Looking for something cozy, funny and scary all at once? The new hit comedy-horror TV show Widow’s Bay follows Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) in the small island community. As Mayor, Tom is trying to combat rumors of curses, paranormal activity and urban legends to bring tourism to the island. But the supernatural occurrences turn out to be true! Created by Katie Dippold (Parks & Rec), Widow's Bay is sure to make you laugh. Don't want to leave the island? Here are a few horror books that capture the same tone.
Set in Whistler Bay (Maine), Looking Glass Sound opens with teens Wilder, Nathaniel and Harper obsessing over stories of a rumored serial killer, The Dagger Man. One summer, the close-knit group of friends witness the unthinkable. Decades later, Wilder returns to Whistler Bay to write a memoir about that fateful summer. But in author Catriona Ward’s signature twisty style, it’s not all that simple. Fans of books about writers and time loops will enjoy this tale.
Margaret is determined to live in her extremely haunted house, even when her marriage and her relationship with her adult daughter is threatened. Blood drips from the walls. There's a ghostly housemaid. Something is lurking in the basement. But Margaret is gritting her teeth, smiling through it all. Balancing humor, horror, and heart, Carrissa Orlando, author of The September House, imbues her expertise as a psychologist into her characters.
If you loved the folk horror cult vibe of episode 4 of Widow's Bay (no spoilers!), you will love Darker Days. Told from multiple characters' POVs, Darker Days follows several residents of Bird Street, a sleepy little cul-de-sac in Washington State full of high-achieving adults and kids. But this quaint block holds a secret. Every November, they must pay a price for their success. Probably the least funny on this list, this book by Dutch author Thomas Olde Heuvelt is recommended for fans of Shirley Jackson and novels with huge casts of characters.
We Ride Upon Sticks is a comedic horror novel about a group of field hockey players who discover their connection to the supposed witches of the Salem Witch Trial and try to leverage their history in order to win the championship. Even though it is written in third person plural, readers still get to know the characters on an individual level. Author Quan Barry balances teen sports drama, 80s nostalgia and witchy rituals in this 2021 Alex Award-winning novel.
Authors Rachel Harrison and Grady Hendrix each have a light-hearted, humorous tone to their horror novels that are actually very scary at times. Any of their books would work for Widow’s Bay fans searching for that same humor-to-horror balance, but I specifically recommend Play Nice (about a supposedly-possessed house and the women who inherit it) and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires (about, well, exactly what it sounds like).
And, of course, king of horror (and New England resident) Stephen King has lots of creepy seaside reads, like The Mist and Storm of the Century, which could also fill the request for claustrophobic supernatural horror set in an insular coastal setting. There’s no doubt that Widow’s Bay took inspiration from King’s novels.
What are you reading that reminds you of Widow’s Bay?
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