‘Below’ Season 1 Review: Why This Netflix Sea Horror Pulls You Under Slowly

Netflix releases ‘Below’ on October 8, 2026, a six episode limited series created by Jesse McKeown, who previously wrote for ‘The Umbrella Academy’. It is set in Snook’s Arm, a remote fishing community in Newfoundland, with Josh Hartnett playing a stubborn local named Calvin Penney. Each episode runs 45 minutes or less, which makes the whole thing an easy weekend commitment.

The story begins in 1986 with an event that leaves a permanent mark on the town. Forty years later, Calvin is still haunted by his father’s mysterious death, while the government dangles a payout to relocate the village and the locals argue over whether to take it. His grown children drift back home for a homecoming celebration, including Charlie Heaton as the restless Wade, Ruby Stokes as Mary and Rohan Campbell as Jay.

Here is where my real feelings about ‘Below’ start to take shape. This show works best when it forgets it is a monster series and behaves like a portrait of a place that is slowly being emptied out. The sea, the fog and the thick local accents give Snook’s Arm a texture that most horror shows would kill for, and the threat means more because I actually believe these people would hate to leave.

The scares themselves are patient and then suddenly savage. McKeown lets dread seep in through strange details, like the slimy “bad ice” Calvin hauls up that Mackenzie Davis’s marine researcher Fonda examines with growing alarm. Then the series spills a startling amount of blood, and the contrast is deliciously effective. A house being towed across open water and dragged beneath the surface is the kind of image that sticks in your head long after the credits roll.

Mark Korven’s spooky, swelling score does a huge amount of heavy lifting, and the soundtrack choices, including a loud Danzig needle drop, give the early episodes real swagger. The cinematography is gorgeous in a cold, unwelcoming way, and the creature design is teased so carefully that every glimpse feels like a reward. I found myself leaning toward the screen every time the water went still.

Hartnett is the anchor, and he plays a worn down, big hearted father with a sturdy sense of authority. His attempt at a Newfoundland accent is occasionally a source of unintentional laughs, but the warmth of his performance wins out. Heaton is the other standout, bringing a jittery, live wire energy to a son who cannot quite cut the cord with his dad, and Davis gives the science side of the story a believable sense of urgency.

The show is not flawless. In its later stretch ‘Below’ piles on supernatural ideas, family drama and small town politics until the identity of the series starts to blur. The short run also means some of the more fascinating themes only get a surface treatment, and I wanted more time with the community before everything went sideways.

Even so, the momentum rarely dips for long, and the finale delivers enough emotional payoff to forgive the wobbles. I walked away rattled, moved and slightly afraid of my own bathtub. ‘Below’ is a confident, atmospheric creature feature with a beating heart, and I give it 8 out of 10.

If you have braved the waters of Snook’s Arm, tell us in the comments whether you agree that ‘Below’ deserves an 8 out of 10.