Widow's Bay with guest Liz Sower from Ghosts in the Burbs

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Drawn to Darkness, we head to the foggy shores of Widow’s Bay with very special guest Liz Sower of Ghosts in the Burbs. This Emmy-winning Apple series follows widowed mayor Tom Loftus, who is determined to transform his economically struggling New England island into the next Martha’s Vineyard. Unfortunately, local fisherman Wick insists the island is cursed, Tom’s teenage son Evan is sassing him, and the town appears to be cursed as increasingly bizarre supernatural events suggest that Wick may be right. We discuss why Widow’s Bay somehow manages to be spooky, hilarious and strangely cosy all at once; its wonderfully specific New England setting; and the enormous collection of horror influences lurking beneath the weathered shingles. There is Jaws, The Fog, The Shining, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, haunted hotels, slashers, sea hags, creepy clowns, small-town folklore and possibly something Lovecraftian living beneath the island. We talk about the show’s strange relationship with time, anachronistic old televisions and video cameras, board games nobody should ever play and why this town feels simultaneously like somewhere you should absolutely flee and somewhere we would quite like to attend a cocktail party. Expect discussion of Evan’s teenage snark, Patricia’s party anxiety and status as the most sensible final girl in horror, and Ruth’s unexpectedly complicated place at the centre of the island’s history.  Content & Spoiler Warning: This episode includes discussion of fraught father-son relationships, traumatic childbirth and pregnancy complications, suicide, a woman being committed to a mental asylum, being buried alive, accidental consumption of psychedelic drugs, vomiting, ritual sacrifice, supernatural violence, frightening clowns, haunted hotels, slashers, witchcraft and the various horrors associated with living on a cursed island.  And, of course, we spoil Widow’s Bay extensively, including the finale. Go watch it. Palate Cleanser: Caroline recommends Ted Lasso as part of that lovely category of heartwarming comedy that gives you a little faith in humanity and hopefulness. Liz’s current happy place is Dungeon Crawler Carl, which involves aliens stripping Earth of its resources while the surviving humans are forced to compete in a televised reality-game-show-style dungeon crawl.  Recommendations: The ’Burbs - for another darkly funny story about a community of eccentric neighbours who have to come together when something strange arrives in their neighbourhood. The Beast in Me and The Americans- for more Matthew Rhys. Office Space - for more of the actor who plays Wick. Anything by Stephen King - because his influence is all over this island. Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery – if you’ve seen the final episode, you know. Midnight Mass - for another deeply unsettling isolated island community. Never Let Me Go - for a literary exploration of people accepting something deeply abnormal because it has always been presented to them as normal. Ghosts in the Burbs - Liz Sower’s own extremely Ghostly-New-England podcast, and an obvious companion to Widow’s Bay. Stephen King’s short story The Reach about an elderly woman who has never left her New England island. Shaun of the Dead, What We Do in the Shadows, and Cabin in the Woods - for more horror comedy. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None - because putting a group of people on an island and then having things go terribly wrong is apparently always a good idea. Homework: Keeping with the New England setting, we are moving into true crime with a three-part docuseries Lady of the Dunes about the longest cold case in Massachusetts history, which was solved very recently thanks to genetic genealogy (and has a Jaws connection) Coming Up After That: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. So start reading! And remember: keep your taser charged, stick together, talk to each other, trust your gut, maybe stop keeping horrible family secrets, question suspicious self-help books, and stay out of the water.