This September, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are bringing us a new film that's said to be in the tradition of Amblin's classics, "where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places". That film is director Eli Roth's PG-rated THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, which is based on the 1973 novel by John Bellairs.
Written by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, the cinematic adaptation is a "magical adventure" that tells
the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) who goes to live with his uncle in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town’s sleepy façade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches when Lewis accidentally awakens the dead.
Jack Black plays Lewis's Uncle Jonathan, with Cate Blanchett as the witch who lives next door and Kyle MacLachlan as the evil sorcerer Isaac Izard. Also in the cast are Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, Lorenza Izzo, and Sunny Suljic.
Kripke produced the film with Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt. William Sherak, Tracey Nyberg, Laeta Kalogridis, and Mark McNair serve as executive producers.
With less than three months to go until the release of THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, a trailer has arrived online to give a preview of Kripke and Roth's version of this children's classic. It looks like it's going to be some family friendly fun, possibly a good gateway film to help introduce a new generation of fans to the horror genre.
The release date is September 21st.