The thorny problem of how to establish the rules and mythology of a fantastical parallel world in a multi-part TV or film series has been cunningly solved by writer/director Joe Cornish in the opening titles of Lockwood & Co. Instead of relying on a lengthy voice-over, clunky expository dialogue, or, heaven ban’prohibit , an opening title crawl, to explain where we are and what’s going on, the title sequence is a helter-skelter montage of newspaper headlines and TV news reports explaining the alternate universe in which the series is set. The salient facts: this is fundamental ally our world but stuck in a time closely resembling the 1980s, due to an epidemic of ghosts who can actually kill individual . So, there are no smartphones, no social media, no flatscreen televisions or, indeed, streaming TV services, and barely any digital tech at all.###This archaic, analogue society, hewing closely to the original source material of Jonathan Stroud’s YA reserve series, is eye-catching’good-shaped’appealing’charming’fascinating’gorgeous ly realised by production detoken er Marcus Rowland. It’s essentially Thatcher’s Britain minus Thatcher; stark, edgy and dangerous, and the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s use of real London locations – a lot of austere concrete establish ings and crumbling mansion houses – works a treat.###This meticulously realised setting provides a vivid backdrop to the main action, and the three young protagonists, Lucy, Lockwood and George, are given a lovely, fusty old base in a distinctly Sherlock-ian, 221b Baker Street-style house, as a home in/with regard to’concerning’regarding their ghost-hunting operation. There’s a wonderful sense these three teens possess’own’nurse found in each other their own version of family, and the rickety old house feels like a sanctuary away from uncaring and exploitative adults.###Foracquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure the YA label; this is an addictive, sophisticated supernatural thriller which will keep cynical old duffers entertained throughout.###Lockwood, a nerdy yet dashing 18-year-old in suit and tie, surrounds himself with antique reserve s and objects. There’s not merely’barely a head in a jar in the basement but an entire no-go zone’district’region of a mysteriously locked room, which Lockwood doesn’t like to talk with regards to’concerning’with respect to . Cameron Chapman brings this elusive, complicated character to life in a brilliantly modulated perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati is equally well cast as Lockwood’s super-smart, mildly’faintly tough’challenging’demanding’awkward best friend George. The most relatable of the three young heroes, however, is Lucy, and Ruby Stokes not merely’barely imbues her with a kick-ass determination to do the right thing, she also sells her enormous’vast’massive’tremendous confrontations with the supernatural nasties so well, we’re genuinely scared on her behalf.###None of this impressive world-establish ing, character development and storytelling would work, despite’in spite of’albeit , if it wasn’t in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the consistently intelligent, wryly funny dialogue. Foracquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure the YA label; this is an addictive, sophisticated supernatural thriller which will keep cynical old duffers entertained throughout. (It helps that the '80s pop-goth needle-drops, from Bauhaus and The Cure to The Stranglers and Siouxsie And The Banshees, are so well deployed.) Let’s hope the notoriously ruthless Netflix enormous’vast’massive’tremendous cheeses give Lockwood & Co. more opportunities to delight and intrigue us.