‘Below’ Review: Netflix’s Newfoundland Monster Thriller Is Goofy but Fun
Netflix’s six-part series Below stars Josh Hartnett as a fisherman in a remote Newfoundland village. Created by Jesse McKeown, the show blends family drama with a giant sea creature that can sink ships. The review describes it as a likable, silly spooky-season surprise that never fully matches its strong opening.
Netflix’s six-episode Below comes from creator Jesse McKeown and features Josh Hartnett as Calvin Penney, a fisherman in Snook’s Arm, Newfoundland. The narrative opens in 1986 with a house moved across water, echoing real Newfoundland resettlements, then jumps ahead four decades.
In the present, fishing is largely banned; locals gather floating ice for a vodka company. A relocation vote looms, with an earlier 90 percent threshold replaced by 75 percent. Strange events include a vanished Portuguese vessel, oily ice, a new iceberg, disappearances, and washed-up limbs.
The series may draw attention to Newfoundland’s resettlement history and remote coastal communities, potentially affecting viewers’ awareness of population decline and cultural displacement. Its blend of family drama and monster horror could appeal to spooky-season audiences, possibly boosting Netflix engagement and tourism interest in Newfoundland filming locations. For local communities, increased visibility might bring economic opportunities, though it could also reinforce exaggerated or sensationalized perceptions of their lives and environment.