Goosebumps, but for Grown-Ups

With the absolute dearth of 4K horror releases in the coming week, I have decided to use this week’s Back From the Dead slot for something a little more current. What’s the throwback, you ask? Well, the title says it all.

So, the nominations for the Emmy Awards are out and Apple TV’s horror series Widow’s Bay is right up at the front of the pack with 19 nominations (only Hacks and The Pitt have more). I recently finished watching season 1 and I can see why. From acting to writing to directing, everything shines. Katy Dippold (of Parks and Rec fame) is the showrunner and they even got Ti West (House of the Devil; The Innkeepers) in to direct an episode. Not that there’s anything lacking from the series-director Hiro Murai (Station Eleven; The Bear; the music video for Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’).

For those who haven’t seen Widow’s Bay yet, the story revolves around the fictitious island town of Widow’s Bay, a place where weird goings on keep going on and keep getting weirder, despite the best efforts of the much beleaguered mayor and his staff. And all the horror hallmarks are explored. From creepy clowns to urban legends to knife-wielding, mask-wearing killers who always seem to be able to walk just faster than a terrified final girl can run. Make no mistake, this show has two feet firmly planted in the horror genre. 

So what surprised me about the nominations is that the show is listed in the ‘Best Comedy’ categories. Lets me be clear from the off: the show is funny. In places, it’s downright hilarious, utilising the acting talents of Matthew Rhys and Kate O’Flynn to generate some truly cringe comedy moments. Trying to impress a potential holiday resort reviewer? Don’t scream at him that, “THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE FOG!” Want to make a quick exit? Don’t leave your purse in the room with a walking, talking (and downright cranky) corpse. If the show has two feet in horror, it has two hands grasping at the grassroots of comedy, bent backwards and spider-walking with ease through both genres. 

Because despite the laughs, the show manages to be really, really creepy! For those who have seen the show, I double-dare you to rewatch the dance sequence at the sunset cocktails party. 😵 Or checkout that creepy crawlspace in your family basement. Or listen closely at that bedroom door before you go in tonight.

What might be its masterpiece, though, is the ability for the show to deliver both laughs and chills without almost ritualistic resort to the effects-driven, jump-scares of latter day horror, or the parodic mockeries of films like Scary Movie (yes, we get that’s it’s funny — but does it have to be so dumb?). Rarely bloody, only occasionally graphically violent (Hamish Linklater, we’re looking at you!), the show is a breath of fresh air for the horror genre, that’s guaranteed to take you right back to a childhood spent reading R.L. Stine and wondering what legends your summer vacation would exhume. It’s Goosebumps. But for grown-ups.

What’s your favourite moment? Tell us in the comments (spoiler alert 🚨).