Where is Locke and Key filmed? Locations revealed for Netflix series
Learn the real-world locations used to create Matheson, Keyhouse and the sinister Drowning Caves.
Fantasy drama Locke and Key is coming to an end with its third season, which sends us back to the frontlines of the war between a magical family and the (literal) demons of their past.
The main locale of the series has been Keyhouse, a grand ancestral home with a rich history and a collection of incredible keys strewn around its corridors.
Each one grants the user an extraordinary ability, but their vast power makes them highly sought after by forces with malicious intent (for more on that, check out our guide to the Locke and Key cast).
The series was created using a mix of real-world locations and sets, which have breathed life into the setting of Matheson, a fictional coastal town in the state of Massachusetts.
Here's your essential guide to where Locke and Key was filmed, including all the places you can actually visit – even without the Anywhere Key.
Is Matheson a real place? Where is it filmed?
Netflix's Locke and Key series takes place in the fictional town of Matheson, Massachusetts, which is based on the (equally fictitious) setting from the comic books, Lovecraft – named after horror writer HP Lovecraft.
Comic book writer and author Joe Hill, who co-created Locke and Key alongside artist Gabriel Rodriguez, explained the name change in a newsletter to fans.
He said: "I've learned too much about Lovecraft in the time since I wrote those first issues to feel the same way about him. And the show seemed like a good opportunity to honour the work of another, different master of dark fantasy."
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This is an acknowledgment of the fact that, in recent years, Lovecraft has been criticised for comments and behaviour regarded as racist, homophobic and anti-semitic.
The town's alternate name for the television show is a nod to fellow horror writer Richard Matheson, who is responsible for such stories as I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, and The Twilight Zone's Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.
Scenes that take place in the town of Matheson were filmed in Lunenberg, a historic small port town in Nova Scotia, Canada, with production also branching out to other areas of the country.
Where is Keyhouse?
Bad news for fans of kooky architecture: the jaw-dropping ancestral home of the Locke family – known as Keyhouse – doesn't actually exist, at least in its entirety.
A front facade of the building (the ancestral home of the Locke children in the series) was built in the Canadian countryside, but the rest of the exterior was created using CGI.
Several memorable scenes have taken place within the walls of Keyhouse, with these being filmed on various soundstages at Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto, Canada.
Where is Matheson Academy?
Matheson Academy is the high school of Tyler Locke (Connor Jessup) and his sister Kinsey (Emilia Jones), which was once attended by their father, Rendell (Bill Heck), and uncle, Duncan (Aaron Ashmore).
Rendell's childhood friend Ellie Whedon (Sherri Saum) is also an alum of Matheson Academy, who returned to the school later in life to teach gym.
Lucas Caravaggio (Felix Mallard) attended the school prior to being turned into the demonic force of nature Dodge and he returned under the guise of a fictional student named Gabe (Griffin Gluck), created using the identity key.
Scenes set outside and around Matheson Academy were shot at Humber College, part of the Humber Institute of Technology, in Ontario, Canada.
Where is The Drowning Cave?
The Drowning Caves are located underneath the Keyhouse Manor and contain the Black Door, a gateway to another world which can only be unlocked using the Omega Key.
The exterior of the caves was again shot in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, with the town clearly being a big influence on Matheson's aesthetic in this series.
The Drowning Caves get their name for their tragic history of luring people in by appearing safe, only to fill with water when the tide comes in – often proving fatal for those who have wandered in too far.
Needless to say, the Locke and Key cast were not tasked with getting lost in any real-world caves, with interior scenes instead shot from the safety of Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto, Canada.
Want more Locke and Key content? Find out what is an Echo in Locke and Key or read our Locke and Key season 2 ending recap.
Locke and Key is available to stream on Netflix. Read our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
