**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**
Something’s in the water…
BELOW released on Netflix on October 8th 2026 with all six episodes available to stream. The supernatural horror thriller limited series stars Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Rohan Campbell, Ruby Stokes, and Natasha Henstridge. Each episode is approximately thirty-seven to forty-seven minutes.
When a mysterious sea creature begins to terrorize a remote town, a fisherman must figure out a way to protect his town and family.
Here is the trailer:
BELOW manages to give us just the right amount of action and eerie moments without overstaying its welcome in this enjoyable limited series. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…
The Pros:
Recognizable cast.
OK, I was seated for Josh Hartnett and he delivered, leading a fantastic cast. There were so many familiar faces in this one and I thought everyone did a great job here. I don’t always get invested in characters in series where I know people are going to be picked off and yet I was drawn to each of them. I thought Josh Hartnett was terrific, but he ALWAYS understands the assignment. I’m so excited that he is appearing in more and more again.
Disturbing and creepy premise.
I thought this was just going to be the monster terrorizing everyone and leaving behind lots of bloody guts. Sure, we got our fair share of that (which I loved), but I also really enjoyed the weird stuff going on as well. There were more layers to this one, which helped it expand the lore without over-complicating things too much. There was definitely a good balance here to flesh the story out.
I thought the pacing was solid as well even though things did go off the rails a few times…
The Cons:
That accent…
I love Josh, but I could not take that attempt at a Newfoundland accent. It was so distracting!!! I eventually got used to it but it was a bit jarring and laughable at times.
The series did go off the deep end quite a few times as well, but I thought it added to its quirky and weird charm overall so this wasn’t a major con. Just don’t expect too much logic here…
So am I in or out?
I’m in!
(3.5 out of 5 stars)
BELOW is completely bonkers, but a lot of fun, packed with a decent balance of action and eerie moments.
If you’re looking for a quick binge-watch over the weekend, this one definitely fits the bill. Netflix should do more series like this.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on BELOW in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
DON’T TAKE THE JOB…
It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!
Girl Number Thirteen is available here!
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Below (miniseries in 6 episodes).
Disclaimer contains spoilers.
Story takes place on the Canadian Island New Foundland off the Eastern coast of Canada. Josh Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, a widower with 3 grown kids. Calvin lost his father in his childhood, when something dragged their house down in the ocean with his dad in it. 40 years has passed, Calvin still lives in this small town, while two of his kids have flown from the nest, oldest son on an oil rig on the West coast, and daughter has moved to Montreal, where she lives with her boyfriend, Noah. Loyal, but incompetent son stayed behind with the father and Calvin’s sister in a tight knit small town community.
Story starts with Calvin, who is now iceberg fishing, much like most of the town to make an income for the local vodka brewery, since fishing has been prohibited. He finds an huge block of ice, that upon inspection is rejected for contamination, and he lose out on a needed income. Calvin takes the block of ice to his good friend, a marine researcher, who examines it and discovers it has ancient life in it.
The family is reunioned, as oldest son and daughter comes for a rare visit, bringing Noah with her. Next day a huge iceberg is in the bay, middle child, alienated works with Calvin’s competition and severs a block of ice from the iceberg, upon which they are attacked. Wade survives but can’t remember anything, but has markings on his back, and an unquenchable thirst. And soon after the attacker reveals itself, being a giant ancient squid, that has slain a couple of tourists, a moose and a couple of Portuguese fishermen. A well funded philanthropist shows up, apparently aware of the squid and wants to become famous for discovering it, Calvin offers to help, but all but Calvin dies by the arms of the squid.
There are good and bad parts about this story, and I will start with the good. All actors are very believable in their roles, playing the small town folk, struggling, but keeping a warm heartfelt community, as one would expect. The children love their dad, even if 2 of them parted from the dying town. Organism trapped in ice, as well as an ancient squid is an interesting theme, because it is very believable, and I am sure Greenland has all kinds of pre-human organisms in suspended state, with warmer climate causing it to melt. As a monster story it works pretty well, not too far removed from Jaws, which it also lends a bit from.
Then the not so good, or what I have a problem with. All is fine on surface level, but in the details, it just falls apart. Calvin’s block of ice is rightfully inspected. The whole town becomes sick from using chips of ice blocks floating into the bay. Noah, may not know any better, but surely Calvin’s daughter, who is otherwise very believable in her role as the small town girl, who is crafty, tells him to use it for a party, putting it in drinks. Somehow ice cubes can not be manufactured in conventional and modern ways, so lets just use those that floats into the bay. People who live in these towns are wise to their ways, but it doesn’t come off this way at all on the contrary. Likely to set up Calvin and the Penneys as a whole, as some resourceful individual and family. Many of the starting episodes are disrupted with constant cliffhangers that doesn’t go anywhere, and just… disrupts and annoys you.
Calvin wisely get the contaminated block of ice examined, but neither tell anyone what they discover. They warn about the squid, telling anyone to get off the coast because the squid moves into shallow water and attack with its arms. From then on, Calvin himself and his son have no quarrels kayaking, rowing, and moving about dangerous waters at will, while the squid sunk bigger boats with ease and even immediately two that for some odd reason stole Calvin’s boat from the philanthropist’s ship. Calvin’s oldest son makes lots of money from oil rigging, but somehow in vast $80k debt from what looks like hillbillies. His daughter, who is a small town girl, and very vividly much like her father in many ways, with all that it entails is with some lame clown from the big city, and apparently she doesn’t care all that much about him, once landing at home, they are a complete misfit and just takes away from being his very capable daughter.
Which leads to my biggest gripe about the miniseries, it can’t decide what it actually wants to be, it moves from monster movie, Moby Dick, saving Willy, family movie that juggles between being tight knit and fractured. Calvin a caring father, and kids that love him, but he never seeks to get Wade any medical treatment, and no one does. I get that some small town are wary of civilisation, but we are not in 1800s, even if the movie sometimes like to portray it is. We are also sprinkled with hired military that is there to take down the squid as much as help villagers evacuate, as the town sits on vast and valuable Kobalt resources. Villagers are several generations inhabitants but apparently completely unaware of a Kobalt mine. As with most such stories that can’t decide which chair to sit on, it falters on all of them, and Below is much the same. It was still a good watch, if you can look past these things, and take them with a shrug.
I’d give it a 2.5, and it could go higher because I may just have been annoyed more than I should have. It’s a decent watch on an interesting topic, but doesn’t fullfil its potential.
Good overall assessment. I definitely see your cons. I wish you would have enjoyed it more! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Ps you should start a movie blog!
Thanks, Amy. You are the sweetest. I am still glad I watched it. There was a lot of good, even if I didn’t focus on it so much. There was never a dull moment. I agree Netflix needs to have more of these.
I think I have too much to say, to have a movie blog that is enjoyable to read. I even cut out much I wanted to say about it, to keep it shorter, and it was still vast, but maybe it is something you learn, as it was my 3rd one, all on your site.
You have the right formula, being on point and curt. I appreciate you saying so, Amy.