Stephen Root’s forgotten ’90s slasher Night of the Scarecrow deserves a modern remake

Apple’s excellent new horror-comedy Widow’s Bay stars Stephen Root as Wyck, a prickly old man who stands as one of the main obstacles in the way of Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) and his scheme to turn their sleepy (and haunted) New England island town into a tourist hot spot. It’s both a pretty standard and a totally unexpected role for Root. It’s standard because the beloved Hollywood “that guy” has made a name for himself with pitiful comedic characters like Milton Waddams in Office Space, Gordon Pibb in Dodgeball, and Bill Dauterive in King of the Hill. It’s unexpected because Root has rarely dipped his talented toes into the horror genre, and Widow’s Bay has genuine moments of horror alongside its laugh-out-loud comedy.