While I’ve always been a chicken when it comes to horror, I devoured Apple TV’s new horror comedy series Widow’s Bay. The humor in the show is incredible. It reminds me why I love Shaun of the Dead so much: it’s simultaneously hilarious and terrifying, which makes for exactly the kind of combination I need when faced with horror. I thrive off comic relief. Along with genuine humor and compelling horror, Widow’s Bay also promises clever writing, an atmospheric coastal setting, and a truly memorable cast of characters.
The show takes place on a fictional island off the New England coast. As the island’s mayor, Tom Loftis (played by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys), tries to encourage more tourism, he and his staff are drawn into the island’s eerie history.
The awards Widow’s Bay won also speak volumes about how incredible the show is. Last month, it received 14 Emmys, setting a record for the most Emmys won for a single season of a comedy series. Now that season one has wrapped up, I’ve put together a list of books like Widow’s Bay. These make for great reads this fall while we wait for season two to drop.
There are so many things to love about Widow’s Bay, so I chose four books that capture different aspects of what makes the show so great. You’ll find books with creepy island ambiance, funny characters in scary situations, summer slashers, and quirky paranormal themes. What’s your favorite part about Widow’s Bay?
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Great Books Like Widow’s Bay
For Fans of the Creepy Island Ambiance
Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano
The creepy island ambiance really makes Widow’s Bay the masterpiece that it is, and this suspenseful read by Jimmy Juliano promises many of those atmospheric elements as well. With its patchy service across the island, Widow’s Bay feels stuck in the past, as the characters rely on old-school computers, landlines, and projector screens.
In Dead Eleven, when Willow arrives on Clifford Island, she notices that everyone seems to be stuck in 1994. As she searches for answers to her son’s mysterious death, she begins to notice the strange routines of the people on the island. Her own disappearance will then send her brother looking for her next.
For Fans of Funny Characters in Scary Situations
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
If I were to choose a writer who most reminds me of the comedic horror style of Widow’s Bay, I would say T. Kingfisher. She writes dark fantasy and horror novels, and within all of them, her characters are hilarious and relatable. Like Widow’s Bay, I can survive the horror because the characters make me laugh so much. It’s also refreshing how they react to scary situations in relatable and believable ways.
This eerie read follows a woman named Kara who moves in with her uncle after a difficult divorce. As Kara helps her uncle catalog his peculiar collection for his museum of curiosities, she discovers a strange bunker behind a hole in his wall. Like the bunker below the Town Hall in Widow’s Bay, this one may lead to some seriously sinister entities.
For Fans of the Summer Slasher Subplot
Slasher Summer by E.L. Chen
The summer setting of Widow’s Bay, paired with the slasher subplot, makes for another entertaining element of the show. I love how Patricia reacts to the Boogeyman. She makes the kind of logical decisions one should make if in a situation like that–like not exploring dark rooms, leaving quietly out the front door without even closing it, running for help, and utilizing all the tools a gas station has handy. If you’d like more summertime slasher stories, this book by E.L. Chen makes for a great read.
Widow’s Bay feels like an ode to classic horror movies and tropes, and Chen’s novel also offers a nod towards 1980s slasher films, pairing humor with horror. When old high school friends reunite years later in Cedar Lake Falls, where the movie Slasher was filmed, they begin to notice how much they’ve changed and how quickly their trip may be going awry.
For Fans of Endearing Characters, Quirky Paranormal Themes, & Eerie Music
Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
The protagonist of this paranormal read by Mike Chen gives off some serious Patricia vibes. Louise Chao is a lonely vampire who seeks a sense of belonging. While she avoids her family, she does find a feeling of closeness to others at punk rock concerts.
Things take a turn for Louise, though, when she makes a surprising connection with a teen relative of hers. Like Widow’s Bay, Chen pairs characters worth rooting for with eccentric supernatural themes.
I hope these books help tide you over until the next season of Widow’s Bay airs. It’s a list that, as the actress who plays Patricia, Kate O’Flynn, would say, is for all the Patricias out there.
For more books for fans of Widow’s Bay, check out these humorous horror reads, too.
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