Customer Reviews

House of Clocks

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fulci's sucess is a teeter-totter of unravelled contents and zombie-head explosions, but House of Clocks isn't a gore epic. I enjoyed this movie because of the inventive plot-concept Fulci uses to engage, not confuse--as in some of his flicks such as City of the Walking Dead. The characters, a trio of cleptos, find themselves caught up in a time warp started when they accidentally kill an old couple in their clock-ridden mansion. Don't give up until the end, the twist is deadly and I admit, it put a twisted smile on my face. There are a few gory moments--a lot of bullet wounds--in this movie, but if that's all you care about, then look somewhere else. Fulci fans need this as much as I need a damn good zombie movie.

HOUSE OF CLOCKS is the best post-1982 movie Lucio Fulci ever made, and delivers the same style of shock violence as his zombie movies.

Made for Italian TV, but pulled because it was too gory, CLOCKS will certainly never be shown on British or US TV due to the extremely graphic bloodshed on display, some of which is easily as nasty as his full blown horror movies.

The plot involves a trio of unlikeable petty thugs, who accidentally kill an old couple who live in a house full of ornate antinue clocks. They don't know that the murdered couple are serial killers (and very mad, bloodthirsty ones at that!). Wose yet, is that when they die, the clocks stop. Once the clocks start turning backwards, the couple return from the grave and set out to get revenge.

Effectively blood spillage mixes well with old-style shocks (including chainsaws suddenly smashing through doors), and its' novel idea makes this a much better bet than the hopeless SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS, which was shot back-to-back with this.

As yet unseen in the States or in the UK, HOUSE OF CLOCKS is essential viewing for Fulci fans, and a good bet for gore fans also.

This is a very weird film by Italian goremeister Lucio Fulci that was originally made for an Italian TV horror series called "House Of Doom" but was deemed too violent to be shown on TV. It concerns a wealthy elderly couple in a large estate which the husband has filled with all manner of ticking clocks and timepieces he has collected over the years. They seem benign at first but are revealed to be insane. They have murdered their niece and nephew-in-law and entombed their rotting corpses in the estate's chapel dressed in wedding attire. The wife, Sara, also murders the maid in the greenhouse when she discovers the corpses and threatens to leave. Meanwile, three fresh faced pot-smoking thieves (two guys and a girl) decide to rob the estate. Things go awry and the elderly couple is killed along with their one-eyed gardener. When the old man dies, his grandfather clock stops ticking and all the other clocks follow suit. The young thieves panic and try to get out but the couples' three big black Dobermans stand guard trapping them inside. Then all the clocks start spinning backwards and time begins reversing. The dead gardener, maid and elderly couple come back and begin killing the thieves leaving only the girl watching helplessly while the dead niece and nephew-in-law also return to life and kill the elderly couple! Whew! As if this wasn't enough, the whole thing turns out to be a nightmare experienced by the thieves simultaneously before they broke into the house! After discussing the "dream" and laughing it off, they decide NOT to rob the house and drive off only to die in a bloody car accident when the black cat they had found and put in a bag leaps out and mauls the driver's face causing him to run off an embankment. Well. As for complicated plot twists, this takes the cake. Fulci's reputation for gore is evident here as there is plenty of it in the deaths of the characters. The dubbing is ludicrous at times but not too bad and the film moves along rather nicely with the twists sustaining interest throughout. The performances are good and the photography is excellent. It's creepy, spooky and even scary at times. The DVD presentation is fine and the transfer is crisp and clear. I've read that this is tame for Fulci but I find it handled rather well. It's very watchable and I recommend it as a really strange Italian horror film for buffs. Check it out.

House of Clocks is typical Fulci past his prime. While interesting enough to get diehards like me to buy it, the film really isn't anything special. It has some nice gore effects, but overall House of Clocks is a rather pedestrian affair. You won't be missing anything if you skip this, but it isn't bad if you do. Maybe a few more dead bodies would have me rate this higher. Thanks to the advent of DVD and the insuing resurgence of interest in Italian horror, I'm thankful we can even see this at all.

I am a big fan of Lucio Fulci and have most of his films on DVD. I saw this on amazon and bought it. It is not very good. There is not one decent person / charecter in the whole film. In a film, you need at least one person you care about. This film is populated with the most disgusting vile people anyone can come up with. Murders, thieves, people who torture animals. You need at least one hero. There was not one person in this that i cared about. It is about a very sick and demented couple how have a house full of clocks and can some how, thru the clocks, reverse time. When A trio of sick demented crooks/ animal abusers decide to rob the rich elderly couple, they are thrust into strange world where time reveses it's self and the dead come back to life. Once the young trio murder the elderly couple, all the clocks start to go backwards and history repeates it's self, with the elderly couple coming back to life, all fixed up and no sign of thier wounds. Then they go about chasing and killing the three. There is no explaination as to how the couple can control time or why they are even doing it. The pace is slow, the acting only fair and the blood, well this film has alot less blood then other Fulci films. The whole film reminded me if the pacing of the "Blind dead" films.

THE HOUSE OF CLOCKS is about a group of three small time crooks (2 guys and a gal) who decide to rob an elderly couple in their secluded mansion. Of course, all does not go according to plan, and deaths ensue. The criminals soon find that they've chosen the wrong home to invade, as the old folks have a few twisted secrets of their own! The house is also full of dozens of clocks, which all start running backward once the true mayhem begins! While this isn't my favorite Fulci Movie, it is quite entertaining. I love how he snuck in a scene where someone's intestines pour out of their belly, even though the context doesn't necessarily call for it! You gotta love this guy! I recommend this one to all of those who love good, wonky horror stories...

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 clichéd 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.

If you're in the mood for something different, I would suggest this film. It's setting and general mood is strange, especially considering the demeanor of main characters. The set designs are great, and they really give the house a unique look. It's a different kind of film from Fulci, and it shows versatility and great imagination on his part. I was entertained from start to finish. I felt that the ending was satisfying, and it gave me a good chuckle. Some people have a hard time understanding this film, which is too bad. I wasn't confused at any point, but it does demand attention. I recommend films, like this, that require you to bring your own imagination to the table and have a good time.

I'm still trying to figure this movie out. I got it mostly because I loved Lucio Fulci's great "Zombie." House of Clocks was made for Italian TV and looks it. Bad photography, lighting, terrible performances and a script that makes zero sense. The story involves a large Italian villa filled with clocks and clock hands that turn endlessly backwards. An old couple murders a maid. Then three jerks--a gal and two guys--break in and mayhem ensues. The clock hands turn even more furiously backwards. I think it means that the past keeps coming back to this one villa but then you're confronted with a dead married couple whose bodies lay in coffins in the attic. They suddenly come alive. Then...oh, I can't go on. It gets so confusing that I may have to go back and watch it again. God forbid. For Fulci addicts only.

I really believe that people critical of Fulci just don't get it. That's ok, though. People are entitled to opinions, however much they may be inconsistent with mine.

This movie is flawed in certain ways, but only if you look at this in a traditional narrative sense or if you like your acting to be proficient. If you want great acting and a narrative storyline, then go to your local multiplex.

Fulci's movies are about the visuals, feeling, impulse, hidden desires. Even though this was made for a TV release (secondarily, cinematic), the sense of dread, the fluid feel of emotion and fear, the gore gags, etc., are all present.

Rather than being derided for flaws in narrative structure and poor acting, this should be celebrated and studied by filmmakers interested in the what really is possible with small budgets and impossible time constraints.

However, with that being said, I bet that most people wouldn't like this. Their loss.