Here's Why Caskets Are Locked Before A Body Is Buried

Depending on your level of casket knowledge, you may have not known that many of them are locked before they're lowered into the ground. Maybe you think of the most obvious motivation — in case the corpse inside enters its zombie era — but it's actually done for more practical reasons. Besides, zombies can bust through caskets, as plenty of movies and TV shows have shown. 

The practice of ensuring caskets are closed tight is an old one. Since ancient times, people have nailed them shut, and sometimes the reason was, in fact, to keep the dead from rising from their graves (because there were also vampires to think about). Grave-robbing was another concern, so making coffins harder to open could ensure that the defenseless dead could at least retain their valuables. 

Over time, nailing coffins closed gave way to the creation of safety coffins, as the fear of being buried alive became more pervasive than the idea that the dead would return with malintent. In the 19th century, several inventions were created so the undead could alert those above ground and oxygen could be piped into their caskets while they awaited rescue. Fortunately, today, we have the technology to ascertain whether someone is actually dead or not, so we are comfortable with locking them in their funerary boxes before we lower them into the ground to preserve the bodies for a little longer.

In modern times, there are a variety of caskets to choose from, with sealed caskets made specifically to be airtight. These are typically locked to keep unwanted elements out and secure the casket as it's moved from place to place. No one wants the lid to open when it's not supposed to. For that reason, many types of caskets have some kind of locking mechanism, and some are more intricate than others. Gasketed caskets have a crank-style lock at the bottom, whereas non-gasketed caskets use a latch that clips down in multiple spots. 

Gasketed caskets, or the ones that seal shut, are often more expensive due to the extra materials required to make them airtight when they're locked. And they're mandatory in some situations, like if a body is to be flown between locations. Not only does the sealing and locking keep unwanted elements out, but it also keeps liquids in, should there be any type of leakage. 

Still, in a lot of cases, people die in the same place they will be laid to rest, so if families choose lockable, airtight caskets, it's often in an effort to preserve the bodies in the coffins as long as possible. Considering the person inside is someone we love, it can be a natural instinct to want to continue to protect them from things that could get inside like oxygen and water, which will hasten the various stages decomposition. Of course, while locking an airtight casket will slow down decay, the deterioration process is still a natural and inevitable part of death.

Another reason people still want their loved ones' casket locked can be a cultural preference. Some societies see locking caskets as a final form of closure. And today, much like in ancient times, if people are buried with belongings or valuables, locking the coffin is a way to protect the items inside from would-be grave-robbers or other opportunists.

That said, it's interesting to note that the keys to casket locks are universal, and they aren't actually a "key" in the way we think of a lock and key but rather a simple hex wrench. It wasn't always that way, though. In medieval times, casket keys had that old-style key look, and they likely only worked with one lock — the one on the coffin. But times change, and these days, when we lock a body inside of a casket, the odds are that the only person with access to the corpse after it's secured is the funeral director.

According to YouTuber Kari Northey (aka Kari the Mortician), in the mid-20th century, funeral homes often gave the "key" to the coffin of a dead person to their families, and they looked like the one pictured above. A nice sentiment, but families really didn't have much use for them and didn't want them, so the practice faded away. Though if relatives really want a key, funeral homes will ensure they receive one.