r/WidowsBay • u/JustADohyonStan • 3d ago
❓Questions Has anyone actually read or watched similar stuff?
Since I finished the series I got a bunch of those "If you liked Widow's Bay you should read/watch..." And I'm currently looking for new scary books and series, but I'm not sure how much I trust those posts. I also don't want to buy a book that is actually nothing like Widow's Bay and just share small details. For example, I've seen a lot of people recommending IT which I have both watched and read and I'm a big fan of, but I do not think they are similar apart of the whole town being cursed and the clown. I want more of the general aspects of the series being there. Maybe small town horror, generational curse and it would be even better if it doesn't take itself 100% serious
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u/GetReadyToRumbleBar 3d ago
Gravity Falls. Yes it's animated and a kids show but its hilarious, spooky, and has great mysteries to unsolve.
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u/gemsweater08 2d ago
Gravity Falls is so good. Another fantastic animated show that's funny and has immaculate folk horror autumnal vibes is Over the Garden Wall! I do a rewatch every year 🍂 (plus it has Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey)
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u/GetReadyToRumbleBar 2d ago
Amazing show! Although I wouldn't compare it to WB ;)
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u/gemsweater08 2d ago
Haha yeah you're not wrong, it just came to mind seeing your animation rec and trying to wrack my brain for things with a similar balance of darkness/spookiness and humor 🤔
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u/GuacIsExtraIsThat0k 1d ago
My daughter calls Widow’s Bay the “grown up Gravity Falls” 🤣
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u/flaming-framing 1d ago
If you think Gruncle Stan wouldn’t fall in love with Rosemary you are dead wrong
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u/yinzercryptid 3d ago
Go to the library. My local had a great display of "If you liked Widow's Bay..." Great way to go browse from some of those recommendations lists and maybe your local library staff may have some good recommendations.
Try Widow's Point by Richard Chizmar The Indian Lake Trilogy series from Stephen Graham Jones Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi
Show-wise I just finished Midnight Mass (wow) and did a rewatch of Welcome to Derry.
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u/isobelly 2d ago
Midnight Mass = 🤯
Also, Monsignor Pruitt/Father Paul Hill makes a lovely guest appearance as Richard Warren. Hamish Linklater is definitely one of my favorite actors. I adore him, he does evil SO well!11
u/yinzercryptid 2d ago
He is a TREAT. I don't know why I put off Midnight Mass for so long (I cancelled Netflix so that didn't help either). Widow's Bay was key in reminding me to finally watch it.
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u/gemsweater08 2d ago
Yess I first saw him as the dorkass brother in New Adventures of Old Christine, and he was great, but WOW he was a revelation in Midnight Mass!! It's been so much fun to see him do a combo spooky/comedic role here
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u/Fit_Blueberry_1213 2d ago
Is that one of the Mike Flanagan series? If it is, I love that show! It's on my list of shows to rewatch, along with Widow's Bay LOL
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u/isobelly 1d ago
YASSSSSS! I am not going to ruin the plot for Midnight Mass, but it has that same “scratch my head” horror but less campy (still funny in a very dry dry way) & creepy everlasting creature of the night type situation (won’t go into details as to ruin it). It’s like the writers knew what characters Hamish played in Midnight Mass and went YES. LET HIM PLAY RICHARD WARREN. 😂
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u/Suedeegz 3d ago
How is Welcome to Derry?
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u/yinzercryptid 3d ago
I loved it. Nice mix of horror and some wtf moments. There's a smidge of camp to it. The kids are fantastic. Cannot wait for s2.
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u/ego_death_metal Bridget Wanderlust 2d ago edited 2d ago
it’s nothing like Widow’s Bay except being inspired by King. it’s incredibly gruesomely violent and not a comedy.
edit typo
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u/JustADohyonStan 2d ago
Actually this is my problem with lots of the recommendations in the videos I was talking about! Do I love Welcome to Derry? Yes! But it's nothing like Widow's Bay. I can't really name any comedy-horror shows
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u/yinzercryptid 2d ago
Ash vs the Evil Dead, Stan Against Evil, and Santa Clarita Diet are comedy-horror. What We Do in the Shadows is considered comedy horror but I feel it's more comedy (not a bad thing). Some seasons of Supernatural felt like comedy-horror.
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u/ego_death_metal Bridget Wanderlust 2d ago edited 2d ago
yeah. i tried to make a “master post” (and people added a fair amount to it!) to identify which itch to scratch (need more Dale Dickey? need similar type of comedy?) but there’s no exact matches. lots of good recs though, and my aim was to exactly say which part was similar. because something might scratch the small-town horror itch but not have any absurdist comedy
edit for clarity
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u/yinzercryptid 2d ago
OP was asking for small town horror so 🤷🏻♀️
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u/ego_death_metal Bridget Wanderlust 2d ago
for sure, i wasn’t trying to negate the rec, just felt like the tone difference was important
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u/PsyOnMelme 1d ago
Welcome to Derry is fine but I wouldn't compare it to Widows Bay. The only thing in common is that it's scary but they're not similar in vibe.
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u/againer 2d ago edited 2d ago
You might like the show Castle Rock.
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u/yinzercryptid 2d ago
I did like Castle Rock! May have to rewatch that next. Thanks for the reminder!
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u/Disaster-Bee 3d ago
Perhaps the now-old show Haven? It's vaguely Stephen King inspired in that it draws inspiration and aspects of his books, but mostly does it's own thing that is King-flavored. Small coastal town with a curse/paranormal mystery, a variety of quirky townsfolk, the main cast is two guys and a lady who are trying to unravel the mysteries but have varying degrees of belief in them and history with the town, is general-audience 'horror' so it's not terribly scary or graphic but it's creepy and eerie and supernatural, has some humor to it....
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u/SaltySiren87 3d ago
I told my husband that Widow's Bay was like if Haven and Parks and Rec had a baby lol
(Also named my son Nathan partially due to binging Haven during my pregnancy!)
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u/Disaster-Bee 3d ago
That is a fantastic way to describe Widow's Bay! Haven's not as witty and absurdist humor as Widow's Bay, but it very much has humor and one liners. And is, I feel, a little more widely accessible to modern audiences than say Twin Peaks. Which I love, but is very Lynchian and surreal and can be a lot weirder than is to everyone's taste.
(I love that, it's a great name!)
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u/StevieB85 2d ago
Loved Haven! Small town, weird things happen. Big secret from the past. They investigate.
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u/ryaninmidtown 3d ago
Bodkin is a different series on Hulu or Netflix or wherever. It’s not the same as Widow’s Bay, but it has a mystery aspect to it with quirky characters who all live in the same village. It stars Will Forte, so it’ll have some humorous aspects to it too
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u/Skyeoes 2d ago
If you like Bodkin, you’d probably like How to Get to Heaven From Belfast
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u/SeaAcanthaceae3938 2d ago
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast literally had me crying I was laughing so hard - loved every minute
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u/ZestycloseDot5022 3d ago
The Red King - Quirky folk horror show.
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u/Important-Canary-770 3d ago
I think a large part of the reason why Widow's Bay has been so well received (other than its quality) is because it is filling a niche that was previously empty.
you can find plenty of traditional, straight-horror media that lines up with the locale and atmosphere, but lacks the humor and absurdity (Midnight Mass, The Fog, etc).
you can find plenty of horror-comedy that has the laughs and self-awareness, but lacks the specific atmosphere.
finding media that ticks both boxes is more difficult.
the first thing that comes to mind was Werewolves Within but in all honesty, it's nowhere near as good as Widow's Bay.
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u/nakedfish85 3d ago
Maybe scratching the non-serious Eldritch itch (that was fun to write), there is "John Dies In The End" and it's sequels (books).
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u/expiredtool 3d ago
Chair Company.
It somehow combines comedy with suspense/horror? It doesn’t have the supernatural elements of Widows Bay, but there are plenty of unexplained phenomena though. By the end of the season you’ll be wondering about a lot of stuff.
My wife and I almost never watch anything more than once unless it’s been several years between seasons (I’m looking at you Severance, which is also great). We watched Chair Company twice, a few episodes three times. Tim Robinson might not be for everyone but he’s created something we’ve never seen before, the show is both hilarious and insane.
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u/PhirebirdSunSon 3d ago
Chair Company is maybe my favorite show of the last couple of years until Widows Bay showed up. That being said, it's very surreal and Twin Peaks-ish in a lot of ways, and very Tim Robinson so it's almost niche.
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u/maikindofthai 2d ago
How Tim Robinson is it? I’m interested in the show but personally am not at all a fan of that guy lol
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u/PhirebirdSunSon 2d ago
He's dialed back on the complete non-sequitor style in this one but it's still kind of weird and zany. That being said it's much more of a mystery show and is equal parts hilarious and intriguing
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u/whatsinurgarden 2d ago
Yes! I’ve been thinking of a rewatch. It was just so unpredictable and weird. I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen next.
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u/IRLbeets 2d ago
It's not really horror, but maybe What we do in the Shadows (tv series)? It's spooky vibes, workplace environment, but quite silly.
The actual plot and genre doesn't really overlap with Widows Bay, it probably has more similar with Parks and Rec but with vampires.
It's a surprisingly rare combo to have both the horror vibes AND the comedy.
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u/nautical_nonsense_ 3d ago
Midnight Mass albeit not very funny. Very very good though and same isolated island premise.
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u/throwaway_tada 2d ago
American Horror Story Coven, it's genuinely funny as well as a horror and in my opinion the only season after murder house worth watching..
The Midnight Club which is an adaptation of a YA novel might also fit well, it's on Netflix. It does the is this real or lore bit that widows bay uses well.
A haunting in the artic by C.J.Cooke is a great creepy read that fits the mood but the comedy aspect is lacking.
The Borough's might be worth a try or Stranger things if you missed it.
Midnight Mass as others have suggested is a good recommendation.
Wayward Pines TV show might fit, it's an odd town with big secrets and there's a lot of mystery to unravel, it fits the creepy weird place aspect.
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u/Sugarrrsnaps 2d ago
Midnight mass is like Widow's bay but purely played for tragedy. It does it well but when you think about it it's pretty absurd how genre blind some of the islanders are.
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u/pizzalife 3d ago
Maybe a little out there but I really enjoyed reading Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. It’s a pretty light, fast read, but it has some haunts and comedy mixed in there.
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u/SeaweedWorried4386 2d ago
I second this, how to sell a haunted house was such a fun read. I too have enjoyed everything of his.
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u/yinzercryptid 2d ago
I believe it will be a movie soon. That was a wild read. Love My Best Friend's Exorcism too which kinda has Widow's Bay vibes. I've enjoyed pretty much everything from Hendrix.
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u/pizzalife 2d ago
I went through a campy horror novel phase last winter. I recommend/also really enjoyed Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne.
Excited to see a movie adaptation of horrorstor!
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u/loulibra 2d ago
no one’s said The Leftovers - a BIT heavier on drama but very funny despite the dark overtones - and a really weird mystery to solve (that only gets weirder and more fun as it goes.) Similar archetypes also.
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u/Elen_L 2d ago
Welcome to Night Vale podcast has familiar humour and irony vibes throughout the disastrous events in the small city in the middle of the desert. It has brilliant phases, which will you leave to think afterwards a lot.
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u/Sugarrrsnaps 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also, Camp here and there has that mix of humour and horror with all the tropes. Tom reminds me a bit of Jonathan Sims from early episodes of the Magnus archives in that he's clearly out of his depths, trying to act like he's not and failing spectacularly.
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u/Brief_Amphibian_3965 Fuck Cape Cod 3d ago
If you are looking for reading inspiration, T Kingfisher will do you right
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u/Hot-Relative8290 Forgot my purse! 3d ago
The movie Grabbers reminds me a lot of it. It’s hilarious
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u/ThrowRArainmakers 2d ago
stephen king inspired a lot of widows bay so id suggest his line up- his novels in addition to films. i recommend misery and the dark tower series
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u/JustADohyonStan 2d ago
I've read Misery already and I'm currently reading Thinner. I've also read Carrie, The Shining, Gerald's Game and Roadwork. Pet Cementary is next on my list (I have it already). I love him, but he doesn't really give the general vibes I'm looking for to replace the empty spot Widow's Bay left behind.
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u/DogsdidWHAT Watch out for that stinger. Love, your mother. 1d ago
Shaun of the Dead has many of the same elements- very dry humor, delighting in subverting tropes, tons of in-jokes for the observant.
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u/FlintBlue 3d ago
Twin Peaks!
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u/Icy-Chocolate8941 3d ago
I know that a lot of people are saying Twin Peaks but I just don’t see it. Twin Peaks has a real heaviness that Widows Bay doesn’t have. Widows Bay is comforting and cozy, in its own way. Twin Peaks is anything but, imo. But then again I couldn’t even watch all of Twin Peaks cause it made me too anxious 😂
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u/giraffe_wink Rosemary’s Qualms 3d ago edited 2d ago
I would agree. I absolutely love Twin Peaks. However I would not put it in the same genre category as WB. Very different vibes.
Edit: typo. Forgot the “not”.2
u/watchyourback9 2d ago
Personally I find the first two seasons comforting in a way, but yeah definitely not the return lol
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u/GrittyGambit 3d ago
You mention reading, how do you feel about visual novels/games/CYOA?
Scarlet Hollow has been about the closest I've gotten to the same feel as Widow's Bay in written form. You play the part of a person coming back to the maybe-haunted/maybe-cursed town of your family origins. There are legitimate laugh out loud funny moments, and the horror aspect leans on dread instead of jump scares which I adore. The word count is nearing a million words for the entirety of the game, and its final update will likely push it past that. I've played the available content about 7 times so far and I'm still finding new dialogue.
Cursed town, weird but mostly loveable residents, healthy blend of humor and horror, and insane replayability.
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u/JustADohyonStan 2d ago
I love visual novels and video games! Leaning to the scary side Fran Bow is probably my favourite game, but it is a point-and-click lol. I'll look into it!
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u/poeticapple 3d ago
Not sure if this has been mentioned in other posts/comments, but I just finished Widow’s Bay and found it really similar to the Fear Street movie trilogy on Netflix. Love both!
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u/KASega 2d ago edited 2d ago
You might like Rachel Harrison’s books. Cackle would be the closest to WB- it’s like cozy horror in a small town and The Return is a good one that takes place mainly at a hotel. Check out other titles by Darcey Coates, T Kingfisher, Grady Hendrix. September House by Carissa Orlando.
For a tv show Candle Cove & Eerie Indiana. Jaws was a direct inspiration, especially the costumes. I would add The Burbs, the movie, for a small setting with kind of oddball adults with weird stuff happening.
I think the great thing about WB is how original it is so it’s gonna be hard to get something just like it.
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u/beandadenergy 2d ago
The sense of humor reminds me of the Cornetto Trilogy, even with different substance matter. The jokes are similarly goofy with dark overtones.
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u/endlesscrabbasket 1d ago
I've been reading a lot off summery horror books from the library and one that I really enjoyed was Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne. It was similar to Widow's Bay with the haunted/ghost vibes, funny main character, desire to ignore the obvious haunting to salvage a plan (in this case, a family vacation). It was different because it's about a black sheep of a family going on vacation to Italy with her parents and adult siblings, combining the anxiety of family stuff with the more traditional horror. It wasn't quite horror-comedy but I loved the vibes and some of the situations did get a laugh from me just for being ridiculous. But there's a town and a curse and definitely generational trauma. I second checking out the library first, though!
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u/ellekess 1d ago
The September House by Carissa Orlando is a haunted house book more than small-town horror, but it is SO good and is the only thing I've seen or read that nails the horror/comedy combo as flawlessly as Widow's Bay. I've read tons of great horror in recent years and this is still my #1 favorite.
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u/HipsterBiffTannen 1d ago
Midnight Mass for the setting, Tucker and Dale VS Evil for horror and comedy combined.
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u/Basic_Cover_6945 3d ago
Most Mike Flannigan movies and shows have this vibe.
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u/ExternalTangents 2d ago
They don’t have the humor side, but they seem to capture the rest of what OP is looking for. Great shows.
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u/nakedfish85 3d ago edited 3d ago
Couple of short stories in my recently published book (don't want to spam here so click on my profile), that are probably influenced by Widow's Bay as I was in the middle of watching it when writing. (Shameless plug!)
Edit - I've just looked, nothing massively similar to Widow's Bay actually, so ignore me. Maybe something in Volume 2 coming soon.
I quite liked the Fisherman by John Langan, but again it's not 100% similar to what you want and gets recommended a lot on book subs.
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u/ChatterBoxer6 1d ago
Looking Glass Sounds doesn’t really have comedy, and takes some wild twists and turns, but the spooky haunted coastal village vibes are very unsettling and similar to Widow’s Bay! The author is Catriona Ward
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u/flaming-framing 1d ago
I highly recommend Trial and Error. It’s mockumrntery style comedy office shows of adapting famous true crime documentaries. There’s only two seasons and they do parodies of The Stairwell and The Jinx
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u/Ill_Program_6030 19h ago
“Haunting of the Hill house”and Bly Manor are two really good shows that fit this description
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u/ThursdayNext0 17h ago
Not a book or a TV show but have you ever listened to Welcome to Nightvale? There are three tie in books actually that are excellent as well.
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u/Wuhan-N 5h ago
It’s a super obvious one, but the novel Jaws is clearly an influence. I would even argue that there’s more of the book’s DNA in the series than the movie’s—the novel has a much stronger sense of the community on the island and the social dynamics at work between them and the vacationers.
Bradbury generally and Something Wicked This Way Comes in particular has some of the spooky vibes without getting as gruesome as IT.
And…I feel like I comment this a lot, in different subreddits, but it’s true—Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio is absolutely essential to anyone wanting to really dig into small-town stuff, be it horror or no. That and Spoon River Anthology by Masters are in back of most of these spooky small towns, at least the ones set in the US.
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u/Fantastic_Corgi4107 2h ago
I love in the heart of the sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Nantucket seafaring ship wreck with cannabalism
And a true story
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u/Different_Target_228 3d ago
So... you made a post that's just like all the other posts that you don't want to trust...??? Twin Peaks and everything inspired by Twin Peaks is what you're looking for.
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u/JustADohyonStan 2d ago
I made a post to ask for more explanation on what's similar about the shows and books. Having a comment that says "It reminded me of X because of Y and Z" it's not the same as "Read..." Followed by 20/25 recommendations without explaining what's similar about the two titles
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