Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black), and soon discovers his estranged uncle is a warlock looking for a dangerous clock that’s been hidden in the house’s walls.

The film also stars Blanchett as Jonathan’s next-door neighbor and friend Florence who is also a powerful witch and takes Lewis under her wing.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” has some really interesting ideas and is unlike most scary movies for families I’ve seen before. It’s not perfect and a part of me enjoyed it quite a bit, but something else is nagging at me and telling me it’s not that great.

Here are a few reasons “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” intrigued me:

It’s from the director of 'Hostel'

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is rated PG and geared toward kids and families, which is shocking considering who directed the film. Eli Roth is known as a horror director who has made gory and grotesque films filled with blood, guts and graphic violence.

Roth’s credits include “Hostel,” a film about a secret society that kidnaps people and then tortures them to death for fun, and “The Green Inferno,” about a plane that goes down in the Amazon and the survivors are taken by a tribe of cannibals and guess what happens next. This is the first time Roth has made a non-R-rated film.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Roth in this family-friendly movie, but I think he actually did a fairly good job with balancing the humor, scares and heart to make the film work, for the most part.

Roth did manage, however, to make “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” scarier than most of the kids horror films I’ve seen in a long time. The tone and humor fit the likes of more recent films like “Goosebumps” and “Coraline,” but the scares seemed a little more retro.

It's oddly nostalgic

I grew up with kids horror films like “Gremlins” and reading books like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” These movies were made for kids, but they were actually frightening and made for some sleepless nights.

I think Roth tapped into that nostalgic kid horror and made sure to make “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” scarier than many of the family movies you see today.

This movie reminded me of getting scared as a kid watching something that was entertaining but also was likely to give me nightmares later that night. I probably should have been a little more empathetic to my kids when they started sitting backward in their seats to avoid some scenes.

The production design is fantastic

I love it when a movie can transport me to another time or place. Movies that have their own distinct style and rhythm engross me and capture my imagination. This is why I love the worlds directors like Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam create even if I don’t love the movie itself.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” has a personality all its own thanks to the whimsical production design. The movie is set in the 1950s and it has all the right cars and clothing to fit the time period, but some things like color palette and specific architectural designs are just a little bit off, and it’s perfect.

The dark colors of the house are made lively with splashes of purple, blue and red thanks to characters and artwork. It’s hard to explain without seeing it, but it makes for a creepy world that is still fanciful and inviting enough that you may not mind living there.

My favorite set piece, however, is the house itself and the grounds surrounding it. From the outside, the house looks large, but there seems to be another 17,000 square feet inside than is physically possible. It’s like yet another magic trick Uncle Jonathan has conjured to give the house even more personality. You’ll want to explore every room, every stairwell, every trap door and every secret room in the house once you’ve watched the film.

Conclusion

Overall I had a good time watching “The House with a Clock in Its Walls,” and it will likely be a movie we watch during Halloween time at the Clyde home. With that said I do not think this film will be for everyone. There are heavy and serious themes and, as I mentioned earlier, it can get pretty scary for younger audiences.

Check KSL.com tomorrow to see my full parent’s content guide for the film.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary imagery, rude humor and language.

THE HOUSE — It’s been slow for movies lately, but this weekend offers up the family-fantasy film “The House with a Clock in Its Walls.”

The movie stars Jack Black and Cate Blanchett and is based off the novel of the same name. In the film, recently orphaned 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) moves in with his new guardian, Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black), and soon discovers his estranged uncle is a warlock looking for a dangerous clock that’s been hidden in the house’s walls.

The film also stars Blanchett as Jonathan’s next-door neighbor and friend Florence who is also a powerful witch and takes Lewis under her wing.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” has some really interesting ideas and is unlike most scary movies for families I’ve seen before. It’s not perfect and a part of me enjoyed it quite a bit, but something else is nagging at me and telling me it’s not that great.

Here are a few reasons “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” intrigued me:

It’s from the director of 'Hostel'

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is rated PG and geared toward kids and families, which is shocking considering who directed the film. Eli Roth is known as a horror director who has made gory and grotesque films filled with blood, guts and graphic violence.

Roth’s credits include “Hostel,” a film about a secret society that kidnaps people and then tortures them to death for fun, and “The Green Inferno,” about a plane that goes down in the Amazon and the survivors are taken by a tribe of cannibals and guess what happens next. This is the first time Roth has made a non-R-rated film.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Roth in this family-friendly movie, but I think he actually did a fairly good job with balancing the humor, scares and heart to make the film work, for the most part.

Roth did manage, however, to make “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” scarier than most of the kids horror films I’ve seen in a long time. The tone and humor fit the likes of more recent films like “Goosebumps” and “Coraline,” but the scares seemed a little more retro.

It's oddly nostalgic

I grew up with kids horror films like “Gremlins” and reading books like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” These movies were made for kids, but they were actually frightening and made for some sleepless nights.

I think Roth tapped into that nostalgic kid horror and made sure to make “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” scarier than many of the family movies you see today.

This movie reminded me of getting scared as a kid watching something that was entertaining but also was likely to give me nightmares later that night. I probably should have been a little more empathetic to my kids when they started sitting backward in their seats to avoid some scenes.

The production design is fantastic

I love it when a movie can transport me to another time or place. Movies that have their own distinct style and rhythm engross me and capture my imagination. This is why I love the worlds directors like Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam create even if I don’t love the movie itself.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” has a personality all its own thanks to the whimsical production design. The movie is set in the 1950s and it has all the right cars and clothing to fit the time period, but some things like color palette and specific architectural designs are just a little bit off, and it’s perfect.

The dark colors of the house are made lively with splashes of purple, blue and red thanks to characters and artwork. It’s hard to explain without seeing it, but it makes for a creepy world that is still fanciful and inviting enough that you may not mind living there.

My favorite set piece, however, is the house itself and the grounds surrounding it. From the outside, the house looks large, but there seems to be another 17,000 square feet inside than is physically possible. It’s like yet another magic trick Uncle Jonathan has conjured to give the house even more personality. You’ll want to explore every room, every stairwell, every trap door and every secret room in the house once you’ve watched the film.

Conclusion

Overall I had a good time watching “The House with a Clock in Its Walls,” and it will likely be a movie we watch during Halloween time at the Clyde home. With that said I do not think this film will be for everyone. There are heavy and serious themes and, as I mentioned earlier, it can get pretty scary for younger audiences.

Check KSL.com tomorrow to see my full parent’s content guide for the film.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary imagery, rude humor and language.

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