He goes into the house and removes papers and an unusual-looking key from the safe. Instead, the first scene sets up the central mystery, as we see a man walking home and receiving a phone call informing him that Rendell Locke is dead. That was a conscious decision, according to Cuse, who didn't want the violence of that attack to set the tone for the series as a whole. For instance, the comic series opens with the brutal murder of Rendell Locke in graphic detail, while in the series, we merely glimpse parts of the attack through flashbacks. Given the change in medium, there are several departures from the original comics. They whisper to those who are sensitive to them-and of course, Bode, Tyler, and Kinsey can hear them. Shortly after arrival, Bode, the youngest sibling, finds a magical key, and then another, and another, each with its own special power. 'This time it clicked.'įollowing the brutal murder of their father, Rendell (Bill Heck, The Alienist), the surviving members of the Locke family-mom Nina (Darby Stanchfield, Scandal) and three children, Tyler (Connor Jessup, Falling Skies), Kinsey (Emilia Jones, Doctor Who), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott, IT and IT Chapter Two)-arrive at Keyhouse, Rendell's Massachusetts ancestral home. He compared the various adaptation attempts to turning a combination lock and waiting to hear it click. 'I think this is the story in the best possible version,' Hill said at a pre-release press event that also included Rodriguez and show runners Carlton Cuse ( Lost) and Meredith Averill ( Haunting of Hill House). The project (in various iterations) bounced from Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox, to Universal and then Hulu, before finally landing at Netflix. We've had to swallow our disappointment again and again over the years, since it proved notoriously difficult to get any adaptation off the ground. The series boasts strong writing, pacing, performances, and above all, it looks amazing, bringing the fabled Keyhouse and the darkly fantastical world of the comics to vivid life. And yes, fellow uber-fans, it was worth the wait. I'm talking about Locke and Key, the highly anticipated adaptation of the award-winning comic book series of the same name, written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabe Rodriguez.

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here.

Joe hill locke and key