Locke & Key season 3: ending of Netflix series explained, cast, was show cancelled - will there be a season 4?

Season three of Netflix fantasy horror series Locke & Keywill see the Locke family deal with their most dangerous foe to date.

The series is adapted from the comic book series of the same name by American novelist Joe Hill, son of horror writer Stephen King.

The second and third seasons of the show were quickly confirmed by Netflix after the season one premiere in 2020, but what is series three about and is it the last instalment? This is eveything you need to know:

What is Locke & Key about?

Locke & Key follows the Locke family - mother Nina and children Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode who move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, after their father is mysteriously murdered.

In their new home, the children discover magic keys hidden across the estate which grant them supernatural powers.

But dark forces in the house seek to take the power of the keys for themselves.

As the Lockes experiment with their new abilities, search for keys and investigate their father’s death, they must also hold out against malicious magic in their home.

Who is in the cast of Locke & Key season 3?

• Connor Jessup as Tyler Locke
• Emilia Jones as Kinsey Locke
• Jackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke
• Kevin Durand as Capt. Frederick Gideon
• Sherri Saum as Ellie Whedon 
• Brendan Hines as Josh Bennett
• Coby Bird as Rufus Whedon

What happened in season 3?

*Spoilers for season 3*

As the show has progressed, it has diverged further from the comic book series it is based on.

Season three sees the Locke family face a greater threat as new keys are discovered.

The Lockes face off against Gideon, a possessed British soldier from the 17th century who was resurrected by one of the keys, but is still controlled by the demon.

Much of season three follows the Locke family as they try to subvert Gideon’s plan to destroy the Earth.

After a long battle, the Lockes are able to force Gideon into a portal back to the demon’s world.

After this threat was dealt with, they made the tough decision to throw their magic keys into the portal as well, removing the cursed magic from their world.

How can you watch season 3 of Locke & Key?

Lock & Key was released on Netflix in the UK on Tuesday 11 August - all of seasons 1-3 are now available to watch on the site.

Season three is shorter than the first two, and contains eight episodes each of which are 30-50 minutes long.

Will there be another season of Locke & Key?

Netflix confirmed that the third season of Locke & Key would be the last one back in April this year.

However, the show hasn’t exactly been cancelled and has ended naturally after a three season run, which had been the plan of the creator’s since the show began.

Locke & Key creators Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill said: "Once we began working on the series, we felt three seasons was the ideal length to bring the story of the Locke family and their Keyhouse adventures to a satisfying conclusion.

"As storytellers, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to tell our version of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s incredible story exactly the way we wanted. We’re keeping the magical keys, though, for our own personal use."