The Savini Squad From 'Locke and Key' Honors a Horror Legend
In Netflix's Locke and Key, Kinsey Locke finds a group of friends who love horror movies and call themselves the "Savini Squad."
As their leader, Scot, explains, their group is named for campy horror movie legend Tom Savini.
Savini is known for his make-up and special effects work on countless horror classics, such as Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, and countless more. He's also an actor, and makes a cameo in Locke and Key.
Like father, like son. In Locke and Key, the Netflix series based on writer Joe Hill's graphic novels of the same name, Kinsey Locke is a part of a friends group known as the 'Savini Squad.' Hill, whose father just happens to be Stephen King, seems to be following Dad's "Loser's Club" lead. Whereas "Loser's Club" is just a bit of self-deprecating humor, though, "Savini Squad" has a deeper meaning; all the group's members are die-hard fans of campy horror movies, and the effects work of one Tom Savini. Hence the name: Savini Squad.
In the series, we see the friends partake in all the activities you might imagine: watching campy horror movies, discussing them at length, and even working as hard as they can to find ways to pull of their own movies. These kids aren't just running around with camcorders; they've got blood and guts squirting everywhere. But for a hint at what has this fictitious gang of teens so hyped up, we can take a look at the contributions that Tom Savini, a real-life Horror icon, made. They're pretty damn cool:
Tom Savini is the master of horror special effects.
Savini went to Carnegie Mellon University, before eventually linking up in Pittsburgh with filmmaker George A. Romero. On Romero's film Martin, Savini helped to develop a convincing wrist-slitting special effect, and he worked with an increased budget next on Dawn of the Dead, which became one of the most beloved horror films in history. On Dawn, Savini helped to develop all the severed arms, legs, and gore that you might associate with the campy horror films of the 1980s.
Among countless other films, Savini also worked on the first two Friday the 13th films, playing a big role in the creation of Jason Voorhees and all the wreckage that he causes across that franchise (though Jason doesn't appear in his iconic hockey mask-clad form until the third movie in the franchise). He did get to kill Jason in 1985, though, when he worked on Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (spoiler: it was not, in fact, the final chapter). Savini also created the effects for Creepshow, which was directed by Romero and written by Stephen King.
For his work in effects, Savini has earned one of the best nicknames you'll ever hear: "The Sultan of Splatter."
There have been numerous documentaries, stories, and even books written on Savini, but you can also find a lot of fun videos and content online as well. Below you can check out a quick and informative video put together by Carnegie Mellon, his alma mater.
Savini is also a beloved actor.
In addition to his special effects mastery, Savini has also been acting on-screen since 1977, accumulating credits in nearly 70 movies and TV shows. He's made appearances in movies he's worked behind the scenes on, like Creepshow, Martin, and Friday the 13th, and also played more substantial roles in movies like From Dusk Til Dawn. In recent years, he's spoken for History of Horror, Eli Roth's documentary series about horror films on AMC, and even appeared on the From Dusk Til Dawn TV show.
Tom Savini himself has a cameo in Locke and Key.
Just as young Bode Locke was figuring out what the magical keys were all about, he went to his local hardware store, where the key maker was played by....Tom Savini himself. Savini helps Bode to realize the weight (both literally and figuratively) of the keys that he's found, and when he turns around, Bode sees the keyhole on the back of someone's neck for the first time. As they part ways, Savini's key man gives Bode a jar full of simlar-looking keys to use as traps to lure and capture Dodge.
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