Netflix’s New Horror Series Below Scores 81% on Rotten…

Netflix’s New Horror Series Below Scores 81% on Rotten Tomatoes

Hartnett’s new horror series hits Netflix with a critic-approved 81% on Rotten Tomatoes — but can it survive the algorithm?

By The Long Shot10 Oct 20262 min read

Current hype level52

Josh Hartnett has done it again — not with a film, but with a series. The actor, riding high on his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, has quietly launched a new six-episode horror miniseries on Netflix called Below, and it’s already drawing attention far beyond its release window. Set in the remote Canadian fishing village of Snook’s Arm, the show follows Hartnett as a man trying to shield his community from an ancient sea creature stirring beneath the surface.

It’s not just another monster-in-the-deep tale. Written and created by Jesse McKeown, the mind behind The Umbrella Academy, the series layers dread with real-world stakes, climate change, forced resettlement, and the fragility of small-town life. The cast includes Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Mackenzie Davis (The Martian), and Ruby Stokes (Rocks).

Rotten Tomatoes has given it an 81% critics’ score at the time of writing, a strong debut that places it among the year’s more promising genre entries. Audience ratings sit at 65%, still fluid as viewers catch up. Collider’s Carly Lane praised the series for tackling themes “as impactful as the climate crisis and forced resettlement,” calling it “willing to get into bigger themes” beyond mere scares.

But not everyone is convinced. ScreenRant’s Simon Gallagher dismissed it as “more Scooby-Doo than Widow’s Bay,” while others hailed it as one of the year’s most poignant shows. The timing is telling: just as the box office sees a wave of romantic dramas. It Ends with Us, Regretting You, Reminders of Him, Netflix is pushing a psychological thriller with a supernatural edge.

Anne Hathaway leads Verity, a Colleen Hoover adaptation now in theatres, but it’s Below that’s already trending on the platform. No official word yet on whether Netflix will greenlight a second season. But the momentum is there. With Hartnett’s star power, McKeown’s pedigree, and the show’s early critical traction, the question isn’t if it’ll be watched.

It’s how long it stays on top. And whether this is just a hit, or the start of something bigger.