Universal Pictures has released the first trailer forThe House with The Clock in Its Walls, the new family-friendly gothic thriller fromEli Rothand Amblin Entertainmentabout a ten-year-old who goes to live with his uncle in “a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart” and finds himself in a world of magic when he accidentally awakens the dead. The film starsJack Blackas the uncle, a small-town Warlock, andCate Blanchettas the witch next door, who get caught up in the young boy’s magical adventure.
Setting aside Jack Black tossing fireballs like he’s Super Mario and some dodgy CGI that will probably be cleaned up in the months ahead, this movie looks surprisingly fun. I love the aesthetic here, and we don’t have enough movies that are designed to scare kids. While I’m still a bit skeptical, I’m at least more curious about what this movie has to offer.
The House with a Clock in Its Wallsalso starsOwen Vaccaro,Kyle MacLachlan, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams, andSunny Suljic.arrives in theaters on July 22, 2025.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In the tradition of Amblin classics where fantastical events occur in the most unexpected places, Jack Black and two-time Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett star in The House with a Clock in Its Walls, from Amblin Entertainment. The magical adventure 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.
Based on the beloved children’s classic written by John Bellairs and illustrated by Edward Gorey, The House with a Clock in Its Walls is directed by master frightener Eli Roth and written by Eric Kripke (creator of TV’s Supernatural). Co-starring Kyle MacLachlan, Colleen Camp, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Anne Williams and Sunny Suljic, it is produced by Mythology Entertainment’s Brad Fischer (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), as well as Kripke.
