The House of Clocks Blu Ray Review (Cauldron Films)

The House of Clocks (aKa La Casa Nel Tempo) is a 1989 Italian horror television film directed by Lucio Fulci (Zombi, City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, The New York Ripper, Touch of Death, Demonia, Don’t Torture a Duckling, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, A Cat in the Brain, The Devil’s Honey, and The House by the Cemetery). It was written by Gianfranco Clerici (Cannibal Holocaust, Jungle Holocaust, House on the Edge of the Park, The New York Ripper, Murder-Rock, Off Balance, The Last Match, and Don’t Torture a Duckling) and Daniele Stroppa (The House of Witchcraft, Delirium, Zombie 5, The Wax Mask, Voices from Beyond, The Crawlers, and Witchery). It was produced by Antonio Lucidi (A Cat in the Brain, Voices from Beyond, Massacre, and Touch of Death) and Luigi Nannerini (Bloody Psycho, The Children of Violent Rome, Seven Deaths in the Cats Eyes, and The Murder Secret). Three ambitious thieves which includes Tony (played by: Keith Van Hoven from Operation Delta Force franchise, Warhead, and Black Demons), Sandra (played by: Karina Huff from Urban Animals, Voices from Beyond, The Black Cat, and Zanzibar), and Paul (played by: Peter Hintz from Zone Troopers, Bloody Psycho, and Cross Mission) are looking for a huge score so they set their sights on the biggest house that they can find in a secluded neighborhood. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong people for a home invasion and they are not expecting the surprise they end up getting from Vittorio (played by: Paolo Paoloni from Cannibal Holocaust, Double Team, Voices from Beyond, Inferno, and Ripley’s Game) and Sara Corsini (played by: Bettine Milne from The Avengers, The Cheaters, and The King’s Whore) with their loyal servant Peter (played by: Al Cliver from The Beyond, Zombi, Endgame, Demonia, 2020 Texas Gladiators, Touch of Death, and The New Gladiators). Will they make it out alive? Only time will tell!!!! The Houses of Doom franchise were all based on haunted houses. All of their cursed guests go through pure madness with each entry. This horror series includes 4 different Italian TV features that were made in 1989. The legendary Lucio Fulci directed 2 out of the 4. This my personal favorite and I consider this the best one from The Houses of Doom. The House of Clocks is one of the forgotten gems from the godfather of Italian gore. Television in Italy in the 80’s was basically like everything was on HBO or Cinemax there. Unlike America, nothing was watered down with plenty of violence and sleaze. The script mixes home invasion with a haunted house. Paolo Paoloni and Bettine Milne are great as the Corsinis. They are very questionable before all hell breaks loose. They are mysterious but in a very dark way and you really don’t know much about them until the end. They obsessed with clocks and their privacy. The audience knows these young criminals have messed up when they choose their place to rob. Keith Van Hoven, Karina Huff, and Peter Hintz all have great chemistry together. There’s some weird love triangle hinted towards them which makes things a little more interesting. Veteran character actor and Fulci regular Al Cliver is the weird servant of the house. He’s not given a much of a backstory, he’s basically takes care of the older couple and protects them. The rest of the supporting cast includes Carla Cassola (Captain America), Paolo Bernardi (Obbligo Di Giocare-Zugzwang), Massimo Sarchielli (The Phantom of the Opera), and Francesca DeRose (College). The House of Clocks doesn’t shy away from gore or nudity. The three thieves are unlikable so you kinda want to see bad things happen to them. They are trapped inside for the night. I love the claustrophobic vibe from it. All the clocks and the main old school location are a whole unique atmosphere. The House of Clocks is loaded with violence, suspense, crime, and drama with supernatural elements. I really enjoyed the twist ending for this but I see why it’s either love it or hate it for most people. The House of Clocks is dark, intense, and very entertaining. I think it’s one of Lucio Fulci’s most underrated productions, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Cauldron Films! This 1080p (1.66:1) unrated transfer is from a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. This is a very impressive improvement compared to the last home video release for The House of Clocks in the states in 2002. It blows away the previous Shriek Show DVD. Everything is so much sharper and it all really pops on the screen now. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks on the disc. The audio really takes advantage of All the suspense, thrills, and violence. All of the dialogue is crisp, the tension is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English and English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary with Eugenio Ercolani, Nathaniel Thompson, and Troy Howarth. It has the almost 26 minute “Lighting the House of Time”. It’s an interview with cinematographer Nino Celeste. He chats about starting out as an extra on the production. It ended getting him a bigger job on the feature. It has the almost 29 minute “Time and Music”. It’s an interview with composer Vince Tempera. He chats about his start on the music business. He talks about some of the people that he worked with. He brings up doing all kinds of projects when the Italian craze was going on and keeping him busy. He was doing music with a band at the time also. He goes over the modern film industry in Italy and how it’s changed. It has the almost 24 minute “Working with a Master”. It has an interview with 1st AD Michele De Angelis. He tells some personal stories about Lucio Fulci. He talks about his experience on The House of Clocks and some of the issues on the production. It has the little over 19 minute “Time with Fulci”. It’s an interview with FX artist Elio Terribili. He chats about his origins in the film business. He talks about the film industry in the 80’s. He goes over some experiences with Lucio Fulci on his sets. It has a little over 16 minutes of “Archival interviews” with Paolo Paoloni, Carla Cassola, and Al Cliver. They share their favorite memories and their personal experiences with Lucio Fulci. They go over some stuff that happened while filming. The interviews with Vince Tempera and Elio Terribili are in Italian with English subtitles. It has a “Trailer”. It was available in the out of print “The Houses of Doom” limited edition box set originally from Cauldron Films. Luckily, they re-released all of the films with their own home video release. It’s available everywhere right now including DiabolikDVD.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!