Series review: Locke & Key focuses on fantasy rather than horror

First of all: this article contains no spoilers. So you won't learn anything more than what the trailers have already revealed.

Are you familiar with the comics "Locke & Key"? I haven't. Before writing this article, though, I did read up on the original series, which has won numerous awards. So I had certain expectations, but I haven't read any of the stories. So if you're here to find out if the Netflix adaptation really lives up to it, I can only give you a partial opinion.

On the other hand, I can tell you the effect this series has on someone who has never heard of these strange tales of magic keys in a haunted house. These keys threaten the fate of the world. No matter how much you think you know about them, you'll find you don't actually know anything.

An air of "The Haunting of Hill House"

Rendell Locke (Bill Heck) has been brutally murdered. His wife and three children are trying to make a fresh start. Keyhouse, the Locke family's ancestral home, must help them overcome this tragic death. Indeed, staying where the tragedy took place is out of the question for them.

When they arrive at Keyhouse, ten-year-old Bode (Jackson Robert Scott), the youngest of the siblings, is the first to hear the whisper of keys, all of which are well hidden in the house. Of course, these are not normal keys, but keys with magical powers. One turns its wearer into an invisible ghost. Another can open doors that lead anywhere you want. Still others give powers of possession, transformation and repair.

Bode, his sister Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and brother Tyler (Connor Jessup) are forced to realise, however, that the keys are not Keyhouse's only secret. Soon, an evil creature (Laysla De Oliveira) is hunting the children and trying to get hold of the keys.

A difficult gestation

Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, and illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez, the two authors of the "Locke & Key" comics, are far from old. The first issue appeared in 2008. Attempts at adaptations, though numerous, have all failed.

Fox jumped in first in 2011, producing a pilot episode. It presented it at San Diego Comic Con, before abandoning the project. Universal Pictures also tried its hand at it - unsuccessfully. Then it was the turn of Hulu, Disney's streaming platform for content that doesn't fit the group's family-friendly image, to shoot a pilot. Author Joe Hill even took on the role of producer and advisor. Hulu eventually dropped the deal though.

Netflix then entered the picture.

The Californian streaming platform did not start from scratch. It took over the project left in the lurch by Hulu with Joe Hill and the two showrunners, Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averilles. If the end result, long considered impossible to adapt, is so pleasing in the end despite a sluggish first part, the credit in my opinion goes to Cuse and Averilles. As I said above, I haven't read the comics. However, I'm not surprised that so many people cut their teeth on them.

Indeed, "Locke & Key" tackles associations of themes that are hard to represent. There's that timeless story of coming of age, grief and trauma. It's about irreversible decisions, decisions driven by sadness and anger, fear and doubt. It's also about childlike wonder and magical places that make you want to go on adventures. This naivety and innocence are bound to be infectious. "Locke & Key" especially manages in the second half of the season to strike the perfect balance so that the childlike insouciance doesn't compromise the emotional gravity of the series.

The first half precisely goes off in all directions, without really knowing what to prioritise. Not to mention a questionable casting choice.

The first half of the season: not as scary as hoped

The first four or five episodes - the season has 10, each 50 minutes long - follow the same pattern: oh, a new key. What's it for? This! Great, this new power! Now let's turn our attention to the subplot about school bullying. No more.

It feels disjointed and lacking in originality.

The problem is not with the keys. They are interesting and the staging of their powers is impressive, especially for the head key. What's especially lacking at the beginning of "Lock & Key" is suspense. The series never explains what's at stake and why we should get involved in this story. The keys are just there and then that's it. The show doesn't even try to build suspense by delving into the possible significance of the keys and Keyhouse. When the action does pick up, it's immediately held back by silly heart stories that we've seen a thousand times before in other series that have probably done better in this regard.

And to top it all off, Jackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke is a casting error.

Totally honest, this kid gets on my nerves. Not content with being impertinent and ignorant, he just pulls one silly stunt after another. For example, when he insists on discovering the powers of a key all by himself or opposing the villain, when every time he's wanted to go it alone in the past, he's ended up in a very dangerous situation. His elders have told him ten times not to act alone. But he doesn't! He doesn't listen to a word he says, and he's cheeky to boot. If its narrative function is to allow us to experience the wonder of discovering the house and the keys from his point of view, it's a resounding failure.

For that matter, where's the creepiness that made the comics famous?

The series hardly dwells on this. While the comic book imagery is sometimes disturbing and brutal as in "That", "Hellraiser" or "Braindead", the characters in the series get away with a few scratches here and there. The Haunting of Hill House-style atmosphere promised by the comics, the trailer and the summary is barely perceptible in the series. We're closer to the Harry Potter style.

My expectations were disappointed on this point.

The second half of the season: crescendo to the end

The early episodes are flaky, boring, even annoying, but the later ones are much better.

If there's one thing "Locke & Key" does well, it's the quiet moments where emotion reigns. They grab you by the gut and never feel contrived. Emilia Jones and Connor Jessup, who play the older siblings, have a lot to do with this. They try as hard as they can to lead as normal a life as possible, even though they know how much their father's death has affected them. At one point, when they are particularly suffering from his absence, they take a selfie and send it to him, like an imaginary embrace from a distance. They are aware that he is no longer there to receive it, but they smile all the same, because the photo would have pleased him.

The writers pepper the series with moments like this. As a result, the story takes on a depth that makes "Locke & Key" more than just an unpretentious fantasy series, the first half of which would have forgotten to be interesting.

Then comes the suspense. We gradually realise that the death of Father Rendell leaves many secrets and questions unanswered, waiting, lurking in the shadows, to fall upon the children. The various plots, which seem to be independent of each other, end up coming together. The twists and turns give a new twist to past events. The teenage squabbles are relegated to the background, as is Bode, who is more or less sidelined. He belongs there and it makes for a holiday.

This brings the first season to a close after a build-up that I no longer dared hope for, such was the lack of pace at the start.

Conclusion: an uneven series that eventually pulls itself together

At heart, "Locke & Key" belongs more to fantasy than horror. The trailer and what little I'd read of the comics had left me hoping for something a little different. Despite a very nice display of magic, the first half of the season proves too timid, uninspired and often just plain boring.

Thankfully, the second half saves the day. The suspense is there: one secret after another is revealed and the underlying logic finally emerges. If the series continues on this path with a possible second season, perhaps much scarier than the first, I'll keep watching.

"Locke & Key" is available on Netflix from 7 February 2020.