It's always said when it comes to Lucio Fulci fans are split in the middle on his career. I myself am a big fan of Lucio Fulci, but I do understand why some people dislike his work. But the one thing I think even Fulci fans can agree on is after 1982 he seemed to have lost his edge. Most of the later day Fulci flicks I have seen lacked compared to his earlier work.
The House of Clocks for me is no different and I'm actually surprised at all the positive reviews. While I wouldn't say The House of Clocks is a bad movie it just for me falls flat. The House of Clocks was actually made for TV, but never aired on Italian TV as it was seen as too gory so it got a theatrical release instead.
The House of Clocks was written by Gianfranco Clerici & Daniele Stroppa from a story written by Lucio Fulci. The story wasn't bad it actually has a pretty decent premise. The screenplay however is rather weak; horror films in general aren't know for their great scripts, but you need something good enough to at least keep things interested when there is nothing happening.
The script is no worse than some other ones out there, but it does lack. The characters are pretty much the run of the mill horror movie characters. The old couple while clichA d were probably the most interesting of all the characters. Lucio Fulci in his career always seemed to be hit or miss even within the same movie. I have always though liked Fulci's visual style and sometimes he could make a movie a lot creepier than it should have been.
With The House of Clocks, Fulci actually does manage to build some atmosphere, but I felt he never used his location to full advantage. The outside of the house did have a creepy vibe at night and the inside of the house was big and should have been explored more. At times we do see flashes of classic Fulci where as other times we see a guy who has lost his edge. The pacing for The House of Clocks is a bit messy.
The first half of the movie can be slow at times and with the lack of any likable characters that doesn't help matters. The 2nd half does pick up, but at times the movie can still drag. Even though The House of Clocks only runs at about 84-minutes I actually feel a couple of minutes could have been left on the cutting room floor.
I'm a huge die hard fan of Italian cinema but let's face it a lot of these movies can have these incoherent moments. Nor Fulci or the writers really attempt to explain anything all that happens has no explanation at all. Gore wise Fulci delivers; don't expect the movie to be as gory as most of his movies were from the 79-82 era. The House of Clocks doesn't feature the gore he was known for, but in its own right it's pretty gory when it comes time for it. Like I said just don't expect the gore to be as extreme as the 79-82 era.
A lot of people didn't like the ending, but I actually quite liked it I thought it was a pretty decent twist. At first I was rather upset about it. But the closing scene made up for it.
In closing The House of Clocks isn't a bad movie, but just seems to lack in certain spots. It's a decent but forgettable movie. The House of Clocks is probably one of the better late day Fulci flicks, but your best bet is to stick with his 70s & early 80s work.
If you are a fan of Lucio Fulci you might get some enjoyment out of it like I did despite the flaws. I would say though if you don't like Fulci's work best bet is to stay away as I doubt this will sway you on his work.
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