As a horror enthusiast I find that the horror-comedy sub-genre can be difficult to balance, yet Widow’s Bay does it perfectly. Created by Katie Dippold and mainly under the direction of Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay manages to not only balance the tone between horror and comedy but also gives a common horror trope a new perspective. The story is about an island called Widow’s Bay having a curse that brings different supernatural folklore upon the island.
Starring is Matthew Rhys as the titular character Mayor Tom Loftis, whose performance I was pleasantly surprised by, as I know him for more of his serious roles. His comedic facial expressions really added to his performance of a sceptic mayor who is trying to keep a town together. Tom moved to the island with his pregnant wife who was born and raised on the island so that they could raise their son there. He has constant disagreements with Wyck Crawford, played by Stephen Root, about bringing tourism onto the island with the curse.
Over 10 episodes, Widow’s Bay spreads out a storyline of the island’s historical supernatural folklore coming back to life and haunting the characters because of the curse. Throughout the show, mainly Tom, Wyck, and Patricia come together to figure out the depth of the curse and how engrained it is in the history of Widow’s Bay. As the mayor and as someone who was not born and raised there, Tom is initially a sceptic of the curse and wants to bring in more tourism to help the reputation of the island. Wyck is a believer of the curse and wants to stop Tom from bringing in tourists due to the danger he believes it will bring to the people on the island.
Widow’s Bay brings a new perspective on the final girl horror trope in the form of Patricia, played by Kate O’Flynn. Patricia is a 40-year-old woman born and raised in Widow’s Bay, who as a teenager was the only survivor in a series of murders of teenage girls by the Boogeyman, a masked serial killer. Patricia is an assistant to Tom and is not very well-liked in the town mainly because no one believes her about her involvement in the murders.
Episodes 4 and 8 are primarily focused on Patricia. Episode 4 titled “Beach Reads” has Patricia finding a supernatural ritual book disguised as a self-help book and uses it to plan a party in order to try and fit in with the rest of the town. The party is a success until the illusion disappears and suddenly Patricia finds herself trying to stop the rest of the town unknowingly walking to their demise. Episode 8 titled “Your Baggage” is where the Boogeyman comes back to finish Patricia off for good. In her final girl glory, Patricia is chased across town and manages to kill him with a shotgun after setting him on fire. In a humorous scene, the aftermath shows Patricia holding the shotgun to the Boogeyman through his transportation in the ambulance, his autopsy, and his cremation to make sure he is really dead.
In the horror genre, the majority of final girls are either teenagers or in their early 20’s and we never really find out what their life is like when they’re older. Widow’s Bay does something different in giving the audience an older final girl and a type of aftermath that I really enjoyed.
Widow’s Bay was acclaimed by critics and is currently the most awarded comedy show in Emmy history. With 19 nominations and 14 wins; Rhys, O’Flynn, and Root won for acting, and Dippold and Murai winning for writing and directing. The show also won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
So, with all that under their belt and renewal for season 2, I can’t wait to find out what’s next for the town that is the next Martha’s vineyard and definitely not cursed.
Tilly Bunnage 
Josh 
Idea Phochaiya