DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. My Grandfather's Clock remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s B-movies that feel like they were filmed in someone's basement. If you want a slick thriller, stay away. If you like watching characters walk into a room and explain the plot to each other for twenty minutes, welcome home.
The whole thing is basically a classic 'whodunit' that forgets to actually be mysterious. Philo Holmes—yeah, they really went there with the name—saunters around with Dr. Watkins, and they act like they're the smartest people in the room. Most of the time, they are, but that's only because everyone else is busy shouting their lines.
There's a scene near the middle where they gather everyone from a nightclub to solve the case. It feels less like a dramatic confrontation and more like a high school assembly that went off the rails. You can almost see the actors checking their watches behind the camera.
The pacing is a total mess. Sometimes it feels like they’re rushing to finish before the film stock runs out. Other times, you’re stuck watching a character stare at a doorway for way too long. It reminds me of the pacing issues in Blind Adventure, but with less charm.
It’s not good, but it’s not exactly boring either. It’s just... there. It exists. It’s like a sandwich you eat when you’re hungry but don't really care about flavor. 🕰️
Maybe skip it unless you're a completionist for this specific era of weird, low-stakes crime stories. I think I liked the hat the detective wore more than the actual script. Don't look for logic here. You won't find it.