Yes, very evil looking. Here's one under the deck railing:
I have them everywhere around my house. The black widow is timid but will come to investigate if you disturb her web. Under stress she will hide or curl her legs into a tiny ball. The web is a complete random mess especially away from the center. By far the sloppiest web spinning spider on the plenet. Also the web is very sticky and very strong. If you have a web that comes off easily in your hand, then it is not a black widow. Finally you will not always see the red spots (sometimes an hourglass, sometimes not) unless you carefully flip her over, but she will be jet black, shiny, and well, evil looking.