Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay owes every little thing to The Wicker Man

Apple TV has one other breakout hit on its palms. After making a reputation for itself as one of the best streaming platform for science fiction, the service is increasing into the horror style with Widow’s Bay, which options scares and comedy in equal measure due to its Babadook-loving showrunner Katie Dippold, a murderers’ row of administrators (Hiro Murai, Ti West, Andrew DeYoung, Samuel Donovan), and a stellar solid (Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root). However the breakout star of Widow’s Bay is, with out query, Katie O’Flynn.

The British actress, beforehand greatest identified for her work within the theater, performs the anxious, insecure Patricia, who works as assistant to the city’s bungling mayor (Rhys). O’Flynn brings a refined however campy efficiency with unbelievable bodily comedic timing to the position, which is why it is no shock that the 2 highest-rated episodes thus far on IMDb are each Patricia-centric tales.

Earlier than Widow’s Bay premiered, I had an opportunity to interview the present’s trio of stars. And after I requested for his or her favourite scary film suggestions, O’Flynn arguably had one of the best reply. (Root recommended an express ’90s B-movie slasher he acted in.) Not solely did O’Flynn advocate an all-time traditional of the style, however she picked one which helps clarify the various influences that make Widow’s Bay so nice — whereas additionally offering a possible clue about the place the present is finally headed.

“I’ve a gentle spot for Wicker Man,” O’Flynn tells Polygon.

O’Flynn is referring to the 1973 movie The Wicker Man, which is streaming without cost on Tubi. It follows Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward), who travels to a distant Scottish island city to analyze the case of a lacking woman. In his encounters with the locals and their chief Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), Howie discovers that the complete city has shifted from Christianity to Celtic paganism, and so they could also be practising human sacrifice.

Thought of a traditional of the people horror style, The Wicker Man started with a request from Lee to create a task that will transcend the extra conventional ones he was identified for, like 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein. So screenwriter Anthony Shaffer started working on a script that will change supernatural film monsters with the horrors of paganism.

The human sacrifice idea got here from the Gauls (early Celtic tribes in what would finally turn out to be France) as described by Julius Caesar himself in his historic writings, Commentaries on the Gallic Conflict. “Others have figures of huge measurement, the limbs of which shaped of osiers they fill with dwelling males, which being set on fireplace, the boys perish enveloped within the flames,” Caesar wrote.

The Wicker Man is superbly shot by Robin Hardy, with a naturalistic method that emphasizes the real-life Scottish cities the place he filmed. The film can also be stuffed with convincing performances by varied minor characters, constructing as much as what seems like an actual city with a spooky secret. The assorted songs and rituals carried out all through the story give the complete expertise a surreal wrinkle.

No person breaks into track in Widow’s Bay, however the idea of a spooky island full of wierd locals the place every little thing feels just a little bit off will really feel acquainted to The Wicker Man followers. And whereas Rhys’ mayor is not a complete outsider, his character was notably born on the mainland earlier than shifting to the island, creating a transparent parallel with Sergeant Neil Howie. There isn’t any clear equal to Patricia, nonetheless; O’Flynn’s character seems like an entirely distinctive creation.

As for the human sacrifice, nicely, we’ll simply have to attend and see what occurs within the closing two episodes of Widow’s Bay. But when it seems that is the place the present is headed, now you understand the place Dippold seemingly bought the concept.

Widow’s Bay is streaming on Apple TV. The Wicker Man is free with advertisements on Tubi.