The key to great horror

 

Okay so, the version of this I added to my audiobook queue actually turned out to be the audio drama version, which I was not expecting. Thus there’s a chance it’s a bit different than the printed version due to the fact it was all told in dialogue. However, I will definitely say if you can get your hands on the audio drama, grab it. The voice acting was great and had some decent talent behind it (including Haley Joel Osment and Stephen King).

 

That said, this book rocked. It was kind of like Cabin In The Woods meets The Conjuring, except I didn’t have to deal with the fact that I revile the Warrens while listening to it.

 

The story follows the Locke family who, throughout history, have been the unknown guardians of The Key House located in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. The house, as these things tend to go, is not all it seems, and the children who reside there tend to stumble upon keys that contain strange and amazing powers—powers that the adults living in the house are typically unable to witness even when they’re performed right in front of them. There is also a malevolent spirit living within the house who is desperate to get his hands on some very specific keys and will do just about anything to get them.

 

This drama balanced a great combination of humor with some genuinely spooky scenes—to me, the perfect type of horror story. The ‘bad guy’ also has a pretty decent twist at the end, which I did not see coming. There are also frequent references to Joe’s father’s literary universe, which I appreciate as a King fan (but which could also cause some eye-rolling if inside jokes aren’t your thing). I’d say the only criticism I had for the book as a whole was that the rules regarding some of the keys (particularly who could and could not enter the Well House, and how they got in and out) could be super confusing. Also, the mom character spends 95% of the book drunk and hysterical, and after her fifth emotional breakdown I was like PLEASE GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. HAVE SOME COFFEE.

9/10. Would definitely watch the movie version.