‘The House with a Clock in Its Walls’ Director Eli Roth Discusses Amblin, Steven Spielberg, and More [Interview]
Posted on Monday, September 24th, 2018 by Jack Giroux
Eli Roth has never thought of himself as a horror director, so the Hostel and Cabin Fever director’s first PG-rated and kids-friendly movie, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, isn’t that surprising of a choice for the filmmaker. As Roth sees it, his previous movies led him to directing Amblin’s adaptation of John Bellairs‘ novel, published in 1973. This is exactly the sort of lavish and old school spectacle he’s always dreamed about making.
While obviously tamer, The House with a Clock in Its Walls has the director’s dark, sometimes slapstick sense of humor as well as sequences that scream horror. Whether with a rotting corpse, evil pumpkins, or a hideous creature in the woods at night, Roth gives younger viewers enough credit to have fun with the scares. In addition to paying respect to his audience, the director told us about working with producer Steven Spielberg, his love of Amblin and Gremlins, influences and references, and showing the almighty Cate Blanchett firing a laser gun/magical umbrella.
