HouseofClocks

The House Of Clocks (1989)

This 1989 made for television spook show is certainly a lesser entry into the Fulci cannon. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a great deal of enjoyment to be found by fans of the godfather of gore. On the contrary, this might be closer in tone and delivery to his classic early 80’s output than anything else he did in the last 10 years of his life.

The “story” concerns an off-putting elderly couple who inexplicably posses the ability to manipulate time and transcend death. They also posses a murderous streak a mile wide which doesn’t bode well for the bumbling trio of criminals we are introduced to on their way to rob this deceptively easy target. The robbery goes awry, turns into a home invasion, then becomes an outright slaughter of the elderly couple and their intrepid handyman (played by Fulci regular and scenery nibbler Al Cliver). This causes time to suddenly stop, then begin to run backwards. Then things really get out of hand.

It’s all rather silly, really and under any degree of scrutiny will leave you scratching your head in disbelief. That’s the charm of a good Fulci flick though. The lightweight plot and acting is grounded by thick, heavy dread and solid, fully realized atmosphere. You might not comprehend the motivations of the characters or understand the mechanics of the plot, but you damn sure believe in the world he’s created for these events to take place in. Fulci’s talent lies in fashioning believable and fascinating nightmare worlds where logic has no meaning and this is where House of Clocks excels.

Those who deny Fulci’s skill as a director of violent action need but witness the home invasion gone wrong sequence to be persuaded otherwise. The sequence is extremely visceral and effective despite lacking the presence of even a single character you care about or are invested in. That’s no mean feat.

Sure, it’s no City of the Living Dead, but it has a cool setting, gore that packs a punch and a fun Vince Tempera score that teeters between video game funk and Casio dirge. All this AND Al Cliver?!?! what have you got to lose?

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by Matt Risnes