Guillermo del Toro can't stop praising Widow's Bay — make it your next horror watch
Guillermo del Toro spotlights Widow’s Bay as a must-watch while accelerating his rapidly expanding slate of horror, animation, and thrillers.
Apple TV+ has a new coastal nightmare that a lot of people (the right people) are buzzing about. 'Widow's Bay' is moody, funny in a bleak way, and patient enough to make your skin crawl without yelling boo every five minutes. And now Guillermo del Toro just tossed gasoline on the hype.
Del Toro's cosign, loud and clear
Del Toro jumped on X to rave about the show, and when the patron saint of elegant monsters singles something out, genre fans tend to pay attention.
'If I may- in my estimation- #WidowsBay may very well be the best streaming series in a long time… and hands down one of the most mesmerizing acts of narrative prestidigitation in Horror. '
— Guillermo del Toro on X, May 30, 2026
That kind of endorsement pushes a series into more feeds fast. That said, even without the del Toro bump, 'Widow's Bay' earns the chatter on craft alone.
What the show actually does well
'Widow's Bay' builds its whole deal around a cursed island town sitting about 40 miles off the New England coast. The production leans hard on locations that look born under a bad sign: constant fog, angry water, and the sense that if someone knocks after dark, you let it go to voicemail.
It is very much a horror series, but not the loud, jumpy kind. The writing is tight, the tension builds slow, and the characters feel lived-in. The supernatural stuff lands as both classic and unnervingly current, which is a neat trick.
Matthew Rhys centers the whole thing as Mayor Tom Loftis, a guy so bullish on saving the town he edges into denial. His big plan to lure tourists is familiar in the best way, and the locals around him are just odd enough to keep you guessing. The show slides between dread, deadpan humor, and character drama without breaking the spell, and even the lighter scenes keep a low hum of panic going.
There is also a strangely cozy quality to all the gloom — like the town itself is both warning you and waving you in. That balance is probably why the series sticks with you after an episode ends.
A surprising origin note
File this under unexpected: the series has roots in comedy. There is a piece out there about how Katie Dippold took a classic sitcom-style idea and reworked it into a dark thriller. You can feel that DNA in the timing and character beats — it is built like a comedy, then weaponized for horror.
Meanwhile, del Toro stays busy
On his own docket, del Toro has wrapped his live-action 'Frankenstein' and is already teeing up the next run. The big swing on deck: a stop-motion take on Kazuo Ishiguro's 'The Buried Giant,' set in a mythic medieval England and following a family searching for their missing son. Expect fantasy with an emotional punch — very much his lane.
Quick hits
- Platform: Apple TV+
- Setting: A cursed island town about 40 miles off New England
- Lead: Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis, optimistic to a fault
- Vibe: Slow-burn horror threaded with dark humor and steady character work
- Del Toro's verdict: Called it 'the best streaming series in a long time' on May 30, 2026
- Del Toro's next project: Stop-motion 'The Buried Giant' after finishing 'Frankenstein'