Netflix will launch Below on October 8, a six-part horror series set in the remote coastal regions of Newfoundland. The production stars Josh Hartnett as a local fisherman battling a mysterious aquatic predator.
Josh Hartnett and the October 8 Premiere of Below
The upcoming miniseries features Josh Hartnett in the role of Calvin Penney, a weathered Newfoundland fisherman with a troubled history. According to the report, Hartnett is joined by Charlie Heaton, known for Stranger Things, who plays Penney's son, and Mackenzie Davis, who portrays a marine researcher.. This core trio serves as the primary defense against an enigmatic sea creature threatening their community.
The project is helmed by creator Jesse McKeown, a writer previously associated with The Umbrella Academy. For Josh Hartnett, the role represents a continuation of a professional resurgence, moving away from his early days as a teen idol toward more complex, challenging character work in high-concept narratives.
A Lovecraftian Twist on the Jaws Formula
Netflix's Below explicitly blends the cosmic dread of Lovecraftian horror with the suspense mechanisms popularized by Steven Spielberg's Jaws.. As the report says, the series employs a strategy of keeping its monster hidden from the viewer for a significant portion of the narrative to build tension. This approach mirrors the cinematic choice to keep the shark off-screen in the 1975 classic, transforming the unknown into the primary source of fear.
The setting of a remote Newfoundland town further enhances this isolation. By placing the characters in a beautiful but desolate environment, the seriees echoes the structure of other atmospheric horror shows like Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass or Wayward Pines, where the geography itself becomes a trap for the protagonists.
Moving Beyond the Siren and Tidelands Mermaid Trend
The decision to focus on a sea monster marks a departure from recent streaming trends. While the late 2010s saw a surge in mermaid-centric content through shows such as Siren and Tidelands, and the market has been saturated with generic shark movies, true sea monsters have remained largely absent from television. The report notes that the Kraken in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is one of the few high-profile examples of the genre in recent years.
This rarity is largely due to the immense logistical difficulty of filming in water. Unlike land-based creatures, aquatic monsters require specialized underwater teams and carry significantly higher production costs. While some films like Open Water utilized real shark footage, creating a convincing giant squid or Lovecraftian beast alongside human actors requires a delicate balance of practical effects and CGI that many studios avoid.
The CGI Hurdle and the Hidden Face of the Creature
Despite the anticipation surrounding the October 8 release, a critical piece of the puzzle remains missing: the actual appearance of the monster.. While the promotional trailer for Below depicts a mysterious iceberg and equipment being destroyed by an enormous force, Netflix has not yet revealed the creature's design. This leaves a lingering question as to whether the production will rely on cutting-edge CGI or return to the practical effects that often deliver more visceral horror.
The success of Below will likely depend on whether the reveal of the monster lives up to the suspense built by the hidden-threat formula. If the production can overcome the traditional pitfalls of underwater filming, it may establish a new blueprint for aquatic horror on streaming platforms.
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