# Locke & Key (2020)

> After their father's murder, three siblings discover that the keys of their ancestral New England estate unlock magical powers and dangerous secrets.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/73412

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 28
- Episode runtime: 48 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, drama, horror
- Created by: Meredith Averill, Aron Eli Coleite, Carlton Cuse
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Jackson Robert Scott, Petrice Jones, Kevin Durand, Sherri Saum, Brendan Hines
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007572/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: eerie, melancholic, suspenseful, melodramatic

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its supernatural premise and family drama while noting uneven tone and weaker later episodes.

## Synopsis

Locke & Key (2020-2022) is an American fantasy drama series created by Meredith Averill, Aron Eli Coleite and Carlton Cuse for Netflix, adapted from the IDW comic book. After their father's murder, siblings Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) move with their mother Nina (Darby Stanchfield) to a sprawling ancestral estate in a small town. Their search for answers leads them to a set of magical keys hidden throughout the house, each unlocking a different power and a different secret. Kevin Durand plays the sinister Frederick Gideon, whose interest in the keys shadows every discovery. The engine of the show is the push and pull between wanting to protect one another and being tempted by the powers the keys offer, with each season built around new doors, new threats and buried family history. Over three seasons and twenty-eight episodes, the tone shifts between eerie supernatural horror, melodramatic teen drama and suspenseful mystery. Viewers who enjoy the uneasy atmosphere of Stranger Things, the family secrets of Riverdale and the gothic dread of The Haunting of Hill House will find much to savor here.

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