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Katie Dippold's Widow's Bay is Award-Worthy, Delightful Horror Comedy
The ONLY horror series I can vouch for, Widow's Bay is a Horror-Comedy ( 70-30 ) that is focused on a strange island with a dark history and the current generation trying to make it popular with tourists. Here is a review of this awesome series that you should definitely watch this weekend! TMJ Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/5
What is Katie Dippold's Widow's Bay About?
Widow's Bay explores what happens to people on an island ( fictional ) in New England in the current day when its dark and evil past comes calling for its residents.
Tom Loftis is the Mayor of Widow's Bay and is trying to make his island a tourist hotspot on the line of Martha's Vineyard with the help of his geriatric assistant Ruth and determined personal assistant, Patricia.
Inspiration from Other Stories
Katie Dippold's Widow's Bay series incorporates ( not appropriate! ) elements of horror inspired by other popular horror franchises like Get Out, where the person in the video on TV is unsettling. The Masked Killer who looks a lot like Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise.
There is also a clear reference to Stephen King's Room 1408 in one scene where the owner of a hotel room is asked to spend mere minutes with the door locked from the outside. Another major reference to Stephen King's novels is The Mist, when the fog covers the island. There are many more as well, which will be fun to discover on your own.
This is the right way to incorporate Easter eggs into your story, unlike every MCU post-credit scene, which is show-horned in, such as Charlize Theron in The Multiverse of Madness and Harry Styles in The Eternals. In this series, Easter eggs and references to other franchises or stories are ingredients to a recipe of something delicious rather than the whole dish like Marvel serving up a bowl of instant noodles. There are also actors from the actual franchises, like Hamish Linklater, who plays the role of Richard Warren, the founder of Widow's Bay from the 18th century. Stephen Root has a major role in Jordan Peele's Get Out. Kingston Rumi Southwick is also a star from the Prime Video series 56 Days, which is actually a murder mystery thriller and not a supernatural series.
The Horror Elements include the blurring of lines between sleep and wakefulness, humanoid creatures of supernatural strength, lifespans, and endurance. There is also the use of claustrophobia, time dilation, and more. There are plenty of jump scares as well.
Visuals - Cinematography, Practical Effects and CGI
The creative depiction of the menacing Sea Hag and how she meets her end is done beautifully with almost all practical effects. When the Sea Hag dies, you get the feeling that she is nothing but the will of the island that has come to life as a creature of the sea. Pay special attention to when she is killed and how she goes down.
Hamish Linklater's makeup and voice are terrifyingly real both in his time and the present day in Widow's Bay.
The fictional island of Widow's Bay is supposed to be in New England and filmed in Massachusetts, utilizing real coastal and historical towns like Gloucester, Rockport, and Worcester. The background score is unsettling, with a vocal chorus that includes ghostly tones and suspense-filled sounds that do a lot of heavy lifting in this series, which balances the comedy with an atmosphere of terror and foreboding.
The Cast of Widow's Bay is Everything
Matthew Rhys' acting is so good you barely recognize him from The Americans series; the plot is meaty, and the whole island is filled with eccentrics.
Kate O'Flynn plays Patricia, the Mayor's Aide who is fiercely loyal to Tom Loftis. While not a social butterfly or even popular among the townfolk, Patricia is incredibly resilient.
Stephen Root plays Wyck, a native of the island and a father figure to Loftis who strongly opposes the commodification of the island to prevent massive casualties and general harm to the people who live on the island.
There is a conversation about hauntings and the undead between Wyck, Loftis, and Patricia that is straight up nuts. The joke is when Loftis calls out the absurdity of the convo when Wyck and Patricia argue about the ages of a man and woman when dating, while accepting that the supernatural elements of their conversation are under no debate! In another scene, Tom Loftis is getting dropped off at a supposedly haunted Inn by Patricia when she takes one look at the building and says, "This place freaks me out... OK, Good Luck! " and just drives away Dale Dickey plays Rosemary, the town hall employee. She delivers a great performance effortlessly in the short amount of time she is on-screen. Dickey is a regular fixture on great shows such as Breaking Bad, My Name is Earl, and True Blood.
It is directed by Katie Dippold, who played a side character in every series and movie, such as Brooklyn Nine Nine and Ghostbusters (2016), and a whole lot more.
Should You Watch This? Hell Yes! For So Many Reasons!
The proportion of Horror to comedy is just right
The Cast has great chemistry and plays their parts to perfection
Great medley of horror inspirations incorporated seamlessly into the series
There is no wasted screen time, with the entire series being perfectly edited
Did you watch this awesome series? If you did, let me know what you think of it! How many references to horror can you find!?
