5 lesser-known facts about Locke & Key

Scenes from the third season of Netflix's Locke and Key, due to be released on August 10 (Images via Instagram)
Scenes from the third season of Netflix's Locke and Key, due to be released on August 10 (Images via Instagram)

Locke & Key is a supernatural horror series developed by Carlton Cuse, Meredith Averill, and Aron Eli Coleite. The series is based on writer Joe Hill and illustrator Gabriel Rodríguez's graphic novel series of the same name. While the first season premiered on Netflix in February 2020, the series's second season premiered in October 2021, with its concluding third season slated to be released on August 10, 2022.

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Starring Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, and Jackson Robert Scott in leading roles, the show follows the journey of the three Locke siblings, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode, and their mother Nina, who move into Keyhouse, their ancestral home, after the kids' father Rendell is murdered under mysterious circumstances.

The siblings soon discovered magical keys in their new house that imbued the user with special abilities and gifts while simultaneously setting free a mysterious demon from Rendell's past trapped in the family's well house.

Locke & Key successfully mixes family and teenage drama with fantasy and horror. As you prepare for the concluding season of the series, check out these lesser-known facts about the show.


5 facts about Locke & Key that you might not know

1) The show has a connection with the King of Horror

Locke & Key is based on writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodríguez's graphic novel series of the same name. Joe Hill is the son of legendary horror author Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha King. He publishes his work under a pen name as he wants it to be judged on its merit and not on his father's reputation.

Having built a successful career for himself as an author, comic writer, and screenwriter, Joe has undoubtedly inherited his father's talent, passion, and writing skills.


2) Third time's the lucky charm for the series

Unsurprisingly, executives have been trying to make a screen adaptation of this successful comic for a long time. The Netflix show is the third attempt at adapting the story. In 2010, Fox attempted to adapt the series by shooting a pilot, which they later aired at the 2011 Comic-Con. In 2014, Universal Pictures tried to adapt the series into a feature film trilogy.

Finally, Netflix picked up the series when they came across the pilot episode shot for Hulu and ordered the first season consisting of 10 episodes.


3) The show was once set to premiere on Hulu

Before being picked up by Netflix, Locke & Key was set to be adapted for Hulu. But Hulu suddenly decided to pass on the project after the pilot was shot. It was then that Netflix wasted no time and picked up the series.

When Netflix acquired the series from Hulu, they also replaced almost the entirety of the original ensemble cast. Only Jackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke was retained from the original cast. Initially, Frances O'Connor was set to play Nina Locke, with Megan Carpentier and Nate Corddry cast in significant roles. Danny Glover and Owen Teague were also slated to play key roles at one point.


4) Netflix built the Keyhouse from scratch

One of the pivotal parts of Locke & Key is the large ancestral home the Locke family moved into at the start of the story, called Keyhouse. The house on the show is neither CGI nor an in-studio set but a fully-built mansion from scratch. Netflix decided to build the entire interior and exterior of the mansion, keeping in mind the exact specifications of the comic series.


5) The show honors two people associated with the horror genre

Locke & Key introduced two significant changes to the plot to honor two maestros associated with the horror genre. The town in the original comic was called Lovecraft, in honor of famed horror fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft. In the show, Hill changed this name to Matheson in honor of another well-regarded horror author, Richard Matheson.

Tom Savini in Locke and Key (Image via IMDb)
Tom Savini in Locke and Key (Image via IMDb)

The show also honors the gore master and special effects wizard Tom Savini, a prosthetic makeup artist. When Kinsey joins the horror filmmaking crew at school, they refer to themselves as the Savini Squad – a name that does not exist in the comics. Savini even made a quick cameo in the second episode of the first season called "Trapper/Keeper" as an employee of a hardware store.


Don't forget to binge the epic battle between humans and the demon world in the concluding season of Locke & Key on August 10.

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