Written by Joe Hill, who just so happens to be the son of horror legend Stephen King, Locke & Key is one of the best comics in recent memory, horror or otherwise. It’s also been a cursed project in terms of adaptations. But finally, against all odds, and after an absurd number of tries, it’s coming to Netflix and this new trailer looks incredible.
In addition to being related to his dad, Hill is a fantastic horror writer in his own right. Just as King is having a moment when it comes to adaptations, so his Hill—AMC’s NOS4A2 is based on his novel, and In the Tall Grass, recently adapted by Vincenzo Natali and Netflix, is based on a novella Hill and King collaborated on. Locke & Key, however, especially if this trailer is representative of the quality, has the chance to the best of the bunch.
The story revolves around the Locke family. After the violent murder of their father, three siblings and their mother move into Keyhouse, his mysterious childhood home in a spooky Massachusetts town. There they discover a series of magical keys that unlock various powers. As one might expect, there’s an evil force that wants these keys and said powers and things go wrong for the family.
Locke & Key is full of Lovecraftian horror, supernatural terror, fantastic characters, twisted stories, and all kinds of goodies for genre fans. And Hill, much like his father, isn’t one to pull any punches when it comes to violence or bad things happening to characters you love.
When I call Locke & Key a cursed project, I mean it. There have been a number of attempts to adapt it from numerous big names, including Steven Spielberg. In 2011, Fox screened a pilot at San Diego Comic-Con, which never went anywhere despite good reviews. In 2014, Universal announced a trilogy of films that never materialized. Hulu tried their luck in 2017, enlisting Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), who was later replaced by Andy Muschietti (It), though they ultimately passed on the project.
But now it’s at Netflix. Cuse is still involved, and are Muschietti and his wife/producing/writing partner, Barbara. Natali directs two episodes. And a ten-episode first season debuts on the streaming giant February 7. Can’t wait.
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