Movies & TV Widow’s Bay What to Watch After Widow’s Bay A curated watchlist that is the next Martha’s Vineyard and definitely not cursed By Matthew Byrd | Published on June 18, 2026 Credit: Apple TV Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Apple TV Nobody is happy about Widow’s Bay ending. Yes, the show has been renewed for a second season and will almost certainly be a featured player throughout awards season, but the fact of the matter is that shows this clever, surprising, well-crafted, and simply fun don’t come along often enough. And once you’ve finished Widow’s Bay’s exceptional final episode, you will be left wondering what you could possibly turn to next to help fill the void. Well, that’s the strange thing about Widow’s Bay. Though it’s often a collection of horror references and concepts, there’s really very little that is quite like it. However, by breaking the series down into pieces, we can construct a reasonable watchlist of movies and shows that at least capture some aspect of the incredible horror comedy series. Storm of the Century Pretty much every Stephen King adaptation pairs well with Widow’s Bay (he was kind of a big inspiration, in case you couldn’t tell), but the eternally underrated Storm of the Century is the one Stephen King story you absolutely need to watch and maybe haven’t seen. As a massive snowstorm descends upon Little Tall Island, the residents of the small Maine town also receive a mysterious and unwelcome new visitor. They soon find out the two occurrences are connected in ways that will force them to make unthinkable decisions. Along with being a direct influence on Widow’s Bay’s final episodes, Storm of the Century is quietly one of Stephen King’s greatest stories (despite being an original TV screenplay rather than an adaptation of one of the author’s many novels). That’s admittedly a big claim, but this three-part miniseries perfectly captures the small town relationships King excels at without succumbing to an underwhelming giant cosmic spider finale. It’s simultaneously a nearly perfect encapsulation of the author’s legacy and one of his finest original works of the last few decades. Midnight Mass You do have to occasionally remind yourself that Midnight Mass is not technically based on a Stephen King story. Yes, it comes to us from Stephen King whisperer Mike Flanagan, and yes, it’s something of an unofficial Salem’s Lot story that’s better than the official Salem’s Lot adaptations. And though those qualities make it easy to fall under Midnight Mass’ spell (especially if you’re just coming down from a Widow’s Bay high), it’s the show’s more unique elements that make it arguably Flanagan’s greatest creation. What begins as the story of a young priest desperate to bring hope to a small island community soon grows into a poignant and genuinely terrifying examination of the allure and easily corrupted power of faith itself. It’s a series about the monsters born from blind hope for a savior as well as the monsters created when we harden our hearts to the idea of something better. It also features a career-best performance from Hamish Linklater, whose standout Widow’s Bay performance felt directly inspired by this series. Ravenous Speaking of Hamish Linklater, those who enjoyed the actor’s flashback episode in Widow’s Bay should watch The Witch: Robert Eggers’ beloved slice of New England period piece folk horror. Those who have seen The Witch a few too many times (there are dozens of us!) should instead consider checking out Antonia Bird’s 1999 film, Ravenous. Set during the Mexican–American War, Ravenous follows a group of soldiers who resort to cannibalism and must confront an ancient curse associated with their unforgivable actions. Ravenous is often described as a horror comedy, and its arguably the funniest cannibal comedy this side of Hannibal and Cannibal! The Musical. However, the comedy of this morbid tale is more in line with the Widow’s Bay-esque absurdity of watching increasingly bad decisions play out in a remarkable situation. This is also an arguable entry in the “Men would rather” subgenre. Blow the Man Down While not a horror movie, there are three very good reasons to watch Blow the Man Down after Widow’s Bay: It’s an incredibly atmospheric depiction of a fishing village It’s an absolutely brilliant murder mystery movie that more people need to see It features Margo Martindale giving a career-best performance What does Margo Martindale have to do with Widow’s Bay? I suppose I could argue for her Americans connection to Matthew Rhys, but the truth of the matter is that there is never a bad time to sing the praises of Margo Martindale. Speaking of singing, Blow the Man Down actually uses sea shanties as the loose framework for its story involving two sisters who dive into the surprisingly deep underbelly of their small town while trying to conceal a murder. Few movies capture the eternally foggy feel of a small fishing village quite like this one, and fewer still use that feel to paint a compelling story about what we hide from the people we know best. In The Mouth of Madness Technically speaking, The Fog is the John Carpenter movie that probably has the most in common with Widow’s Bay thanks to its seaside setting and cursed community. To get even more technical, one never really needs a reason to recommend nearly any John Carpenter movie. Did you like Widow’s Bay? Watch Big Trouble in Little China. Why? Why not? However, In the Mouth of Madness shares an incredibly specific (and incredibly fascinating) plot element with Widow’s Bay: a fictional small town comprised almost entirely of horror tropes. Granted, the town is really just the embodiment of a popular missing author’s various creations rather than a real place, but our brief trip through it evokes that same feeling of being wrapped in a warm, spooky blanket that Widow’s Bay joyfully delivered week after week. It’s also another piece of media that makes you wonder why Castle Rock was rarely half as good as it should have been. Tucker and Dale vs Evil Truth be told, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil doesn’t balance comedy and horror quite as well as Widow’s Bay does. You may find an errant scare in this story of two wholesome fellas who accidentally become the villains in a group of teens’ horror story, but Tucker and Dale hasn’t become a cult classic because of its frights. It is, however, one of the absolute funniest horror movies ever made. You don’t even need to be that familiar with the “Hicksploitation” subgenre the movie most directly draws from to get the whole thing. Even a vague awareness of the concept of young people in peril in the woods will do. And while there is probably an essay to be written about the ways the movie examines our habit of creating villains out of others, it’s mostly an excuse to watch two of the kindest good ole boys you’ll ever meet become increasingly befuddled as a group of kids keep accidentally killing themselves all around them. Bodkin Curses aside, the scariest things about small towns are often the little things. You’re sometimes never quite sure if what you’re witnessing is just a little different or truly… off. Even the next Martha’s Vineyard has its quirks. At its best, Bodkin explores the sometimes thin line between outsider’s suspicion and outsider’s intuition. The show follows a group of podcasters (I know, I know, hear me out) who descend upon a small Irish town to investigate a murder mystery. They initially suspect they’ve found nothing but the world’s quaintest village, but before you can say “Midsommar,” the group discovers that some of the things they’ve been writing off as quirks are signs of something foul. It’s Bodkin’s comedic undertones and its embrace of the weird that make it a more natural companion to Widow’s Bay than the average cozy murder mystery. If you’re looking for something a little more in that style, definitely check out Prime Video’s Deadloch. Messiah of Evil If you have a taste for (or, perhaps more accurately, tolerance of) deeply weird, surreal, dreamlike, lethargic horror movies, then it is my great pleasure to add Messiah of Evil to your watchlist. Though technically set in a California coastal town, it feels more truthful to say that Messiah of Evil explores a particularly strange corner of an especially bizarre Lovecraftian hellscape. This surrealist painting of a slow burn nightmare takes the idea of a cursed town to often indescribable new levels. It’s not for every Widow’s Bay fan, but I can promise you that it will forever linger on the edges of your mind. The Devonsville Terror Yes, yes, yes, you should absolutely watch The Wicker Man if you love Widow’s Bay. That foundational piece of cinematic folk horror is clearly one of the biggest influences on Widow’s Bay’s plot and style. But if you hunger for something a touch more obscure, then allow me to recommend The Devonsville Terror. Is The Devonsville Terror good? Why ask such things when you can bask in the glory of a possibly half-drunk Donald Pleasance investigating a New England town that is supposedly cursed due to their historical violence against witches? It’s rough around the edges to say the least, but this movie’s village in the fall vibes are simply immaculate. Its acknowledgement that the crusade against witches was really just a power play by the patriarchy is also a surprisingly subtle plot point for a movie that feels like it’s based on some unpublished pulp horror paperback. Grabbers Despite having the worst (or best, depending on your taste) name in fairly recent horror movie history, Grabbers really is some kind of masterpiece. This horror comedy begins with an incredibly familiar premise: residents of a small Irish village find themselves under attack from mysterious creatures and only an unlikely pair of cops can stop them. In an incredible twist, though, we soon learn that the only protection against the monsters is to get, and stay, really, really drunk. Setting of the story aside, Grabbers’ most endearing similarity to Widow’s Bay is its commitment to remaining purely fun at every turn. Wellington Paranormal Wellington Paranormal exists on a plane that’s parallel to Widow’s Bay. After all, both shows feature members of a municipality dealing with a series of supernatural events. Whereas Widow’s Bay mixes those adventures with moments of serialized compelling character drama, Wellington Paranormal is a deeply, deeply silly episodic series. Created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement of What We Do in the Shadows fame (it’s actually a soft spin-off of that series), Wellington Paranormal is a version of Cops in which said cops must deal with demons and devils. It’s a show best enjoyed by those who find some indescribable pleasure in watching the least capable (and therefore most hilarious) people in the world try to navigate supernatural cases while maintaining an impossibly bureaucratic disposition about the whole thing. The Babadook Tbt to Halloween when I dressed as the babadook but my friend's house had more of a grown ups drinking wine vibe pic.twitter.com/PoGKUFeLLw— Katie Dippold (@katiedippold) June 30, 2016 An essential part of Widow’s Bay lore, The Babadook is the film that inspired series creator Katie Dippold to share one of the greatest tweets of all time. It’s a fantastic movie in its own right and one of the most important horror films of the modern era, but you’re also here for the foundations of a generational meme. Bonus Patricia Double Feature! Friday the 13th Part 2 and Pearl As the breakout star of Widow’s Bay, Kate O’Flynn’s Patricia often steals the show. However, the character’s two best moments (aside from the reveal of her book van that the rest of the town clearly doesn’t appreciate enough) occur when she hosts the world’s most chaotic dinner party and when we learn that Patricia has long been something of a final girl hiding in plain sight. If your tastes veer more towards the final girl territory, give Friday the 13th Part 2 a go. Yes, Patricia’s final girl is much closer to Halloween’s Laurie Strode, and no, I’m probably not going to convince you that any of the Friday the 13th movies are masterpieces (despite my lifelong fondness for them). However, Friday the 13th Part 2 is both one of the best-made entries in the franchise and features one of the greatest final girls in horror history: Ginny Field. Intelligent, resourceful, relentless, and not afraid to live as well as survive, Ginny is both a foundational final girl and a subversion of many of the final girl tropes that would eventually emerge. If you’re more of a chaos party host Patricia fan, then give Pearl a watch. Not only was it directed by Ti West (who also directed one of Widow’s Bay’s best episodes, “Our History”), but it features Mia Goth giving what I feel comfortable describing as a generational performance. No, Patricia isn’t quite as desperate or murderous as Pearl, but the twinkle of madness in her eyes when she envisions a moment of stardom certainly recalls the look on Patricia’s face when she believes she has become the party princess of the island.[end-mark] The post What to Watch After <i>Widow’s Bay</i> appeared first on Reactor.