Forget 'Widow's Bay,' This Criminally Overlooked Horror Series Is the Perfect Weekend Binge

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Tom looking angry and worried in Widow's Bay.

Published Jun 20, 2026, 3:17 PM EDT

Nate Williams is a longtime tech and entertainment writer based in the Midwest. He covers movies and TV for Collider. Since 2016, his work has appeared on such sites as MakeUseOf, SlashGear, and ComingSoon.net, among others. When not actively working, you'll likely find him seeing a new movie or reading an old book. (Or vice versa.)

Are you watching Widow’s Bay on Apple TV? If the answer’s no, don’t feel like you have to dive into this spooky horror-comedy series just because other people are. After all, it’s not the only entry in this subgenre on streaming today. There are other, better ways to get a laugh out of objectively scary concepts. That’s right: It’s the perfect time to spin back the Wishmaster series. Because what if every wish you made came true in the absolute worst way possible? That’s the central premise of the four-part Wishmaster series, a horror tetralogy that might not be intentionally trying to make you laugh but will. It’s exactly the kind of late-night guilty pleasure binge you've been missing by not watching Widow’s Bay.

The franchise began with 1997's Wishmaster, the only one of the four to actually make it to theaters. Directed by special-effects legend Robert Kurtzman and executive produced by horror icon Wes Craven, the film follows a wish-granting Djinn with sinister intentions. Every wish granted is twisted into a nightmare that usually ends with someone being mutilated spectacularly. Wish for eternal beauty? You might end up transformed into a mannequin. Wish someone would go away? The Djinn is more than happy to interpret that request literally—basically, the perfect recipe for a variety of creative kills and darkly comedic payoffs.

The ‘Wishmaster’ Sequels Get Increasingly Absurd As They Go On

The beauty of the Wishmaster franchise is that it never mistakes itself for elevated horror. That’s especially true of its sequels, which understand exactly why audiences showed up for more Wishmaster in the first place. Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies doubles down on the formula, pushing the kills and wish-twisting scenarios even further. It's a genuinely great horror sequel, even if the same can't be said for future installments. (Think the later Hellraiser installments, if you want a general idea of where things are headed.)

By the time Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell and Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled arrived in the early 2000s, the franchise had transitioned fully into direct-to-video bliss. Production values became smaller (and, as is so often the case with these things, significantly more Canadian). The lore became stranger. And the series leaned even harder into its supernatural horror elements, often to ridiculous effect. Purists will argue the three sequels have nothing on the first, but that's also part of their charm. After all, we’re here for a laugh, right?

Critics were never particularly kind to the franchise. Obviously, given the first film’s tepid box office gross of barely more than $15 million, audiences weren’t either. (No wonder the rest were banished to video.) And yet, that's also why Wishmaster has endured as a cult favorite. It delivers exactly what its audience wants, and that’s direct-to-video cheesiness.

There's something refreshingly uncomplicated about these movies. They aren't trying to reinvent horror or create a new genre icon. They're built as a showcase for practical creature effects, memorable monster makeup, kills gory enough to make you squirm, and a villain who chews scenery every chance he gets. And at a time when horror so often arrives wrapped in layers of metaphor and prestige-drama seriousness instead of any actual fun, there's genuine value in a franchise that simply wants to entertain.

With all four films running less than 100 minutes each, you can easily knock out the entire Wishmaster series in a weekend. (If not one night.) They’re also endlessly rewatchable, just so long as you can tap into their campy energy. Not every horror marathon needs to be a deep dive into critically acclaimed genre masterpieces. Sometimes the best choice is the franchise built around battling a demonic genie who turns people's wishes against them for four movies straight.