PLOT: Following the death of their father Rendell Key, three siblings and a single mother relocate to his ancestral Massachusetts castle. Once there, the kids discover hidden magical keys that grant mystical powers. However, an evil demon known as Dodge wants the keys for itself, leading to an epic showdown between both sides.
REVIEW: It’s been a long and circuitous road for the screen adaptation of Locke & Key. Fox tried to adapt the Joe Hill comic series back in 2010. Universal failed to launch the property up on the big screen a few years later. And now, thanks to Hulu unwisely passing on the pilot, Netflix has slapped its namesake on the 10-episode adaptation currently available to stream on its platform. Now, no authority I am on the Hill source material, but I’d venture to guess that, on the whole, the show is a light and breezily entertaining, satisfyingly faithful rendition of what has previously proved to be unfilmable. More magical and mystical than menacing or mortifying, the show is clearly geared toward the younger crowd, hewing to such tableaus of say, THE GATE, E.T., THE GOONIES, etc. As such, the undoubted strengths of the show, beyond the captivating premise and beautifully decorated sets, are found in the three strong sibling characters, both on the page and in the inspired casting. While the season probably could have trimmed some fat and been truncated to a total of 7-8 episodes or so, Locke & Key is emotionally engaging, wildly imaginative, and for the most part, quite enjoyable.
The first four episodes of the show are the absolute best. Episodes five through seven become a bit ludicrous, only to redeem itself by the series finale, which, in terms of the outright horror, hold the best for last. But first, the setup. Nina Locke (Darby Stanchfield), a recovering alcoholic, moves her three children from Seattle to Matheson, Massachusetts to live in Keyhouse, the ancient family home of the deceased patriarch, Rendell Locke. The children include young Bode (Jackson Robert Scott), middle sibling Kinsey (the series MVP Emilia Jones), and teenage Tyler (Connor Jessup). The first four episodes do a great job of establishing these kids, what makes them tick, their troubles, their interdependent relationship on one another, and how emotionally distraught they are over Rendell’s death by murder. Worse yet, when Rendell’s killer comes to Matheson looking for the keys himself, yet another conflict arises.
When they arrive at the gorgeously antiquated mansion, a set that is brilliantly realized and exquisite to spend time in during the series, the kids soon discover that several different keys are hidden around the mansion. Each key holds a special power. For instance, the “Head Key” allows characters to enter their own head and snoop around. The “Identity Key” allows you to alter your identity. When Bode finds a key to the well-house, he inadvertently summons a demon, disguised as a gorgeous Amazonian (Laysla De Oliveira), up from the well. Known as Dodge, the demon seeks to obtain every key in the house, including the Omega Key, which will open the Black Door, a mysterious frame located in the sea caves below the mansion. With Nina back on the wagon and ineffectually out of the picture for quite a while, the kids turn to other means of help. This includes The Savinis, Kinsey’s high-school horror film crew led by Scot (Petrice Jones). Bode’s pal Rufus (Coby Bird) and his adoptive mom Ellie (Sherri Saum) figure quite prominently as well. All the while, Tyler and Kinsey find time for romance in the form of Gabe (Griffin Gluck) and Jackie (Genevieve Kang) as a series of supernatural showdowns take place.
The story grows extremely complicated from here, one worth unpeeling yourself. As mentioned above, the binding glue sure to keep you engaged is the splendidly written young characters, and the concomitant casting of the three leads. We not only buy their kinship, we genuinely care about each character, especially the emotional interplay that unfolds between Kinsey and Tyler. These three actors are superb, highlighted by Emilia Jones’ pivotal performance that literally undergoes a makeover after episode four (she goes from dour and depressed to light and bubbly, due to a hidden key). Her arc is the best-rounded and her performance the most convincing. When you add the unimpeachable characters to the underlying premise of the piece, allowing the kids to search a large ornate mansion for hidden keys – a la a scavenger hunt – there’s an inherent sense of fun and playfulness that keeps the proceedings entertaining as can be. The tone reflects such, never becoming too dark or dreary, instead combining such childhood sensibilities as say, THE GATE meets THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS.
The biggest issue with the show is that it’s a bit too padded out. Episodes five through seven really suffer, with the latter so infuriating that it threatens you to turn it off for good. Luckily, the show gets back on the rails and delivers a kickass final episode. But in terms of the horror, very little is frightening about a demon disguised as a gorgeous Brazilian woman for nearly the entire duration. Dodge is simply too pretty to be scary, leaving the real threat to Rendell’s disgruntled killer, who isn’t supernatural whatsoever. Sure, the show saves the best for last in terms of the visual terror, which is better than the reverse, but for the most part, the show makes no real effort to be all that terrifying. As for the acting, the weakest performance goes to Stanchfield as Nina. Her character is awful on the page, and isn’t done any favors by the actress cast. There are also some pretty dubious decisions made by the characters toward the end, done so to make the plot fit tighter. By then however, we’re too invested in the kids to see how they resolve the impending Black Door.
All told, Locke & Key is an enthralling, fun-filled and worthwhile adaptation of the celebrated Joe Hill comic series. The premise intrigues, the settings draw us in, the performances of the youngsters keep us engaged, and despite a three-episode dry spell, the finale feels gratifying. Open ASAP!