Spoilers for Widow’s Bay.
My favorite new show is Widow’s Bay. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed the first season of a paranormal series this much since Stranger Things premiered in 2016. The only other one that comes close on my radar is the CW’s Nancy Drew. I love rewatching these types of shows because of the clues and references they throw in. I’m doing a Widow’s Bay rewatch and have already caught some Easter eggs I missed.
On my first viewing, I picked up on the obvious Jaws parallels, like the mayor not wanting to shut down tourism revenue and Wyck being based on Quint. I also noted that episode two was clearly inspired by both The Shining and It and clocked that Patricia, who looked like Shelley Duvall in The Shining, had nods to both Carrie and Scream. For anyone else who’s obsessed who wants to know more about the show, HuffPost compiled a list of references and Easter eggs. The list is great, but it’s long. You can check it out in full here, and here are some highlights:
1. First up, we have the “Widow’s Bay” title card that seems to pay homage to Stephen King novels and short stories. Dippold was asked about any references to the design in an interview with Comic Book Resources: “You know, the people that designed it, they had designed a couple of different things, and this is one they did, and it just was perfect,” she began. “And what I love about it is that it just taps into a kind of Stephen King nostalgia — and that’s what struck a chord for me.”
2. In fact, Stephen King is a huge influence on the show. Murai expanded on this in [a] Rolling Stone interview: “We’re playing in a sandbox that he built. That Northeast setting, the extraordinary happening to ordinary people. This genre is his playhouse,” he explained.
4. Speaking of “Jaws,” Widow’s Bay is very similar to Amity Island. This also applies to the costumes, which included dated, secondhand items that were “bathed in a brown patina,” which costume designer Alex Bovaird called “Jaws Tech.” In an interview with Whatever, Nevermind Substack, she said, “[Writer-creator Dippold and director Murai] hired anybody who was into “Jaws” and “Twin Peaks”…I remember [Murai describing the show’s tone] like ‘American nostalgia trapped in amber.’”
14. In Episode 2, the haunted Breakwater Inn on “Widow’s Bay” pays homage to the Bates’ home from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Edward Hopper’s painting, “House by the Railroad,” which informed the 1960 film’s house. Arnold also said in the same Set Set interview that the cupola — the little tower that sticks up that matches the front of the Bates’ home — needed to be added in post-production.
16. This episode actually draws heavily from “The Shining,” like when Tom hears the New Year’s celebration through the bathroom grates — which is from the 1962 disaster they discuss in the show — it matches the haunting New Year’s Eve party from the 1980s film.
17. As well as when Tom meets William, aka Willy the Clown, the ghost in the hotel. This mimics when Jack meets Lloyd, the ghost bartender.
23. While the whole plot of Episode 3 feels like a giant influence from “Jaws,” one of the clearest references is the shark drawing on the chalkboard, which is a dopey version of Quint’s drawing.
39. Kate O’Flynn, who plays Patricia, told TV Insider that “Carrie” was a huge influence for Episode 4. One of the Easter eggs is when Patricia wears a tiara, similar to Carrie after winning prom queen.
41. In the same interview, Dippold said “The Wicker Man” was also a huge influence on Episode 4, which makes sense why Patricia’s crown looked like a real-life version of the film’s animal masks.
53. [A] “Jaws” similarity on the boat: Tom telling Wyck, “We’re gonna need a different plan,” just as Brody told Quint, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” after finally seeing how big Jaws was.
63. Plus, Murai personally called out in a Rolling Stone interview that the electric chair scene was inspired by “A Clockwork Orange.” “Things that make you feel like someone is going to be put here against their will,” he added. “And hanging off the top is the eye contraption from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ so whatever there is coming out of that steel door they have to look at it.”
I love that Widow’s Bay production paid this much attention to detail in order to honor their horror forefathers. I’m equally impressed that, despite so many references, the show always felt original. It hit that right blend of familiarity, camp, comedy, and jump scares. I just rewatched Jaws this past weekend, but didn’t pick up on some of those parallels like the matching set pieces or lines about needing a bigger boat/different plan. Kudos to creator Katie Dippold. I recently learned that she’s the woman who went viral in 2016 for wearing a Babadook costume to a Halloween party. I remember that Tweet fondly, and it makes me root for the show even more. I can’t wait for season two.
photos credit: Apple TV+ press