Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay may have wrapped its first season, but these 10 horror movies should hold you over until the brilliant series returns for its second outing. Created for the small screen by Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay is an irreverent horror comedy that pays tribute to the spine-tingling folk stories of early American history, as well as the horror films of the past five decades.
Deftly balancing its disparate tones, Widow’s Bay is essential viewing for horror hounds, but has just enough humor to keep scaredy-cats engaged too. The performances are stellar and there’s little doubt that the 10-episode series is on its way to Emmy glory come award season. The good news is that Widow’s Bay is already confirmed for a second season.
While Apple TV has many shows that return on a semiregular basis, it’s unclear when the sophomore outing of Widow’s Bay will actually arrive. Therefore, hungry viewers are going to be looking for something to tide them over until they can return to the titular island. Thankfully, there are quite a few horror movies that match the vibes of the series, even if it’s only in part.
Widow’s Bay incorporates elements of folk horror, Gothic horror, the supernatural, and just about everything else in its narrative. There are horror flicks that expand upon those concepts, whether they involve the same monsters or not. There are plenty of stories of creepy small towns, and even some horror films that serve up hearty laughs. Even if these movies can’t replace Widow’s Bay, they make for excellent temporary substitutes.
10
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Washington’s Irving’s classic work is one of the original American horror stories, and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow brought the tale into the new millennium. Constable Ichabod Crane is sent to the quiet village to investigate some gruesome murders. This brings him up against the evil Headless Horseman. Burton’s exaggerated Gothic style serves the story perfectly, and Sleepy Hollow is a beautiful horror film to behold.
Like certain episodes of Widow’s Bay, Sleepy Hollow deals with the early period of American history and the dark secrets held within. The two projects couldn’t be more different from a stylistic point of view, but they both deal with the same theme. The violence of the past can’t be hidden forever, and evil always returns to exact vengeance on the living.
9
Messiah Of Evil (1973)
Perhaps the most obscure movie on this list, Messiah of Evil is sadly overlooked. A young woman travels to a creepy coastal town in California to reconnect with her dad, but she stumbles upon a strange cult and the living dead. The psychedelic nightmare of a movie incorporates surrealist imagery and new age themes. It’s a paranoid experience from start to finish.
The Widow’s Bay connection is pretty easy to see, and Messiah of Evil touches on similar ideas, including the dark history of a secluded small town. While the 1973 hidden gem is entirely humorless, it is also undeniably frightening. The viewer can’t help but get drawn into the almost hypnotic story, and its effectiveness exceeds most horror films from any era.
8
Salem’s Lot (1979)
This one is stretching the rules just a bit since Salem’s Lot is technically a miniseries and not a standalone movie. The first adaptation of the Stephen King novel follows a writer who returns to his small town to deal with traumatic memories. Meanwhile, a vampire begins taking over the city. Tobe Hooper’s strong adaptation nails the themes (and scares) of King’s book.
Salem’s Lot is the tale of a small town on the brink. In a lot of ways, the story isn’t really about vampires, but the slow death of small town America during the middle decades of the 20th century. Widow’s Bay deals with similar ideas, but approaches them through a 21st century lens. While the horror of Salem’s Lot is a bit more straightforward, that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of King’s most frightening adaptations.
7
The Lighthouse (2019)
The modern era of horror is weird, wild, and unabashedly original, and Robert Eggers’ The Lighhouse is all three in one package. A new lighthouse keeper is sent to assist his aging superior on a remote island. Once there, the duo begin to descend into hallucinatory madness. The stark black-and-white photography and barren landscape make The Lighthouse look like a trip to purgatory.
Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson give masterful performances, and there are small touches of humor amongst the dour drama. The story of The Lighthouse could easily be a dark chapter in the history of Widow’s Bay, and it certainly has the almost hopeless tone of the aforementioned series. The Lighthouse is an acquired taste, but it’s certainly worth a watch for fans of the Apple TV show.
6
Dead & Buried (1981)
Remembered mostly as an early performance from horror legend Robert Englund, Dead & Buried is one of the more noteworthy hidden gems of the 1980s. A small town sheriff must investigate a sudden zombie outbreak that points back to the city morgue. Though it looks like just another by-the-numbers zombie movie, Dead & Buried is meaner and more surprising than its contemporaries.
The setting is similar to that of Widow’s Bay, and the movie has a mystery that’s just as compelling. Dead & Buried wound up on the video nasty list for its excessive gore, and the effects still hold up today. Nevertheless, it’s the twist ending that really seals the deal and makes it a must-watch flick. There’s a lot going on, and it’s so much more than a disposable monster movie.
5
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Shaun of the Dead winds up on this list because it is arguably the funniest horror comedy ever made. An average Joe finds his life turned upside down when London is overrun by zombies. Hoping to ride things out in his favorite pub, he assembles his friends and family. The Edgar Wright classic is also a brilliant zombie film on top of its comedy pedigree.
Though the plot is pretty distinct from Widow’s Bay, it’s the tone that’s most important. Shaun of the Dead and the aforementioned series both have irreverent jokes and a playfully dark sense of humor. Widow’s Bay is one of the few projects in the last 20 years to come close to capturing the tone of Shaun of the Dead, and the movie is required viewing for fans of the show.
4
​​​​​​​Jaws (1975)
The connections between Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and Widow’s Bay are numerous, and even the show’s creator has cited the film as one of her biggest inspirations. The summer beach town of Amity is plunged into a nightmare when a massive great white shark begins chowing down on unsuspecting swimmers. At times terrifying and at times whimsical, Jaws is the very definition of movie magic.
In a lot of ways, Widow’s Bay is just Jaws from the perspective of the mayor. Tom wants nothing more than to improve the island’s reputation, even if that means ignoring very real dangers. Sub out a giant shark for an ancient curse, and the two projects are quite similar. Jaws is a must-watch for everyone, but its influence on Widow’s Bay is worth studying between seasons of the show.
3
​​​​​​​The Wicker Man (1973)
Folk horror heavily influenced the story of Widow’s Bay, and The Wicker Man is the pinnacle of the subgenre. A cop arrives on the remote Scottish island of Sumerisle while searching for a missing child, and the resident’s strange religious practices draw him into a strange web. The slow-burning horror film creeps up on the viewer until the explosive climax leaves them shaken.
The Wicker Man essentially wrote the book on folk horror, and the influence on Widow’s Bay is undeniable. Though the two are disparate in many ways, they both nail the uneasy feeling of small town horror. The Wicker Man didn’t just inspire the Apple TV show, but all the myriad of folk horror stories in the five decades since.
2
The Witch (2015)
The second Robert Eggers movie to appear on this list, The Witch introduced the new horror maestro to the world. In colonial-era America, a deeply religious family is rocked by the disappearance of one of their children. Their eldest daughter becomes suspected of witchcraft. A breakout role of Anya Taylor Joy, The Witch is both a brilliant witch movie and a folk horror classic.
Since no one can really capture the style of Eggers’ filmmaking, The Witch is obviously very distinct from Widow’s Bay. However, they both deal with early American folk tales, and the bitterest parts of history. Weird isn’t a strong enough word to describe The Witch, but it’s also one of the most cinematic horror movies in recent memory.
1
The Fog (1980)
The first episode of Widow’s Bay plays out a lot like the plot of John Carpenter’s The Fog. In the film, a remote California coastal town is suddenly blanketed by a thick fog that contains the ghosts of shipwrecked sailors back for revenge. The classic chiller captures the eerie tone of old fishing tales and the sort of folk nightmares that get passed from generation to generation.
Though the show merely touches on the idea, The Fog expands it into a feature-length story. With its amazing atmosphere and score (also provided by John Carpenter), The Fog is the perfect movie for fans of Widow’s Bay. It has classic thrills but is also a quintessential ’80s horror flick. If one movie is closest to the Apple TV show, it’s John Carpenter’s masterpiece of fright.
Source: Decider
- Release Date
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April 28, 2026
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Katie Dippold
