Josh Hartnett’s Netflix Thriller ‘Below’ Subverts Its ‘Jaws’-Style Horror With Deeper Themes | Review
Josh Hartnett stars in Netflix's new six-episode thriller "Below," which blends creature-feature horror with psychological depth to explore themes of family, legacy, and community. Rather than serving as a superficial monster tale in the vein of Jaws, the series uses a mysterious sea creature drawn to a remote Newfoundland town by a drifting Arctic iceberg as a lens through which to examine more profound human anxieties.
Set and filmed in the real town of Snook's Arm, Newfoundland, the story follows Calvin Penney (Hartnett), a widower and lifelong fisherman grappling with his estranged adult children and his desire to preserve his family's legacy. When tourists and locals begin disappearing—both on shore and from fishing boats—Calvin teams with visiting marine zoologist Fonda Howander (Mackenzie Davis) to identify the threat, though the arrival of outsiders and hunters ultimately proves equally dangerous as the unknown creature beneath the surface.
- Six-episode Netflix thriller stars Josh Hartnett as a Newfoundland fisherman
- Combines creature-feature horror with examination of family, legacy and community
- Mysterious sea creature arrives with Arctic iceberg in small town
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"Below" is a new six-episode thriller series on Netflix set in the real Newfoundland town of Snook's Arm. A mysterious sea creature, drawn to the town by a drifting Arctic iceberg, begins killing people both on shore and from fishing boats, but the series uses this creature-feature premise to explore deeper themes about family, legacy and community rather than delivering straightforward monster horror.
The story centres on Calvin Penney, a widower and lifelong fisherman played by Josh Hartnett, who is struggling with his estranged adult children whilst trying to preserve his family's fishing legacy. When people start disappearing, Calvin works with Fonda Howander, a visiting marine zoologist played by Mackenzie Davis, to identify and tackle the mysterious threat.
However, the arrival of outsiders and hunters in response to the creature becomes as dangerous as the unknown threat itself, suggesting the series is ultimately concerned with how communities respond to crisis and the conflicts that emerge when strangers become involved in local affairs.