The six-episode horror series premieres globally on Netflix, blending deep-sea terror with family legacy and small-town secrets in Newfoundland.
A Cold Sea, A Hot Premiere
Netflix’s latest original, Below, hits screens worldwide on October 8, marking a bold return for Josh Hartnett in a role that demands both grit and quiet sorrow. The six-episode series, filmed entirely in Newfoundland, isn’t just another monster story — it’s a slow burn about what happens when the past refuses to stay buried.
Calvin Penney, played by Hartnett, is a fisherman whose life is defined by loss and duty. His father died young, his wife is gone, and now he watches his children drift toward lives beyond Snook’s Arm. Mary wants out. Jay is reckless. Wade wants to prove himself. But the town doesn’t let go easily. Everyone knows everyone. And the sea? It remembers too.
When a massive Arctic iceberg drifts into the bay during the annual "Come Home Year," it brings more than cold. It brings something else, something that moves beneath the waves. Tourists vanish. Boats disappear. Bodies wash up. The locals whisper of old legends: the sea hag, the thing that comes when the ice breaks.
Enter Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis), a marine zoologist who arrives not to study but to survive. She’s met with suspicion, her mainland accent a jarring contrast to the lilting Newfoundland lilt of the townspeople. Her presence only deepens the divide between those who believe and those who deny.
The show leans into dread, not jump scares. There’s no giant shark, no CGI leviathan. Instead, the threat is psychological. A sense of being watched, of knowing something is wrong even when nothing can be seen. As one character puts it: "Your nightmare has your number. It knows your name."
And yet, the real horror might not be under the water at all. It’s in Calvin’s silence, in the way he clings to tradition while his family slips away. It’s in the town’s refusal to change, even as the world outside shifts.
The series runs briskly, six episodes, no fat. That’s both its strength and its limitation. There’s time to build atmosphere, to establish the weight of generations, but not enough to fully unpack the deeper themes of grief, legacy, and the cost of staying put.
Still, the setting is unforgettable. The fog, the ice, the sound of waves against rock. Every frame feels like a postcard from a place that doesn’t want to be found. And when the camera finally shows what’s beneath, it’s not a monster. It’s a memory.
What Comes Next?
With the premiere live, the question isn’t whether Below will scare you. It’s whether it’ll make you think about the things you’ve left behind, and what might still be waiting.
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