The House With A Clock In Its Walls Review: 5 Ups & 3 Downs

4. It Channels Amblin's Old Spirit

The House With A Clock In Its Walls is the kind of film that its fans will want to watch every Halloween and part of that comes down to the very conscious attempt to make it fit the Amblin spirit.

10-year-old hero Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is very clearly targeted as another Amblin kid in the mold of Elliot from E.T. - an outsider with tragedy in his past who finds a family and a sense of belonging while the main narrative hurtles on. There's also a nostalgic bent on everything (though it's not entirely clear when the post-WW2 is precisely set), from the sepia tones to the costumes that feels very Amblin too.

It's clear that Roth has done his homework while also wanting to express himself at the same time and that'a an admirable thing to note.