Locke & Key
Netflix Series
I went into this one with a bit of worry. I read the first two graphic novels in this series (by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez) a while back and didn’t love them, didn’t hate them but definitely didn’t keep reading. I remember it being pretty dark and just generally not in the mood for it at the time.
I would say the show is a wildly different tone from what I remember. Not without flaws but still super fun.
The series is about 3 kids and their mother who return to the never before visited family home after dad’s murder. They quickly learn the house is full of hidden keys with different powers- starting fires, going anywhere, visiting inside your own head, having an out of body experience.
They also quickly release the woman in the well Echo/Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira) who wants not only those keys but something called an Omega Key that just doesn’t sound good.
There’s also the mystery of what dead dad and his friends really knew about the keys and did with them 20+ years ago.
I enjoyed the series overall. Though I think the teenagers did get more annoying as the show went on I appreciated the strong sibling vibe between them and their little brother Bode (Jackson Robert Scott last scene being eaten by Pennywise) Scott was my favorite of all three kids.
I’ve seen a lot of people say he was stupid but I didn’t see that at all. Bode was probably the least stupid of the 3 kids.
I liked De Oliveira a lot to as the villain even though the Katee Sackoff vibes were distracting at times.
Honestly what they did with the keys and the production design on the show was the best reason to really watch.
I wouldn’t classify the show as horror either- though there are some creepy moments it’s more violent with a handful of murders throughout including one child whose thrown in front of a train. And there are some deep issues that come up; alcoholism, grief, loss of a parent, PTSD, etc so while I don’t think it’s horror I’d still classify it as a strong PG-13.
Overall very much enjoyed it despite the problems (what is Kinsie thinking half the time?) and the book purists might not be happy with it at all but it was fun. I’d be down for a second season without a doubt.
Recommend: Yes.