The House With a Clock in Its Walls

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The House With a Clock in Its Walls

PG

2018

1h 45m

Fantasy

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

219 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious ticktock 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.

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Critics Consensus

An entertaining PG detour for gore maestro Eli Roth, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a family-friendly blend of humor and horror with an infectious sense of fun.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Mar 4, 2020

Jack Black (playing the uncle) and Cate Blanchett (as his best friend and partner in magic) are usually welcome screen presences, but they seem embarrassed and undirected here, and the less said about the child actors, the better.

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Emily Yoshida

New York Magazine/Vulture

Jan 7, 2019

I found my attention wandering.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Sep 28, 2018

B

I feel like Eli Roth kind of revitalized himself with this picture...I'd love to see what else he can do with this kind of film.

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

3/5

Not only does it see weirdness as something to celebrate, but it, through many of its characters, assures young audiences not to fret over the past.

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Mike Thorn

Vague Visages

Dec 12, 2023

Emerging from a preceding filmography of viciously abrasive and almost ceaselessly offensive films, The House with a Clock in Its Walls sees Roth re-examining his interest in genre cinema.

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Joe Lipsett

Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast

Oct 3, 2023

3.5/5

While the film is more focused on men than women (like the book), Jack Black and Cate Blanchett make a surprisingly compelling comedic team. While some of the jokes are pretty juvenile, the flights of fancy make this a spooky good time.

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dustination P

@dustination Sep 13, 2026

It was a fairly fun movie. The cast was pretty good. The writing could have been better. I never hated it at any point, but it seemed like it was right on the brink of a being a memorable film. It was decent enough that I don't regret watching it, but I'm not sure that I would recommend it either.

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 13, 2026

This gothic fantasy for children and teenagers is completely lost due to a serious identity crisis and a profoundly unbalanced tone. The direction fails in its attempt to blend a dark atmosphere of witchcraft with moments of childish humor and extremely tasteless scatological jokes. Despite the attractive production design and the veteran cast's attempts to inject charisma into the narrative, the predictable script and the irritating performance of the young protagonist turn the film into a boring and unmagical experience.

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Kirsten O.

@summitlove_ Apr 24, 2026

Good movie to watch with the fam a little corny some parts but I enjoyed it overall!

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Daniel C

@RT27845370 Apr 7, 2026

A cute enough film that sometimes tries too hard to remind you that it's a kids movie ("Look! Poop!") directed by Eli Roth ("Remember those people? They're dead! And those people hardly mentioned? They also died! Probably horribly but almost certainly tragically!") But you can't go far wrong with a charming wizard and a cute orphan living in a magic house.

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Hayleigh P.

@haytay.shows22 Mar 28, 2026

This was so good!! The ending made it even better, the perfect family.

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Rebecca W.

@Rebeccathecode Mar 22, 2026

The trailer does a good job of showing what the movie is like. I liked the banter between Uncle Jonathan(Jack Black) and Miss Zimmerman(Cate Blanchett). My only issue is it felt like it was over too fast, bc the first half was showing the characters and plot. And the last half was the action.

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Eli Roth

Director

Jack Black

Jonathan Barnavelt

Cate Blanchett

Florence Zimmerman

Owen Vaccaro

Lewis Barnavelt

Kyle MacLachlan

Isaac Izard

Renée Elise Goldsberry

Selena Izard

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Synopsis

Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious ticktock 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.

Director: Eli Roth
Producer: Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, Eric Kripke
Screenwriter: Eric Kripke
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Mythology Entertainment
Rating: PG (Rude Humor|Language|Thematic Elements|Scary Images|Some Action|Sorcery)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 27, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.5M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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