Widow's Bay and Horror Comedy

So Widow’s Bay had quite the showing at the Emmy’s recently, and it was well deserved. I watched the show recently and while I went in with cautious optimism, like so many others I was hooked. It took my husband and I only two late nights to get through the whole series and that was simply because we are too old to have stayed up long enough to have done it in one. In the wake of its victories I wanted to talk about the different types of horror comedy and where this show fits in.

First let’s get this out of the way because it comes up often when I talk about horror comedy. Yes, that is a real genre combo. The lack of acceptance of the idea comes both from people who outright dismiss horror but also those that are actually horror fans. The latter seems to think if horror makes you feel anything but bad feelings it’s not really horror. They are wrong. It’s an extremely limited view of the genre and of story telling in general.

The former is having their moment with Widow’s Bay specifically. Declaring that it’s unfair that it swept in the comedy categories. I don’t know that many of these people actually truly believe that horror can never be comedy as much as they just don’t like horror so it doesn’t matter how funny Widow’s Bay is, they are mad that it did well over shows they prefer.

To that I will repeat what I always do. It’s okay to not like something, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value or change what it is. I do not like musicals. I blame watching them ad nauseam as a child so now I just can’t stand them. It doesn’t mean all musicals are bad, it doesn’t make something not a musical when I enjoy it, and it doesn’t mean musicals don’t deserve their props.

Well, now that I have got the lecturing out of the way, let’s talk about the types of horror comedies I think there are, what kind Widow’s Bay is, and why it’s so damn successful. I will be mostly focusing on Widow’s Bay but wanted to mention a few other stand outs in the genre combo and where I think they are similar and different from Widow’s Bay.

– Also just a note none of these categories are perfect nor are they official. It is how I view the different types –

First, I think there is the tongue in cheek horror movie, most often slashers. These movies aren’t necessarily horror comedies but rather horror movies that lean into the tropes and over the top nature of the genre for a few laughs. They kind of cease to be “scary horror” but still retain the horror nature of it all. The best examples that I think most people can find as a touch stone are later entries to almost any slasher series. One of my personal faves is Jason X. It is simply so over the top and ridiculous, and it never tries to be anything else. I also think it’s a strong contender for “meta horror” (ig Scream) but that’s way too broad to get into in this piece. (coming soon?)

Jason X delivers punchlines, kills that should be terrifying but are played for camp so end up funny, and just does not relent at all in it’s ridiculousness. From the plot, the set pieces, the over the top tropes, everything about this movie is ramped up to an 11. It makes it entertaining and funny, and it’s still a slasher but more amusing than scary.

The next I think are movies like Tucker and Dale vs Evil. It too leans into the over the top nature and tropes but is intentionally leaning more into comedy rather than “we are still a slasher, we just get the joke at this point.” Tucker and Dale vs Evil also has wildly horrific kills that are played for camp and a lot of in humor from the genre. But it feels different from the “bad but good” amusing slasher because it’s also filled with punchlines and a plot that is more humorous but also solidly executed. I think another example of this is Violent Night. Lots of funny lines, over the top kills, but the movie itself isn’t played off as a joke. And this is where I think the distinction with the last two examples really comes in.

Neither Tucker and Dale vs Evil nor Violent Night can be called “bad but good” they are well done comedies that use a lot of horror pieces. It’s not a late entry into a horror franchise where everything is just kind of a joke, including the movie itself. They are smart and clever comedies covered in buckets of fake blood.

Then you have what I think is the Shaun of the Dead and Widow’s Bay category. I don’t love comparing the two because I think they pull off something similar but in such different ways. Both of these works are actually horror, just with a lot of comedy. People object to this with Shaun of the Dead, which I get, and where I think it differs from Widow’s Bay, but Shaun of the Dead does have a pocket of the runtime that is genuinely just a zombie movie with some humor thrown in. From the discovery of what happens to Shaun’s mom, to the asshole character’s very violent and pretty terrifying death, to just the weight of all they have done wrong and the zombies themselves coming down on the Winchester, it is actually just a zombie movie. There is still some levity but it’s a zombie flick.

Widow’s Bay is also a scary show just with a lot of jokes. Though unlike Shaun and where I feel the comparison drops, Shaun is mostly comedy, pocket of horror, back to comedy. Widow’s Bay starts mostly comedic in the first episode but the fact that there is something else coming is already building and by the second we are truly getting into the horror. From then on the show gives you a lot of whiplash because you are getting plotlines that can and do go either or both directions.

And this is the brilliance of Widow’s Bay because once you are deep in it, it’s where it really starts to shine. By the time you are a few episodes in every single time there is a tense moment you don’t know if it will be broken by a laugh or a scare.

And this is also where horror comedy is so brilliant because it truly highlights how similar those feelings are for the audience. Some people may scoff at the idea, but the fact is once you are feeling tense and nervous and you have that big snap, whether it’s a laugh or a scream your body is going to go through the same tension then burst of adrenaline. Widow’s Bay more than any other horror comedy I have experienced is the most accurate at highlighting this. How extremely thin the line between the two is.

It also works so well because it is the best at simply highlighting the general absurdity of horror. There are a lot of movies that could be classified as horror comedies but aren’t. It’s sort of a “I know it when I see it” situation because horror is, absurd. And while the bleakest of horror fiction takes that bizarreness and harnesses it in such a way that it’s just dark, a lot of horror has moments of comedy (whether intended or not) peeking through because that’s just what happens with the preposterous.

Some horror comedies however master taking hold of that and turning it into a blend of both tension, scares, and laughs to create a wild ride for the viewer. You have plotlines that shouldn’t be funny but they manage to play it for laughs. Genuine fear with hilarious conclusions. Tension breaking laughs. While throwing in slices of actually scary moments without the freedom to laugh at them. All of this manages to highlight what makes both horror and comedies the genres of the absurd. And Widow’s Bay is truly one of the best to do it.

Overall my feelings of the show are a touch more mixed. Some of the pacing and plotlines don’t really land for me. However, the characters, the setting, atmosphere, music, and yes both the laughs and the scares are just so well crafted that it simply overrules any complaints I might have.

So congrats on many well deserved wins, and I can’t wait for season 2. As for if other people should watch it? If you are a genre fan, yes. And do so quickly. For non genre fans I always am hesitant on suggesting horror comedies. I consider Tucker and Dale vs Evil to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, but it is bloody and really requires in knowledge. Violent Night is my favorite Christmas movie of all time and I think is more approachable, though… violent. Very VERY violent.

Widow’s Bay… I think elements of it might be a bit much for non genre fans, but I do believe it’s pretty approachable. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who is hard no on any and all elements of horror, but people who can handle a bit of it will probably be able to enjoy this one.