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I love a creepy little town full of secrets and dark deeds, whether it’s Twin Peaks<\/em>, Hawkins (of Stranger Things<\/em> fame), or Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove, the Maine fishing village from Murder, She Wrote<\/em> with the alarmingly high death rate. The latest addition to this atlas of regrettable vacation destinations is Widow’s Bay, the insular New England island that is the setting for the new Apple TV series of the same name.<\/p>\n The town seems idyllic on the surface, but according to some of the locals, it appears to be “waking up,” in a supernatural way. This is bad timing for the mayor, Tom Loftis, a relative newcomer who’s hoping to build the place into a quaint tourist destination. A few episodes in, the show is frequently legitimately funny, but also plausibly scary (think clowns in crawlspaces)\u2014and if you’re looking to visit other terrifying locales between episodes, here are 15 spooky suggestions. Stream Widow’s Bay<\/em> on Apple TV<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Shining Vale<\/em> opens by advising us that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression\u2014but also twice as likely to be possessed by a demon. And the symptoms are the same. Courteney Cox’s Pat Phelps isn’t really sure which problem she’s experiencing when her wildly dysfunctional family moves to a big ol’ Victorian mansion in a tiny Connecticut town, hoping that getting out of the big city will solve all their problems. As you might suspect, it doesn’t, and adds a whole lot more in the form of supernatural forces related to dark things that have happened in the house. Shining Vale<\/em> deals frankly with issues of women and mental illness but, like Widow’s Bay<\/em>, also comes at its ghostly threats with a sense of humor. Stream Shining Vale<\/em> on HBO Max.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Nothing much overtly supernatural here, but the show’s premise is that the suburbs are so insular and creepy, particularly if you’re not a local, which feels close enough. This fun and very loose adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks film finds Keke Palmer’s Samira and Jack Whitehall’s Rob moving back to his impossibly safe and tidy hometown. Their house happens to be across the street from a dilapidated Victorian eyesore that may or may not have been the location of a murder a couple of decades before. As Samira adjusts to new motherhood as well as life on the cul-de-sac, she learns that even the nicest of her neighbors (played by Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, and Kapil Talwalkar) have secrets, and comes to suspect that her husband knows more about the dead girl than he’s letting on. Stream The ‘Burbs<\/em><\/u> on Peacock<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n This weird and ambitious slice of folk horror finds Jude Law’s Sam arriving on Osea Island while grieving his murdered son and trying to save his failing business. After he intervenes when he sees a young woman attempting to hang herself, Sam get caught up in some wildly atmospheric creepiness around the town. Later, Naomie Harris’ Helen arrives on the island with her daughters only to discover that everything’s gone to hell, and that the causeway that connects the island to the mainland is gone. In between the two halves of the miniseries, the creators produced an immersive, 12-hour-long, single-camera livestream<\/a> capturing a day in the life of the island, and it’s a wild bit of innovation. Admittedly, it’s all a bit more vibes than plot, but the vibes are genuinely disturbing. Stream The Third Day<\/em> on HBO Max. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Heading to rural Ireland, we meet Elvira Clancy (Siobh\u00e1n Cullen), a freelance obituarist and erstwhile goth girl with money problems. There’s decent money in the job, but there are only so many<\/em> deaths in the tiny (fictional) town of Killraven\u2014but she happens on a way to up the death count after she kinda accidentally pushes a jerk off a cliff. This is as dark as dark comedies get, as Elvira comes off less like a serial killer and more like a grown-up Wednesday Addams. Stream Obituary<\/em> on Hulu.<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Occasionally light but not obviously comedic, Haven<\/em> (based on the Stephen King short story “The Colorado Kid”) nevertheless has the “weird stuff goes down in a remote town” part down pat. Emily Rose stars as Audrey Parker, an FBI Special Agent sent to the titular Maine town on a routine case. Soon she is drawn into \u201cthe Troubles,” a series of harmful supernatural events that have recurred throughout the town\u2019s history\u2014and, by no coincidence, are happening again. The supernatural-case-of-the-week format gives way to a bigger mystery when Audrey comes to learn that this isn\u2019t her first time in Haven, nor the first time she\u2019s encountered the Troubles. Stream Haven<\/em> on Peacock<\/strong><\/a> and Prime Video<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Widow’s Bay has its work cut out for it if it’s going to compete with the town (and the oddball locals) at the center of this groundbreaking bit of weirdness from David Lynch and Mark Frost, in which teens and adults in the deceptively quiet Twin Peaks face tragedy accompanied by supernatural threats from outside of our normal space and time. I think? The mysteries here aren’t really meant to be solved as much as pondered with an eye toward nebulous existential dread (and if that’s not your idea of fun, I’m not sure what you’re doing here). Kyle MacLachlan plays FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who arrives in town to investigate the murder of teenage homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and uncovers secrets and mysteries among the town’s delightfully (often disturbingly) weird residents. Stream Twin Peaks<\/em><\/u> on Paramount+<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n Stephen King’s best trick is situating his horror in seemingly idyllic small towns. Set in the 1960s, this It<\/em> prequel dives into the backstory of Derry and Pennywise the clown through the eyes of children who met him during his previous visit to the town. By the end of the first episode, it’s clear that even the most adorable children aren’t safe, and this is a show that will, if nothing else, go hard. Tonally, it’s far from a match for Widow’s Bay<\/em>\u2014but given that Bay<\/em> has already introduced a scary ghost clown from the ’60s as one of its supernatural scares, there’s some overlap, if you’re a particular kind of freak. Stream It: Welcome to Derry<\/em><\/u> on HBO Max<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A complete tonal mismatch here, in that Night Country<\/em> takes itself way more seriously than Widow’s Bay<\/em>. Nonetheless, this most recent True Detective<\/em> season is one of the better creepy-stuff-in-an-isolated location narratives of recent years, moving away from the sweaty bro energy of earlier seasons in favor of a frostier mystery involving missing scientists at a research station near a tiny and necessarily remote Alaskan town, where the dark and the cold are practically characters themselves. The resulting case ties together veteran Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), two women with complicated pasts and screwed-up present family lives. Stream True Detective: Night Country<\/em><\/u> on HBO Max<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n This much-loved animated series follows twin siblings Mabel and Dipper Pines (Kristen Schaal and Jason Ritter) sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle (aka “Grunkle”) Stan (voiced by show creator Alex Hirsch). While helping Stan run his mystery-themed tourist shack, the kids happen across a series of supernatural mysteries, many related to the show’s ultimate antagonist, a dream demon known as Bill Cipher. The series recently came to a planned conclusion (albeit after four years rather than ten), and its finale was a ratings blockbuster\u2014the highest-rated telecast<\/u><\/a> in the history of Disney XD, as a matter of fact. Stream Gravity Falls<\/em><\/u> on Disney+<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Bodkin<\/em> takes us to the title’s quirky Irish coastal town for a dark comedy thriller that parodies true crime dramas in much the same way Widow’s Bay<\/em> takes the piss out of supernatural narratives. Will Forte plays Gilbert Power, an American podcaster investigating the cold case of three people who went missing during a Samhain celebration three decades prior. It’s definitely a satire of the genre, but the show has a pretty engaging mystery at its heart nonetheless. Stream Bodkin<\/em><\/u> on Netflix<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Both a twisty crime procedural and a brilliant satire of the genre, this Australian import follows Dulcie Collins (Kate Box), the fastidious senior sergeant of the police force in the fictional town of Deadloch. When a body turns up on the beach, Dulcie is joined by Madeleine Sami’s Eddie Redcliffe, a crud, generally obnoxious detective brought in to help solve the case. Their unraveling of the web of secrets in the tiny Tasmanian town is addictive, and as a bonus, its cop thriller tropes are mercilessly mocked throughout. Stream Deadloch <\/em><\/u>on Prime Video<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Drawing inspiration from Evil Dead<\/em>, Stan Against Evil<\/em> stars John C. McGinley as the crotchety, obnoxious former sheriff of the tiny New Hampshire town of Willard’s Mill, which is lurking with vengeful spirits. Janet Varney comes to town as his replacement, and the two soon realize that the demons aren\u2019t going to keep quiet for much longer. The awkward chemistry between the leads is a big selling point, as are the old-school practical monster effects. Stream Stan Against Evil<\/em> on AMC+<\/strong><\/a> and Shudder.<\/strong><\/p>\n Like the residents of Widow’s Bay<\/em>, the characters in From<\/em> are literally trapped<\/a>. But at least the locality in that Apple show gets a name; From<\/em>‘s setting is just known as the Town, and, once you set foot there, you can never leave. Oh, and did I mention that creatures come from the woods and kill anyone found outside after dark? Doesn’t sound quite as bad as the town where I grew up, but nevertheless: concerning. Stream From<\/em> on MGM+<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n If it’s not the best of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix work, it’s certainly the most emotionally devastating. Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) returns to the tiny, isolated community of Crockett Island, his arrival coinciding with that of Catholic priest Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). Riley is wrestling with his justifiable guilt over a drunk-driving death for which he was responsible, while the charismatic priest is reviving the town’s once-flagging religious fervor while exacerbating local tensions. The brewing conflict, exploring the limits of both faith and guilt, is fascinating, and the inseparably horrific elements are terrifying. Stream Midnight Mass<\/em><\/u> on Netflix<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n The set-up will seem familiar, but only because this stark, brutal miniseries goes back to the Agatha Christie source material that gives it its name: Eight strangers arrive on the fictional, thoroughly isolated Soldier Island, off the Devon coast. They’ve been brought together under various pretexts, and, at a tense dinner, are presented with a gramophone recording explaining that each of them has been responsible for a death, and that each will face justice in turn. Stream And Then There Were None <\/em>on Acorn TV<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nShining Vale<\/em> (2022 \u2013 2023)<\/h2>\n
The ‘Burbs<\/em> (2026 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-4.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778018164.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nThe Third Day<\/em> (2020)<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-15.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778081316.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nObituary<\/em> (2023 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"Obituary](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-9.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778078129.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nHaven<\/em> (2010\u00a0\u2013 2015)<\/h2>\n
![\"Haven](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-3.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778018164.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nTwin Peaks<\/em> (1990 \u2013 1991, 2017)<\/h2>\n
It: Welcome to Derry<\/em> (2025 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
True Detective: Night Country<\/em> (2024)<\/h2>\n
Gravity Falls<\/em> (2012 \u2013 2016)<\/h2>\n
\n What do you think so far?
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\n <\/span>\n <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nBodkin<\/em> (2024)<\/h2>\n
![\"Bodkin](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-8.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778077041.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nDeadloch<\/em> (2023\u00a0\u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"Deadloch](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-10.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778078812.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nStan Against Evil<\/em> (2016\u00a0\u2013 2018)<\/h2>\n
From<\/em> (2022 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"From](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-12.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778079167.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nMidnight Mass<\/em> (2021)<\/h2>\n
![\"Midnight](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KQWC0N7ZW7VCFJ1BSSVT8YQK\/images-13.fill.size_autoxauto.v1778079339.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nAnd Then There Were None<\/em> (2015)<\/h2>\n