THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
Based on the classic children's novel of the same name by John Bellairs, The House With a Clock in Its Walls is just the film for a family outing this Halloween weekend. The plot centers upon the recently orphaned Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro), who goes to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black). Lewis discovers that Uncle Jonathan is a warlock and is soon learning the mystic arts from him and his neighbor, a good witch named Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). Lewis also discovers that his uncle's home contains a magical clock that is trying to bring about the end of the world.
While not a huge financial or critical success, the film did make back over double its $42 million budget. It also pleased fans of the original Lewis Barnavelt books, of which John Bellairs wrote a dozen. It remains to be seen if Universal Studios will produce a sequel based on the next book in the series, The Figure in the Shadows, but the ending leaves things wide open for another adaptation.
GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is another family-friendly horror movie with a literary bent. Based upon the popular series of horror novels for children by R.L. Stein, the sequel sees Jack Black returning in the role of the beloved author. His role is greatly reduced compared to the original film, however, and Black does not reprise his role voicing the franchise's villain, the evil ventriloquist figure Slappy.
While some critics have said this sequel is not as innovative as the original, Goosebumps 2 does manage to be far scarier than the first film. Many have also praised the production design, which was overseen by Rusty Smith - the same production designer responsible for last year's surprise horror hit Get Out. It may not be perfect, but fans of the original books will find Goosebumps 2 to be entertaining.
I STILL SEE YOU (VOD)
Loosely based on the young adult novel Break My Heart 1,000 Times, I Still See You is set in a world where the ghosts of the departed (i.e. Remnants) are seen to repeat the same sequence of events from their lives repeatedly. Bella Thorne stars as Roni, a teenage girl who is seemingly stalked by the Remnant of a murderer, in defiance of all the rules people thought governed ghosts. Teaming with a classmate and a teacher, Roni struggles to prove that The Remnants are changing while fighting to save herself. Critics have not been kind to this adaptation, which earned only one positive review on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting that teens might want to seek out the original book by Daniel Waters instead.
THE SUPER (VOD)
The Super stars Patrick John Flueger as Phil Lodge, a former NYPD officer who becomes superintendent of a luxury apartment complex in Manhattan. When Lodge learns that the building has a history of mysterious disappearances, his suspicions fall upon the building's creepy maintenance man, Walter (Val Kilmer). Produced by Law and Order creator Dick Wolf with a script by Black Swan co-writer John J. McLaughlin, the reviews for The Super have been largely negative. However, many have praised Kilmer for his performance, saying that he is virtually unrecognizable in the role of Walter and offers a truly sinister presence.
TERRIFIED (SHUDDER)
Written and directed by Argentinian filmmaker Demián Rugna, Terrified surprised many by winning Best Picture at the Montevideo Fantástico Film Festival and in the Horror Features category at Austin Fantastic Fest. The story centers upon a doctor who researches the paranormal, her colleague and an ex-cop who travel to Buenos Aries to investigate a series of mysterious events. Butting heads with a commissioner who insists that nothing unusual is going on, the trio soon discovers an evil that could destroy human society as we know it. The film is currently available exclusively through the Shudder streaming service.