10 Movies & Shows To Watch If You Loved WIDOW’S BAY

If there’s any classic horror film that Widow’s Bay took inspiration from, it’s got to be The Fog. A quaint seaside town plagued by a curse that brings with it the ghosts of its past, hungry for revenge? Man, they’re just about twins! 

But really, John Carpenter’s 1980 film is about as close as you can get to the Apple show without actually rewatching it. Featuring frequent Carpenter collaborators like Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Adrienne Barbeau, it touches on a lot of the same themes as Widow’s Bay, as its heroes try to gloss over their home’s dark history, one that isn’t ready to be forgotten, and will do just about anything to make sure it isn’t.

Very rarely does this beloved family sci-fi series dip into straight up horror, but when it does, it doesn’t mess around. (See also: Blink, The Curse of Fenric, Midnight, etc.) While Horror of Fang Rock is definitely less terrifying than Widow’s Bay’s sea hag or its mask-faced Boogeyman, it’s still got all the elements of the show’s creepy seaside energy, science fiction or no. 

Much like The Fog, the four-part serial starring Tom Baker takes advantage of its coastal setting, trapping the Doctor and his companion Leela in a malfunctioning lighthouse surrounded by a mysterious fog. (See above.) When people keep turning up dead — with signs of being experimented on — the atmosphere quickly turns claustrophobic, with no way out except through the dense, impenetrable mist beyond.  

If you want all the fun of Widow’s Bay without as many of the scares, Peter Jackson’s 1996 horror comedy is perfect for you. This family-friendly ghost story features Michael J. Fox as a psychic who can speak to ghosts, but uses them to swindle people into paying for fake “exorcisms” instead — not as laudable a profession as Mayor Loftis, but he’s trying his best.

While this didn’t perform terribly well upon release — at least not as well as Jackson’s later films — it’s still a Halloween season staple. And, in addition to Fox, you get a canon of horror icons in the mix, including Dee Wallace, Jeffrey Combs, and the original Gomez Addams himself, John Astin. What’s more to love?

Okay, fine. If you’re reading this list and loved Widow’s Bay, you’ve probably already seen all of Twin Peaks at least once, if not multiple times. It’s an obvious reference point for the series, from its quirky townspeople right down to its unexplainable mysteries, but if you haven’t seen it, now’s the perfect time to start. 

While David Lynch’s television opus is more experimental and less outwardly funny than Widow’s Bay is, it’s got the same level of oddball charm. If you’ve been charmed by Tom Loftis, you won’t stand a chance with Agent Dale Cooper — and I mean that as a compliment. (And you get bonus points if you check out Fire Walk With Me too.)

If anyone knows a thing or two about haunted towns, it’s Stephen King. Plenty of his iconic stories happen in or around the fictional town of Derry, where evil entities snatch children and running men steal airplanes to save themselves. But before Derry, there was Jerusalem’s Lot, a tiny hamlet with an infestation terrible enough to rival Widow’s Bay’s curse. 

Now, you’ve got a choice here. You can either pick the original adaptation of King’s novel, the two-part miniseries starring Starsky and Hutch’s David Soul, or opt for the newer version, a movie starring Lewis Pullman, pictured above. I love both equally, so I won’t judge you either way — but you’ll definitely lose some sleep, no matter what you pick.

No, I’m not talking about the 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage, or its bees. I’m referring to the folk horror film to end all folk horror films: Robin Hardy’s 1973 classic starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, the great-granddaddy of all cursed horror movie islands. Who doesn’t love a good virgin sacrifice?

That aside, The Wicker Man’s influences are clearly visible in the DNA of Widow’s Bay — I have a feeling Patricia’s summer cocktails would go off without a hitch on Summerisle. While the residents of our beloved island haven’t yet turned to paganism, every horror fan should check out this classic at least once. And who’s to say that won’t come in Season 2…

Before there was Widow’s Bay, there was From. This popular sci-fi horror series survived the move from a dead streamer to become one of the genre’s most beloved shows, featuring Harold Perrineau trapped in a town where no one leaves. Yes, that sounds a whole lot like Widow’s Bay, but with a darker twist — they won’t die if they leave, they actually, physically cannot escape. 

This is easily the most obvious recommendation to give to those who love Apple’s show, and with From coming to a close with its fifth and final season soon, now’s the time to jump on the bandwagon. Just…watch out for those night creatures, yeah? 

If you loved Hamish Linklater as Widow’s Bay’s undying patriarch Richard Warren, then you’re in luck: horror auteur Mike Flanagan has a whole series focused on something very similar. Linklater stars in the 2021 Netflix series as Father Paul Hill, reverend of a Catholic church on a small, isolated island, where everyone is devoutly faithful and nothing is as it seems. 

While Midnight Mass is significantly more intense than Widow’s Bay, all the vibes are still there — a town where no one can leave, unexplained mysteries plaguing the townsfolk, and Linklater at the center of it. There’s no sense in spoiling exactly what’s going on, but maybe keep some tissues on hand if you pick up this one. (Or don’t, I’m not your mom.)

There’s too many police procedurals to count on TV right now — but what if you mixed Law & Order with demons? That’s the conceit behind CBS’s popular series Evil, only instead of the DA’s office, stars Mike Colter and Katja Herbers are employed by the Catholic Church. I mean, who else is in charge of exorcising demons? (Definitely not Michael J. Fox, if other entries on this list are to be believed.) 

This is definitely more “monster of the week” than the other entries on this list, and definitely more so than Widow’s Bay, but if you need something fun and a little creepy to sustain you while we wait for Season 2, Evil has four full seasons’ worth of scares to keep you occupied.

If you’ve gotten this far, congratulations, because this entry has nothing to do with any similarities between the 2014 film and Widow’s Bay, and everything to do with showrunner Katie Dippold, who once dressed up as the title character for Halloween — only to find out that the party she was at “had more of a grown-ups drinking wine vibe.” Sorry Ms. Dippold, I couldn’t resist the joke. 

But the Australian psychological horror is a genre staple, if you haven’t seen it. Directed by Jennifer Kent, the film follows a struggling mother of a six-year-old, plagued not only by her son’s increasingly disturbing behavior, but by a mysterious figure that might be at the root of it. It’s become a cult staple for many horror fans — and hey, it’s Pride Month, so it’s a perfect time to check out the film’s gay icon.