The Creator and Director of ‘Widow’s Bay’ on Crafting Their Quirky, Spooky New Series

Cursed islands are a well-worn horror trope, but you’ve never been to one quite like the setting of Apple TV’s new series Widow’s Bay. The locals know there’s a darkness hanging over them—it’s just another part of life in this quaint village located 40 miles off the coast of New England. Here, there’s no wi-fi, but there are plenty of strange creatures, odd weather patterns, and legends that hew far closer to actual history than to folklore. That becomes a problem when the town’s ambitious mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), launches his plan to turn Widow’s Bay into a bougie tourist destination at the exact moment the island starts “waking up” in all sorts of supernatural ways. Across 10 episodes, Widow’s Bay mixes offbeat humor with freaky scares. Ahead of the show’s premiere next week, io9 talked to creator, showrunner, and executive producer Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation, The Heat, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call) and director and executive producer Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Station Eleven) to learn more. This interview has been slightly edited and condensed. Cheryl Eddy, io9: Apple TV is such a destination for sci-fi, but we haven’t seen it do too many horror shows. What does it