‘Locke & Key’: Is Keyhouse a Real Place? How Netflix Brings the Manor to Life
Locke & Key Season 2 debuted on Oct. 22, and the Netflix show’s latest outing returns viewers to the magic of Keyhouse. The ancestral home of the Locke family, Keyhouse plays a huge role in both seasons of the Netflix series. Without it, the Locke siblings likely wouldn’t know about the magical keys their family possesses — or the demons hellbent on finding them.
And Keyhouse provides a backdrop that’s as stunning and eerie as the story Locke & Key is telling. The mansion is definitely somewhere fans would love to visit. But is Keyhouse a real place? Read on to learn how Netflix brings the setting to life on-screen.
The magic of Keyhouse Manor, explained
Locke & Key‘s Keyhouse is located in a fictional town called Matheson, Mass., where the family moves at the beginning of the Netflix show. Keyhouse has belonged to the Lockes for generations, and there’s a reason the manor is so important to them.
When Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) first move in, they realize there’s more to the mansion than first meets the eye. The trio discovers a number of keys that make just about anything possible — from traveling anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye to wandering around inside your own head.
The siblings discover multiple keys during their time at Keyhouse, and season 2 even shows them making new ones. With all the magic happening under its roof, the manor gives off an enchanted vibe. Can fans experience it in real life?
Is ‘Locke & Key’s Keyhouse a real place?
While Keyhouse would undoubtedly make a cool place to visit, it’s as fictional as the town it’s located in. Unfortunately, the mansion isn’t one physical place as it appears throughout Locke & Key. The outside shots are mostly fabricated, while the various rooms seen inside of the Locke family’s home make up a detailed set.
As for the Netflix series’ filming location, Locke & Key shoots in Toronto, Canada. That means the lush backdrops viewers enjoy aren’t actually from Massachusetts — despite the show being set there.
Of course, the background for Locke & Key still gives off the charming, small-town aura of New England. Genevieve Kang, who brings Jackie to life in the series, told The Chronicle Herald that the backdrop feels made for it:
“It was just so tranquil… The people there are lovely. It almost felt like a soundstage that was built specifically for our filming because the aesthetic of it is so neat and charming.”
How Netflix brings the set of ‘Locke & Key’ to life
So, if Keyhouse doesn’t exist, how does Netflix bring the mansion to life on-screen? According to Distractify, the answer is by utilizing a number of sets, a shell of a home, and CGI.
The creators of Locke & Key built the outside of Keyhouse, but it isn’t functional in the way an ordinary house would be. The rooms the Locke siblings navigate inside the manor are actually part of a set, which enables the actors to move from place to place with little effort.
During an interview with CBR, executive producer Carlton Cuse elaborated on the making of the show’s indoor sets:
“We sort of replicated that idea. We built the exterior of the house in Toronto. And then we built the interior and we wanted to make sure the way the rooms were laid out on stage allowed for the characters to move easily [within] the various spaces. The essence of it all came from Gabriel [Rodriguez]’s design. The emotional goal was to make it feel inviting… there are a lot of incredible details in Keyhouse that will pay off down the stream.”
The sets are also enhanced using CGI, which allows the more magical elements of the house to come to life. The setup took a lot of creative thinking, and it makes for an interesting behind-the-scenes deep dive. However, it doesn’t enable fans to stop by Keyhouse and look around.
That might be disappointing for fans, but at least they can revisit Keyhouse in the series itself. Locke & Key is currently streaming on Netflix.
