From School of Rock to High Fidelity, Kung Fu Panda, Tropic Thunder, and more, Jack Black has starred in some iconic films throughout his more than 40-year career, but even he has a few movies that have flown under the radar. Among those forgotten titles is Black’s underrated horror comedy that just ticked into Netflix’s streaming library nearly a decade after its release.
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In 2018, Black teamed up with famed horror filmmaker Eli Roth for a tampered-down take on the genre with The House with a Clock in Its Walls. The movie started streaming on Netflix on March 3rd, giving subscribers an opportunity to rediscover the movie. The film is based on John Bellairs’s 1973 book of the same name and stars Black opposite Cate Blanchett in a story about an orphaned boy named Lewis who moves in with his uncle. After learning that his uncle is a warlock and accidentally awakening an evil sorcerer, Lewis, his uncle, and their neighbor must find a magical, world-ending clock hidden within the house’s walls to prevent a doomsday scenario.
Jack Black’s The House With a Clock in Its Walls Is Quintessential Gateway Horror
Nailing horror for younger audiences is no easy feat, but The House With a Clock in Its Walls does it right. With horror veteran Roth at the helm, the film is designed to thrill, not terrify, and it doesn’t disappoint. The movie’s horror thrives on a kid-friendly gothic atmosphere achieved through the darkly magical and creepy mansion, where jack-o’-lanterns flicker year-round and furniture comes to life, and it isn’t afraid to deliver PG-rated jump scares with haunted dolls and sentient, menacing griffin-shaped hedges. The movie’s spooky elements absolutely hit the horror factor but never feel overdone or too intense, and the horror perfectly delivers a genuinely thrilling experience for younger viewers.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls also does a pretty great job of balancing its scare factor with plenty of kid-friendly fun and heart. The story itself deals with themes of loss, loneliness, and finding a chosen family, and there’s plenty of adventure, great whimsical moments, and comedy banter along the way. Black and Blanchett also have great onscreen chemistry that leads to genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The movie, which scored a fresh 65% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, is really just a pretty solid introduction to the horror genre for kids and a pretty enjoyable adventure for the entire family.
What’s New on Netflix?
Netflix has some pretty great streaming options this March. Those looking for more family-friendly spooky fare can stream Black’s other kid-friendly horror comedy, Goosebumps. Other family-friendly titles include The Lego Movie, Matilda, and Trolls. Other new arrivals for older viewers include Deepwater Horizon, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Zombieland, with Netflix set to stock even more movies and TV shows throughout the month.
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