The House with a Clock in its Walls: A Discussion Guide and Review

The House With a Clock in its Walls Review and Discussion Guide by the Ent and the Hobbit

To Know Before You Go:

Movie: The House With a Clock in it’s Walls
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 12+ (Unless child can handle intense and creepy scenes)
Running Time: About an 1hr. and 45 min.
Release Date: September 21st, 2018
Stars: 3 out of 5
Themes: Family, Friendship, Showing Courage,
Trigger Warnings: Death of parents, Use of magic/supernatural elements

Quick Summary:  In 1955, Lewis goes to live with his eccentric uncle after the death of his parents.  He immediately begins to feel that something is not right in this situation and becomes aware that his uncle is dabbling in magic.  After a spell goes awry, chaos erupts and it is up to Lewis and his uncle to put things right before its too late! Adults and kids will have fun at this fun new Halloween movie! Cate Blanchett is amazing in this role! And we were shocked that the Eli Roth and Jack Blacks comedy style worked so well together!

Discussion Questions:

1) What would it be like to live in a magical house?

2) The movie was set in 1955 and things were obviously different then.  What did you see that was different?  Do you think you would have liked to have lived in 1955?

3) It was fun watching Lewis use the dictionary.  What dictionary word(s) describe you?

4) Everybody wants to be friends with the most popular kid.  Is that always the best thing?  What happens to Lewis when he tries to be friends with the popular kids?

5) Who do you relate to most in this story? (The eccentric uncle, the reader, the bug enthusiast, etc)

If you and your kids loved this movie- check out the The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Lewis Barnavelt)” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>book series it was based on!!!

The House with a Clock in its Walls Review:

3 Thoughts from the Ent 

1) One aspect that plays a fairly big role is the constant underestimation of the main character Lewis.  It becomes more and more obvious as the movie progresses that Lewis is more than capable of showing responsibility as well as being a very intelligent kid.  Later in this movie, Lewis makes a huge mistake that has terrible consequences.  But in retrospect, if Lewis’ uncle had trusted him up front, Lewis would have had a definitive reason not to do what he did.  It is the “Do what I said because I said so” parenting style.  A lot of times he was expected to do exactly as he was told when it seemed entirely unreasonable. This lack of reasoning not only caused discontent, but almost pushed him to go against it even more.

2) Although there was a very good narrative throughout the movie, there were a few subplots and ideas that I don’t think carried through as well as originally hoped.  My biggest frustration was the motive of the main villain.  If done just slightly differently he could have been a sympathetic villain with a clear goal and a sure-fire purpose.  Instead, he comes of as someone who has created this large scale evil plan for no apparent reason.

3) This movie was directed by Eli Roth.  Although I am a very big horror movie fan, I have personally never been a big fan of his movies as he tends towards the more pointlessly violent horror rather than the atmospheric horror movies which I tend to enjoy more.  Because of this, I didn’t have high expectations for this movie. I was confused by the combination of Eli Roth, Jack Black, and the children’s movie genre.  That being said, I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit and would recommend it to children who enjoy the macabre or anyone who wants a fairly tame, but solid action-horror movie.

3 Thoughts from the Hobbit:

1) I loved the way the introduction drew you into the story! It pulls you in and does not let you go.

2) Uncle Jonathan, Lewis, the house – they are all a mix of really good and not so good. They are real because they have weaknesses that they all overcome.

3) The acting was excellent, especially Cate Blanchett.

Extra to be aware of -kids May learn some new insults.

What is your families favorite Halloween/Fall movie to watch together??

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