This Is The Most Chilling Moment In Locke And Key
Among the slew of unique genre offerings that make up Netflix's original shows is the series Locke & Key. Adapted from the graphic novel series of the same name, by writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, the show follows the members of the Locke family, comprised of matriarch Nina Locke and children Tyler Locke, Kinsey Locke, and Bode Locke. A family tragedy prompts the family to move to Matheson, Massachusetts — the location of Keyhouse, a mansion that has been in their family for generations. Once there, the family comes across a series of mysterious keys, each of which has a unique supernatural function: one allows access to a person's memories, for instance, while another opens a door that allows a person's spirit to leave their body, while yet another key allows for travel to any other door in the world.
Through the show's first season, there were numerous scary moments that left audiences shaken, and the characters reeling in shock. Some characters have found themselves not in control of their own body, while others have had to face the literal manifestation of their fear, to say nothing of narrowly escaping drowning in a cave as the tide rose. One moment from the first season, though, has been the most chilling so far — staying with both the viewers and the characters, and impacting every aspect of the narrative.
In Locke and Key, it's a human with a gun who inflicts the most pain
Despite the numerous supernatural and otherworldly elements that show up throughout the course of the first season, the most chilling moment in Locke & Key comes from a boy wielding a gun, when the family patriarch Rendell Locke is shot dead in his home, with Nina and Tyler both watching helplessly. The death happens at the hands of Sam Lesser, a student at the high school where Rendell was a guidance counselor, and who was Tyler's friend at the time.
The ramifications of the shooting echo throughout the season, especially in how the characters behave. Even aside from directly being the catalyst for the move to Matheson, it hangs over their heads in other ways as well. Nina, a recovering alcoholic, is seen struggling with her sobriety because of witnessing the man she loved being shot dead, while suffering from her own injury at the hands of the shooter. Tyler struggles with the idea that he was the one who (unintentionally) motivated Sam to shoot his father, while Kinsey has trouble dealing with the fear she felt when hiding from Sam in the house. Sam's return, later in the season, dredges up these traumas once again, causing Nina to relapse in the aftermath.
Rendell's death is a testament to the fact that the presence — or absence — of supernatural elements do not, in and of themselves, guarantee an effective horror scene. Given the source material, it's hopeful that the creative team behind the TV show can keep that in mind during the show's upcoming seasons, as Deadline reports that Netflix has already renewed the show for a second and third season.