In 1971, Locke co-starred with Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine in the psychological thriller "Willard", which became a surprise box office smash. Locke felt overqualified for her role but did it as a favor to Davison, who at the time was her unofficial paramour. She was then featured in William A. Fraker's underseen mystery "A Reflection of Fear" (1972) and held the title role in "The Second Coming of Suzanne" (1974), winner of three gold medals at the Atlanta Film Festival. Both films were shelved for two years before finally opening in arthouse cinemas, attracting little attention at first. Over time "Suzanne" has developed a cult following, while "Reflection" is cited as an early example of media portrayals of transgender people.