History Film / TheHouseWithAClockInItsWalls

* CreatorCameo: Director Creator/EliRoth appears as Comrade Ivan, the in-universe BigBad of Captain Midnight's TV show.

* TheBully: Tarby, and another bully Woody Mingo who's initially played as the sole example of this until he's revealed to be Tarby's second-in-command.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Tarby and his lackey Woody Mingo, the two school bullies with nothing but contempt for Lewis.

** It also ryhnmes with ''wizard'.

* SequelHook: Not a blatant one, but Rose Rita's introduction in the movie has the same "AndTheAdventureContinues" overtones that it did in the book. Also, [[spoiler:the demon Azazel, who taught Isaac how to build the clock and work other evil magic,]] appears in the later book ''The Ghost in the Mirror'' (in which Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman team up to fight evil). Considering the movie's lukewarm reception, it may or may not happen.

* {{Shapeshifting}}: Selena Izard is shown to have this ability, which she uses to disguise herself as [[spoiler:Mrs. Hanchett and Lewis's mother.]]

** A minor one, but in the book Johnathan playing a saxophone in his yard at three in the morning is just a hypothetical example that Lewis comes up with, as something Johnathan would do if he felt like it.

* DreadfulMusician: Johnathan and his saxophone.

** And speaking of that ChaseScene, Johnathan has a similar CoolCar in the movie, even if it doesn't play as large a role.

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: Aside from what is mentioned below about Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman's families, this version of Isaac Izard [[EvilFormerFriend was once a good man and a friend to Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman]]. He was even part of a magic show with Jonathan for years, before [[spoiler:falling into despair and misanthropy thanks to his experiences in World War II and]] becoming the crazed, world-destroying warlock we know from the book. Additionally, it is shown that Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman actually tried to talk Isaac out of his plans, and tried to break into the house to end his spell/save his life, rather than simply being left in the dark as to his activities before his sudden demise. And finally, not only was a reason for Isaac's misanthropy never given in detail in the book, but here it was [[spoiler:the demon Azazel]] who gave him the plans for the clock, rather than it being something he invented and designed himself.

* SupernaturalRepellent: Jack O'Lanterns and iron are mentioned to be the two best methods of keeping out evil forces, Jonathan lining his front yard with jack o'lanterns and nailing iron horseshoes to anything that needs extra security. [[spoiler:Both methods fail when put to scrutiny,]. Isaac burns off every horseshoe in and out of the house and turns the jack o'lanterns into amber-spewing monsters.]]

''(A monster's tentacles suddenly appear from behind a door, with Jonathan forcing the door shut)''

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Tarby and his henchboy Woody Mingo are extremely xenophobic of "weirdos." This is prevalent, considering the time setting; in TheFifties, social class issues were occurring which resulted in such events like [[RedScare McCarthyism]] and the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement (even though African American students are shown attending Lewis and Tarby's school with no apparent hard feelings from others, and racial issues are never brought up) and being set at a time before geek culture and social deviance became acceptable and tolerable as they are today.

* TheMillstone: Tarby peer pressuring Lewis to uses dark magic is [[spoiler:what brought Isaac back]].

* LogoJoke: The Universal Pictures logo is the 1970s version, from the era when the ''House With a Clock in its Walls'' story was first published (1973), and plays backwards, [[spoiler:mirroring the purpose of the clock.]] The Amblin Entertainment logo used is the 1980s version.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jonathan Barnavelt and Florence Zimmerman, who are together almost constantly and are depicted as very close, yet are specifically noted to not be "anything kissy-faced."
** Jonathan and Isaac are implied to have been this as well, before the latter's descent into insanity.

* BrokenPedestal: Tarby becomes this to Lewis after the former reveals his true despicable colors. Lewis tragically becomes this to Jonathan after confessing [[spoiler:about accidentally bring back Isaac]]; however, after Mrs. Zimmerman talks to Jonathan, it's all water under the bridge.

* CollectorOfTheStrange: The House is riddled with oddities and unusual content (justified, considering that the house's owners - Isaac and then Jonathan - are both warlocks who have worked as {{Stage Magician}}s). Such weirdness includes sentient furniture, a library of spellbooks, a cabinet with horseshoes nailed to it housing [[spoiler:a particularly dark TomeOfEldritchLore]], a living topiary winged-lion that poops dried leaves, a variety of humanoid animatronics[[note]]Something even Jonathan finds unnerving[[/note]], a purple snake creature locked in a closet, a stainless window that changes its contents every night, a massive collection of clocks[[note]]Something Jonathan has started to collect due to the foreboding nature of Isaac’s clock[[/note]] and [[spoiler:a TickTockTune DoomsdayDevice capable of reversing time itself if the right parameters are met]].

* IncompletelyTrained: This is implied to be the case with Jonathan. While it is implied that magic is inherent in the family and that he was taught much of what he knows by Isaac, he is not nearly the same level as Florence (who he claims to have learned magic at a WizardingSchool).
* InsultOfEndearment: Jonathan and Mrs Zimmerman are best friends and PlatonicLifePartners who are constantly vollying affectionate insults (such as 'Mush Brush' and 'Weird Beard' from Mrs Zimmerman and 'Deranged Cuckoo' and 'Weird Purple Skeleton' from Jonathan) at each other.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Other then getting publicly humiliated by a basketball to the face K.O. by Lewis at the end, Tarby gets off unpunished for taking advantage of Lewis and making him bring back a wizard who tried to end the world. But that happened in the story too, and it just served to make Lewis become more mature and find better company.]]

* LoopholeAbuse: Jonathan despairs after the Izards get away with the key, because they had revealed the clock is hidden by a "witch's hex" which no warlock or witch, no matter how powerful, can see through. But Lewis points out that since he isn't a warlock yet (because he hasn't passed the test of defeating an evil spirit), ''he'' can cast the spell to find the clock.

** The books eventually reveal that it was Lewis's father Charles who was brother to Jonathan; here Lewis's mother was Jonathan's sister. This leads to a minor instance of headscratching, since Lewis and Jonathan have the same last name - which should not be the case.

** In the books, Florence Zimmermann was widowed long ago, and never had any children, but she's relatively happy. In the film, she's still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter in the war, and has lost access to her powers as a result.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Tarby suggesting that Lewis stop wearing goggles to school. While Tarby is written to be a xenophobic HateSink, and this is framed as not respecting Lewis's individuality, it's genuinely good advice. [[LoserProtagonist Lewis]] [[SociallyAwkwardHero is desperate for friendship, and his most of his peers find the goggles off-putting]].

Lewis Barnavelt (Vaccaro), a young orphan, has to help his warlock uncle Jonathan (Black) and their witch neighbor Mrs Zimmerman (Blanchett) to find a clock that could cause the end of the world.

** Also, Mrs Zimmerman in the book is in her 60s and is a fairly prototypical nice old lady next door type (who also happens to be a powerful witch), whereas in the film she's played by the very beautiful and already OlderThanSheLooks 49-year old, Creator/CateBlanchett. No effort is made to make Blanchett look older or homelier, she simply looks like Cate Blanchett with grey hair, also making this a clear case of AgeLift.
* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: Aside from what is mentioned below about Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman's families, this version of Isaac Izard [[EvilFormerFriend was once a good man and a friend to Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman]], and was even part of a magic show with Jonathan for years, before [[spoiler:falling into despair and misanthropy thanks to his experiences in World War II and]] becoming the crazed, world-destroying warlock we know from the book. Additionally it is shown that Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman actually tried to talk Isaac out of his plans, and tried to break into the house to end his spell/save his life, rather than simply being left in the dark as to his activities before his sudden demise. And finally, not only was a reason for Isaac's misanthropy never given in detail in the book, but here it was [[spoiler:the demon Azazel]] who gave him the plans for the clock, rather than it being something he invented and designed himself.
* AdaptationalVillainy: While in both the film and book versions he is a BrattyHalfPint, Tarby here is more despicable then the book version of the character.

** The books eventually reveal that it was Lewis's father Charles who was brother to Jonathan; here Lewis's mother was Jonathan's sister.

** In the book, Lewis simply raised the dead using a book he found in Jonathan's library rather than a special evil book of Isaac's that Jonathan had locked away. Also, his mistake in raising Selenna (or in this case Isaac) was much more understandable since the tomb was marked not with a name but the [[ArcSymbol Omega Symbol]], rather than the diamond and twin 'I's from the movie. (Not that Jonathan explained the significance of that to Lewis, either...)
** In the book, the clock key was hidden inside of a brass light fixture and stolen when Selenna (or more likely, Hammerhandle) broke in and [[RansackedRoom ransacked the house]]. In the movie the break-in still happens, but nothing is found because Jonathan already took the key from Isaac's book and carried it with him; it has to be taken from him later, after [[HostageForMacGuffin all of them are captured]] and [[{{Protectorate}} Lewis]]'s life [[IHaveYourWife is placed in danger]].
** In the book, Lewis found the plans and notes Isaac made about the clock and the doomsday cloud patterns hidden inside an old organ. Here, Jonathan is the one to find them in the secret room, but can't read them because they are written in code--the same sort as used in the Captain Midnight serials, of which [[ContrivedCoincidence both Lewis and Isaac were fans]].

** Finally, the showdown with the Izards still comes down to only Lewis in the end, except rather than being paralyzed by the hand of glory, Mrs. Zimmerman is left fighting [[ChekhovsGun the serpent monster from the closet created by her Magic Misfire]] while Jonathan is youthened into a baby by the clock. And while in the book the clock was a simple clock Lewis could smash, here that was only a RedHerring as the real clock was below; Lewis has to stop it by literally blocking and breaking the gearwork [[spoiler:([[ChekhovsBoomerang again with the 8-ball]])]].

** In the books, Florence Zimmermann was widowed long ago, and never had any children; she's relatively happy though. In the film, she's still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter in the war, and has lost access to her powers as a result.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Florence Zimmerman is from Paris but has the last name "Zimmerman", a husband and daughter who died in World War II, and a number tattoo.

* BackFromTheDead: Isaac Izard, who's unwittingly revived by Lewis's necromantic spell.

* BerserkButton: Saying anything that reveals or even implies that Tarby is scared really insults him to a point it was one of the factors of Tarby wearing away his patience with Lewis thin until he threatens then assaults him to get him off his back.

* BrokenPedestal: Tarby becomes this to Lewis after the former reveals his true despicable colors. Lewis tragically becomes this to Jonathan after confessing [[spoiler:about accidentally bring back Isaac]]. Though, after Mrs. Zimmerman talks to Jonathan, it's all water under the bridge.
* BroughtDownToNormal: Mrs. Zimmerman has lost access to her powers due to trauma suffered during World War II. [[spoiler:She gets better.]]

* ChekhovsGun: Lewis's ability to channel electricity [[spoiler:which he uses to blast Isaac and Selena down into the clock works after they try to dislodge the 8-ball]].
** Lewis's Magic8Ball. It was originally a gift from his parents before they died and thus he uses it as something akin to a SecurityBlanket, becoming upset when Jonathan accidentally implies its lack of worth. He later uses it as a catalyst in a ParodyMagicSpell (which works, considering magic is established as unique between users) and [[spoiler:later used to jam the cogs in the clock, saving the world]].
* ChekhovsHobby: The reason why Jonathan collects so many clocks is to help drown out the foreboding ticking of the clock Isaac hid.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: The House is riddled with oddities and unusual content (justified, considering their owners - Isaac and then Jonathan - are both warlocks that have worked as {{Stage Magician}}s). Such weirdness includes sentient furniture, a library of spell-books, a cabinet with horseshoes nailed to it housing [[spoiler:a particularly dark TomeOfEldritchLore]], a living topiary winged-lion that poops dried out leaves, a variety of humanoid animatronics[[note]]Something even Jonathan finds unnerving[[/note]], a purple snake creature locked in a closet, a stainless window that changes its contents every night, a massive collection of clocks[[note]]Something Jonathan has started to collect due to the foreboding nature of Isaac’s clock[[/note]] and [[spoiler:a TickTockTune DoomsdayDevice capable of reversing time itself if the right parameters are met]].
* CoolUncle: Jonathan is established as FunPersonified in-spite of his bumbling (inviting him to his poker game, treating him to cookies as dinner, teaching him magic, etc.) with only one rule that he wants Lewis to follow; do not open the locked cabinet.
* CreativeClosingCredits: The chair chases the griffin topiary with a chainsaw (after which [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed the standard disclaimer]] appears as "no furniture or griffin topiaries were harmed in the making of this film"); then little animations of various characters and items appear, all drawn in a style reminiscent of Edward Gorey (who illustrated the book).

* DontTouchItYouIdiot: Jonathan only has one rule; do not open the cabinet. It is hard to miss really, what with it being covered in iron horseshoes (which is established to keep evil away) and a large padlock keeping it shut. [[WhatDoesThisButtonDo Naturally, Tarby immediately wants to open it as soon as he sees it]].

* {{Foil}}: Isaac Izard could be seen as being a foil to Mrs Zimmerman. They are both powerful magic users who underwent extremely traumatic experiences during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Said experiences completely broke Izard and sent him fully over to the dark side, turning him into an evil madman who believed that HumansAreBastards and therefore humanity should be wiped from the face of the earth. By contrast, Mrs Zimmerman is a kind and gentle woman who eventually had the strength of character to move past her overwhelming grief and emotional pain (which temporarily rendered her magic mostly unusable) and then use her re-found magic for good, helping to save the very same world that Izard was trying to destroy.
* FreezeFrameBonus: Just after Mrs. Zimmerman gives a somewhat vague statement about how some past trauma left her unable to use magic anymore, her arm moves in a way that reveals [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identification_in_Nazi_concentration_camps a small numeric tattoo]], indicating that she and her family were held in a concentration camp during the war and her husband and daughter were likely [[TearJerker victims of]] UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust.

** That Tarby would decide to look in the forbidden closet, discover the book, and open it to find out what was inside it, all without Jonathan catching them.

** And all this had to happen within a very tight time limit, since the clock can only be activated during the lunar eclipse.
* GeniusLoci: The house seems to be alive. Not only can it sense and react to the things its inhabitants say, do, and feel, but after Isaac is brought back from the dead Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman discuss how they can feel that the house "knows he's back" and is waiting for him like a dog for its master. This is reflected in how the pumpkins and topiary are turned to evil, and the stained-glass window which changes in usually playful and amusing ways suddenly depicts Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman, and Lewis as skeletons in their graves.

* HairTriggerTemper: Following getting his cast off and winning the class presidential election, Tarby increasingly loses patience with Lewis, from Lewis initially refusing to use dark magic to prove to him magic's existence to Tarby finally having it with Lewis when the latter tried to go to him for help, only to get punched in the stomach by the fed up former.

** Jonathan and Isaac are implied to have been this as well before the latter's descent into insanity.
* HumansAreBastards: Izard fought in [[WarIsHell World War 2]], and his experiences caused him to [[spoiler: make a DealWithTheDevil in exchange for the means to turn back time for the entire world and make sure humanity never existed.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: Tarby suggesting Lewis stop wearing goggles to school. While Tarby is written to be a xenophobic HateSink, and this is framed as not respecting Lewis's individuality, it's genuinely good advice. [[LoserProtagonist Lewis]] [[SociallyAwkwardHero is desperate for friendship, and his most of his peers find the goggles off-putting]].
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Other then getting publicly humiliated by a basketball to the face K.O. by Lewis at the end, Tarby gets off unpunished for taking advantage of Louis and making him bring back a wizard who tried to end the world. But that happened in the story too, and it just served to make Lewis become more mature and find better company.]]

* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler: Izard's wife, Selena, did this with their neighbor Ms. Hanchett]].
* LogoJoke: The Universal Pictures logo is the 1970s version, from the era when the "House With a Clock in its Walls" story was first published (1973), and plays backwards, [[spoiler:mirroring the purpose of the clock.]] The Amblin Entertainment logo used is the 80s version.
* LoopholeAbuse: Jonathan is despairing after the Izards get away with the key, because they had revealed the clock is hidden by a "witch's hex" which no warlock or witch, no matter how powerful, can see through. But Lewis points out that since he isn't a warlock yet (because he hasn't passed the test of defeating an evil spirit), ''he'' can cast the spell to find the clock.
* MagiciansAreWizards: Jonathan, Florence and Isaac originally worked as stage magicians (Jonathan and Isaac as a pair, Florence having done her work in France) using their very real magic to entertain the masses. This is most obvious with Jonathan, having seen to use the infinite handkerchief trick to try and cheer-up a crying Lewis and later turns playing cards into keys to pick locks. It is implied by a poster seen in the end of the film that Lewis will become Jonathan's new partner in this business.
* MeaningfulName: It isn't spelled out (no pun intended) the way it is in the book, but the BigBad having the last name Izard is a reference to "izzard", the British word for the letter Z...as in, the final letter of the English alphabet, just as Omega was the last Greek letter and symbol of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

** More hilariously, the brief moment when Mrs. Zimmerman insults Jonathan by referencing his back hair would seem to be a reference to the book, where Lewis upon first meeting his uncle sees the thick red hair on his hands and arms, sticking out from his sleeves, and wonders if it covers his whole body.
* NeverMyFault: Tarby is the one [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom who caused the events of]] [[spoiler:the BigBad coming back to life to cause havoc]], and even bolts when he witnessed [[spoiler:him coming back to life]], but he is in vehement denial of it and is a WeirdnessCensor, FlatEarthAtheist, StrawVulcan, and DirtyCoward. While this is still true to a great extent in the book, here he takes it one step farther by being the one to actually unlock the cabinet and take out Isaac's dark book.

* NothingIsScarier: What the clock can do exactly is unknown.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Tarby and his henchboy Woody Mingo are extremely xenophobic of weirdos. This is prevalent considering the time setting TheFifties where social class issues were occurring that resulted in such events like [[RedScare McCarthyism]] and the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement (even though African American students are shown attending Lewis and Tarby's school with no apparent hard feelings from others and racial issues were never brought up) and being set at a time before geek culture and social deviance became acceptable and tolerable today.
* PurpleIsPowerful: Mrs Zimmerman is a very powerful witch, she's described as being much more powerful than Uncle Jonathan himself, and she's always clad from head to toe in the color purple and she even has a purple house. Her magic also glows purple when she regains her full power late in the film too.

* {{Shapeshifting}}: Selena Izard is shown to have this ability, which she uses to disguise herself as [[spoiler:Ms. Hanchett and Lewis's Mother.]]

* ShoutOut: A theater marquee lists "Space Man From Pluto", the title that a Universal executive reportedly wanted to force onto ''Film/BackToTheFuture''.

* {{Slimeball}}: Tarby is a BrattyHalfPint type, a two-faced, slimy, shortsighted, xenophobic and selfish diaper stain of a FlatEarthAtheist ManipulativeBastard DirtyCoward who [[BaitTheDog Baited the Dog]] towards Lewis into thinking he is befriending him, when in reality he is just using him as an UnwittingPawn to make himself publicly look good to become class president. He even has TheDragon Woody Mingo to act outwardly bratty at school to deviate negative attention from himself, when in reality he is as much of a school bully as his partner. By having a cast on his left hand at the beginning, he pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit to earn sympathy from others to make them think he's just another victim who needs love.
* SlobsVersusSnobs: A variation, the "slob" happens to be Lewis, the kid demeaned for being weird, while the "snob" is the popular, athletic, but selfish, shortsighted and xenophobic Tarby.
* SupernaturalRepellent: Jack O'Lanterns and iron are mentioned to be the two best methods of keeping out evil forces, Jonathan lining his front yard with jack o'lanterns and nailing iron horseshoes to anything that needs extra security. [[spoiler:Both methods fail when put to scrutiny, Isaac burning off every horseshoe in and out of the house and turning the jack o'lantern into amber-spewing monsters.]]

* TragicKeepsake: Lewis' Magic 8-Ball was a gift from his parents just before they died. [[spoiler: Lewis ends up sacrificing it to save the world.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: Mrs Zimmerman and Jonathan trade barbs almost constantly, but they're very good friends regardless.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Isaac Izard's actions are monstrous and [[spoiler: his ultimate goal is even [[RetGone worse]]]], but once you find out [[WarIsHell what]] [[ShellShockedVeteran caused him]] [[DespairEventHorizon to be this way]] it's hard not to feel the slightest bit sorry for him. Before this, he was implied to have been a decent person and very close friend to Jonathan, and interestingly, he [[spoiler: offers to save Lewis when the eclipse starts and the clock's power activates.]] Ultimately, he's been so twisted by his trauma and dark magic that whatever's left of the person Jonathan and Florence knew is long gone by the time he comes back from the dead.

* TragicKeepsake: Lewis' Magic 8-Ball was a gift from his parents just before they died.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Tarby gets off unpunished for taking advantage of Louis and making him bring back a wizard who tried to end the world. But that happened in the story too, and it just served to make Lewis become more mature and find better company.]]

** In the book it was Selenna who was brought BackFromTheDead by Lewis to impress Tarby (with a judicious bit of manipulation by planting her name in his mind to write in the magic circle). Here, it's Isaac himself (who in the book only appeared as the clock was striking and summoning him back, and dissipated when it was destroyed). As a result, while Selena does still do various manipulative things in the background (most notably [[spoiler:appearing as Lewis's mother in his dreams to get him to find the book and key]]), she is reduced to Isaac's Dragon here (or at best, a {{CoDragon|s}}), rather than the main BigBad as she was in the book.

* ChekhovsHobby: The reason why Jonathan collects so many clocks is to help drown out the forboding ticking of the clock Isaac hid.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: The House is riddled with oddities and unusual content (justified, considering their owners - Isaac and then Jonathan - are both warlocks that have worked as {{Stage Magician}}s). Such weirdness includes sentient furniture, a library of spell-books, a cabinet with horseshoes nailed to it housing [[spoiler:a particularly dark TomeOfEldritchLore]], a living topiary winged-lion that poops dried out leaves, a variety of humanoid animatronics[[note]]Something even Jonathan finds unnerving[[/note]], a purple snake creature locked in a closet, a stainless window that changes its contents every night, a massive collection of clocks[[note]]Something Jonathan has started to collect due to the forboding nature of Isaac’s clock[[/note]] and [[spoiler:a TickTockTune DoomsdayDevice capable of reversing time itself if the right parameters are met]].

* InsultOfEndearment: Jonathan and Mrs Zimmerman are best friends and PlatonicLifePartners who are constantly vollying affectionate insults (such as 'Mush Brush' and 'Weird Beird' from Mrs Zimmerman and 'Deranged Cuckoo' and 'Weird Purple Skeleton' from Jonathan) at each other.

** Also, Mrs Zimmerman in the book is in her 60's and is a fairly prototypical nice old lady next door type (who also happens to be a powerful witch), whereas in the film she's played by the very beautiful and already OlderThanSheLooks 49-year old, Creator/CateBlanchett. No effort is made to make Blanchett look older or homelier, she simply looks like Cate Blanchett with grey hair, also making this a clear case of AgeLift.

* CharacterTics: It is mentioned that what makes magic work is their "weirdness"; something that makes the magic-user unique to help channel inner energies and use them as magic.

* BerserkButton: Saying anything that reveals or even implies that Tarby is scared really insults him to a point it was one of the factors of Tarby wearing away his patience with Lewis until he threatens then assaults him to get him off his back.

* BerserkButton: Saying anything that reveals or even implies that Tarby is scared really insults him.