Netflix’s ‘Below’ Is an Original Story Drawn From Newfoundland History, Not an Adaptation

Viewers searching for what Netflix’s ‘Below’ is based on will find a less conventional answer than the usual book or comic adaptation. The miniseries is set in Newfoundland and comes from creator Jesse McKeown, who has said the story is not based on anything else. That makes it a rare original in a streaming landscape crowded with adaptations.

What the series does draw on is real regional history, classic creature features and a deep personal connection to its setting. The six part limited series follows a small Newfoundland town terrorized by a mysterious creature from the deep. Understanding where its ideas come from helps explain why the show feels so rooted in place.

Is ‘Below’ an Original Series or an Adaptation

The clearest answer comes from the creator himself. Speaking to The Canadian Press at the Toronto International Film Festival, McKeown said “It’s not based on anything else” and described the project as entirely his own. It is also his first time as showrunner on a series he created.

McKeown is not new to television, though. He recently served as co-showrunner on the fourth season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’. He also worked on ‘The Sinner’, and his writing team includes Karen Walton, who wrote the original ‘Ginger Snaps’.

The decision to build an original story around a familiar creature feature framework has clearly paid off in early reactions. One early review after the festival premiere argued that the series is not a horror pastiche and is not a copy and paste job. That distinction matters for viewers who worry the premise sounds too familiar.

The True Newfoundland Folklore Behind the Sea Creature Story

Although the plot is invented, many of its details are not. In an interview with What’s On Netflix, McKeown confirmed that a strange flamingo detail in the series is real and said it all came from real Newfoundland history or folklore that has been around for a long time.

That claim lines up with the first impressions from the festival premiere. Dead flamingos are found in a part of the world where they make no sense, and the review notes this is based on an intriguing true story from Newfoundland. It is a small touch, but it shows how the writers anchored the supernatural elements in documented oddities.

McKeown has also tied the horror to the province’s long record of hardship. He pointed to killer storms, maritime disasters and the collapse of the cod fishery as part of a long history of unimaginable difficulties, which makes strange events fit naturally into the setting. In his view, the creature is an extension of dangers the community already knows well.

The series also explores current day concerns such as communities losing their livelihoods, climate change and family displacement. The monster story sits on top of a very real conversation about a vanishing way of life.

How Spielberg and Carpenter Shaped the Horror Series

If the story is not adapted from a book, its filmmaking influences are easier to trace. McKeown told Entertainment Weekly that the series draws on old school genre movies from directors such as Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter, along with the local legends of its rural setting. Those influences shape both the tone and the pacing.

The comparison to ‘Jaws’ appears almost everywhere the show is discussed. Early reaction described an atmosphere that calls to mind ‘The Fog’ and ‘Messiah of Evil’, along with a not at all shy inspiration from ‘Jaws’. Another preview noted that the lead is joined by a marine researcher in a role similar to Hooper, and that the six part series follows a creature strong enough to pull a houseboat under the waves.

The production leaned into practical filmmaking to match that inspiration. The team skipped green screen and filmed scenes on Newfoundland’s real ocean to capture the actual location. McKeown and producer Jessica Rhoades told What’s On Netflix that cultural specificity and Newfoundland turns of phrase were a priority on the page.

What to Know About the Cast and Premiere Before Watching

The lead role belongs to Josh Hartnett. He plays Calvin Penney, a fisherman still coping with the mysterious death of his father decades earlier, while Mackenzie Davis plays marine researcher Fonda Howander and Charlie Heaton plays Calvin’s son, Wade. The wider cast includes Rohan Campbell, Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn and Willow Kean.

The release plan is straightforward. All six episodes arrive on Netflix on Thursday, October 8. Filming took place on location in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the series is produced by Pacesetter Productions. The show also served as the Primetime Opening Night selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.

For viewers deciding whether to press play, the creator’s own framing is useful. McKeown has said that at its heart, the series is about a fisherman who cannot fish because there is no fish left, and who has been forced to adapt. That grounded emotional core sets it apart from a standard monster hunt.

Because ‘Below’ borrows from real folklore rather than a single published source, a lot of its power depends on how believable the invented creature feels next to genuine Newfoundland history, so which part of the story did you find more unsettling, the sea monster itself or the real events that inspired it?