By Lauren Demarest

I waited till all the Apple TV episodes came out before I started streaming Widow’s Bay. Like many these days, I want the freedom to binge the series if I liked what I was seeing. And, I liked what I saw. 

Widow’s Bay is an off-beat horror comedy for both those who like and those who do not like horror. It plays into every horror trope imaginable, but the overall feeling of the show is actually very light and charming. The characters are funny. Not in the Anna Farris, Scary Movie vein of comedy horror. This show is not silly. Though it does have some silly moments. It’s smart. It is focused on the delivery of the dialogue without relying on physical comedy. And this is where the humor truly lies.

The cast is led by the mayor, Tom – played boy Matthew Rhys. His portrayal of a “try hard” mayor is right on. He is stubbornly blind to the warnings of his neighbors. He wants his little island to get some attention, attract tourists, and ultimately become the next Martha’s Vineyard. And for a hot minute… it looks like he might get his wish when a reporter from the New York Times comes to do a travel piece, playing into the show’s deeper themes of gentrification. 

But the town and its citizens – especially superstitious townie Wyck, played by Stephen Root of Office Space, (I love to see this guy in absolutely anything) along with most of the other inhabitants of Widow’s Bay believe the island is cursed. And that based on past events, an evil beyond description is coming to consume anyone attempting to come to the island, and somehow, even worse… any local attempting to leave. 

This becomes especially real for Tom when his son Evan expresses a desire to go to college off island. Or even to go see a baseball game. And we see as the show progresses the fate that met Tom’s dead wife when they attempted to leave once before to have Evan at a mainland hospital. Ironically, everyone with a dead spouse on the island seems to be a widower. Not a widow. And we realize as the story unfolds, that it is the women of town and their passed-down matriarchal knowledge that save the day. Not the male mayor, police man, pastor, or any other man in a position of power in the local community. 

So. The piece comes out. The tourists come in droves. And Tom is happy to see his little economy blossoming. Until the bells begin to toll and the fog begins to roll in. Now it begins. The curse is back. And what form does this curse take? Literally every form you’ve ever seen play out on the big screen. The references are all such fun. And it’s a giggle to see how they all get a spin of their own. 

To name a few… the fog is giving, you guessed it… The Fog. And each episode calls up one or more classic references or horror tropes. The Sea Hag is giving The Ring. This episode pokes fun at the misogynistic fears associated with age and the idea of the hag. She kills by sitting on your face till you suffocate. And the scene that ensues is slap-your-knees funny. The Boogie Man episode is giving Halloween, turning the trope of the doe-eyed teenage girl slasher chase on its head… as Patricia is now pushing middle age, and is competent and self-reliant. There’s the classic clown killer intertwined with a haunted hotel that is totally giving The Shining. We are visited by the undead. And the episodes that go back in time are truly great. 

The episode with the Book of Spells, where town employee Patricia, played by Kate O’Flynn, is reminiscent of Carrie. The pyre and the crown of antlers is very Wicker Man. And the decorations at the party are very Blair Witch Project. This episode in particular is truly chocked full of truly awesome references.

In terms of art direction, the costume choices, and the propping, I love the retro vibe of Widow’s Bay. Is it now? It it the 90s? Is it the 70s? It’s giving Jaws in terms of atmosphere.

As for the characters, Widow’s Bay feels very much in the same playground as Parks And Recreation with the local government workplace dynamic. It’s a must-watch for me. I highly recommend this show if you are looking for something weird, atmospheric, and funny. Like laugh-out-loud funny.