15 Upcoming Movies That Might Be Surprisingly Awesome
3. The House With A Clock In Its Walls
Release Date: September 21
Why It Should Suck: This adaptation of John Bellairs' 1973 gothic fantasy horror novel is being directed by Eli Roth of all people, and considering he hasn't made an even moderately well-received movie since 2006's Hostel, it's not easy to have much faith in this being any different.
Plus, Roth's never made a PG-rated movie before, and it's entirely possible his tonal sensibilities as a filmmaker just won't mesh effectively in the family-friendly arena.
Why It Might Be Awesome: The fact that Roth scored Jack Black and Cate Blanchett in lead roles is rather encouraging, especially as they seem to be having a ton of fun hamming it up in the trailers released so far.
What's most surprising from the marketing, though, is how visually impressive the movie looks, with the production design, cinematography and visual effects conspiring to deliver a style that looks nothing like your typical Roth joint.
Plus, the original novel's a classic for a reason, so how badly can Roth really screw it up if he's actually sticking to the text?