Greetings nerdy list afficionados and welcome back to top 10 nerd.
Today we’re diving into the realm of horror comics once one of the most popular comic
genres out there it’s time in the spoltlight was cut down by censorship and fear and paranoia
brewing in a post world war 2 age however it didn’t ever go away and while it may
not have soared back to the heights it omnce occupied there are still many compelling horror
dramas out there one of which is Locke and Key that is being adapted into a series by
Netflix now it must be stated adaptation proves nothing about a works original merit but it
can be a nice way to get it out to people who might not otherwise have known about it
but when it comes to locke and key there are some things that are simply ireplicable tho
the series will undoubtedly bring some new elements as well.
For those who are new to this world I’m going to provide you with some facts, I’m
Sasha and these are the Top 10 Scary Locke & Key Facts you need to know.
Number 10 - Passed On Twice Before - This netflix adaptation is far from the first time
people have attempted to take on this work in 2010 there was a Fox pilot and we got as
far as filming and trying to sell the pilot but no one wanted it so the studio gave up
due to the rising costs of shopping the series around.
Then in 2017 Hulu took a stab at it We got to casting and finding director’s for the
pilot which involved changes never a good sign and then ultimately they too passed on
the show and it was shopped around to other networks.
Til it would find a home at Netflix who would take it on in 2018 but it would take til now
2020 the time of this recording for things to be ready but it’s here it’s happening.
Also there was a film that was supposed to happen announced in 2014 but that fell through
fairly quickly.
It’s been a journey this work was considered by some unadaptable or simply too strange
to have any sort of mass appeal.
Number 9 - Non Chronological Storytelling - This may be one of the reasons some felt
daunted approaching this work Locke & Key aside from being a psychological and sometimes
quite visceral horror drama is also a mystery and that is partially facilitated by how it
is told out of chronological order.
The story unveils itself in layers as the reader jumps forward and back in time sometimes
weeks sometimes months sometimes years.
There can be a couple of fears with this one that it will prove too complicated for people
to follow or that there will be too many jumps you know those shows that can’t stay in
one timeline long enough for you to raise a chip to your mouth.
Or that if you told it chronologically you would essentially eliminate most of the mystery
and suspense.
It’s a fine line to walk but it can be done it is easier to do in book or comic format
but still achievable in film it has been done before it can be done again.
Number 8 - Written By Joe Hill - Joe Hill has risen up over the years to be a prominent
name in horror writing and funnily enough people were quick to label him the next Stephen
King what’s funny about that well he’s Stephen King’s son he wasn’t going by
his last name because he wanted to build a name for himself outside of his father’s
legacy and shadow and he most certainly has.
He has also proved quite versatile hopping from medium to medium comics and books are
different and require different hands but he handles juggling the visual with the purely
text based masterfully much better than some of his counterparts who are celebrated for
it.
So yeah written by who has rapidly come to be considered a master of horror.
Number 7 - More Coming - Oh that’s right it’s not over the main arc may be done and
if you’re interested, there is plenty of Locke & Key to read spanning over a decade
at this point even standalones outside the main arc and Joe Hill isn’t done.
He has more tales in this universe coming out cause based on the structure there is
a lot to play with.
The Netflix series order is playing with a lot of the titles from all over the series
let’s hope it doesn’t rush through and let’s it build good horror has to sit with
you for a bit you think about it and it kind of seeps into you creeping you out the more
you think about it.
Number 6 - Magical Keys - So the key in the title of Locke and key isn’t just there
for show no the series centres around a set of magical keys each unlocked often horrifying
abilities or ones that could be used for mischief as easily as merriment.
The Locke is more of a play on words the series focuses on the Locke family with an e at then
end and their misadventures with these keys and the malevolent force manipulating them
both to get the keys and also for revenge.
Cause revenge is a dish best served as a surprise I mean cold is nice but if you never see it
coming mwah extra delicious.
Quality vengeance.
Number 5 - Head Key - Of all the keys the head key appears to be the most daunting especially
when it comes to questions of adaptation.
The head key allows one to unlock a mind their own or someone else's as long as they touch
the key.
In the comic this is literal the head comes off the top removed and inside one can peer
in and see everything how the person sees it so it’s not always an exact representation
of reality which is quite clever as we very literally see the world differently.
One can then add or remove things to the head and once removed the person of course no longer
remembers them.
How one will be able to replicate this without it looking super cheesy has yet to be seen.
Number 4 - Card Game - Look if your series gets popular enough you have a shot at a card
game especially in 2012 when this game came out now at first it could be seem like a bit
of a non sequiteur like what is this game even going to be about.
However, it is actually fairly intuitive the game is about the quest for keys and getting
them before your opponent does it can be played with 3 to 6 people and apparently takes about
half an hour.
Challenge accepted.
The cards have images from the comics on them so if you really liked the art from this series
which a lot of people do aside from a game to play this could be a fun little collector’s
item.
Number 3 - Award Winning Audio Drama - So it seems like once this series is released
you’ll pretty much be able to enjoy Locke & Key however you like.
The audio drama is 13 hours long and was released in 2015 it and was star studded including
kate mulgrew captain janeway herself who is an excellent narrator she also does joe hill’s
book nos4ra2 and it’s brilliant both the book and her performance.
It has 50 voice over actors including Hill and Stephen King so if that sound entertaining
to you, and you have 13 hours you can dedicate to auditory horror well there you go, you’re
welcome.
Number 2 - Joe Hill wrote the pilot - So when it comes to adaptations sometimes you have
to worry about the author’s vision but in this case worry not for since it has being
shopped around Joe Hill has been attached and he even wrote the pilot.
So it will be interesting to see what changes and what stays the same I already see you
current year appropriate hairstyle change to avoid twitter drama.
Number 1 - Identity - Some the keys in this series allow to user to alter their identity
in some core fashion such as the skin and the gender key that allow one to change ones
race and gender which at the time was interchangeable for sex since this was the late 2010s and
early 2010s.
These changes play with the ideas around the fluidity of identity that there is a core
you affected by the outside yes but also malleable and adaptable to how one is perceived and
can even use any position to ones advantage and that one can be comfortable in any form
given enough time it is a fascinating and nuanced look at a topic that at times can
be presented in a very rigid and this is the “correct” way format.
So it will be curious to see how Netflix tackles this aspect of the story it could be very
compelling or like having to sit through an afterschool lecture about why you shouldn’t
do drugs we will have to wait and see.
So those were some facts to whet your appetite for Locke and Key are you excited are you
fans of the series already?
Let me know down below.