Below Series Review: Something dangerous is lurking beneath the surface in Snooks Arm, Newfoundland, where the people and situations have a distinct identity that helps the story to feel elevated beyond being just another creature feature. The series, created by Jesse McKeown, combines sea monster horror with family drama and an important social awareness commentary that blends together quite well. It also showcases a community that is trying to preserve its way of life in a world that is forcing them to change their ways. Just like the central storyline, there’s a lot happening beneath the surface of the series that one won’t be able to figure out at first glance.
The cast of the Below Netflix series includes Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Willow Kean, Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Rohan Campbell, Natasha Henstridge, and Mary Walsh. Jamie Childs, Helen Shaver, and Stephen Dunn direct the 6-episode series.
Below Series Review
A Sea Monster Story With a Human Heart
Below follows a mild-mannered but burdened bayman who is still living with the trauma of his father’s mysterious death. However, when the emergence of a sea creature leaves his complicated life in the midst of danger, he decides to take matters into his own hands to keep his family and community together. He eventually joins forces with marine researcher Fonda, and the two try to figure out what is terrorising them from beyond the surface.
Amidst the calamity of a terrifying creature hunting down townsfolk, the series showcases themes of family and generational trauma as we see Calvin’s complicated relationship with his three children, particularly Wade. The show is an intimate showcase of family, community and change in the guise of a creature feature that differentiates it from others in the genre. While the terrifying creature adds thrill and anticipation, the family drama and community terror add the emotional weight to the series that makes the creature lurking beneath the surface all the more terrifying and impactful.
Newfoundland Is More Than Just a Setting
The story has a distinct charm and a sense of belonging thanks to its settings. The Newfoundland setting provides an atmosphere that is almost impossible to recreate elsewhere, making the story feel eerie, isolating, but also breathtakingly beautiful. The ocean, particularly, mirrors these feelings as it feels threatening and beautiful at the same time. These dualities add to the confusion and terror that the townsfolk feel while also contextualising why they want to hold on to their way of life so viciously. The close-knit community adds warmth to an otherwise unsettling story.
On that note, the warmth translates to the characters as well. While rough on the outside, the townsfolk slowly prove to be full of heart, something that is extremely important in a show like this. It makes viewers want to root for the characters and not be eaten by the mystical creature in the water! The humour and local details have a distinct charm that comes out in every scene of the series, making viewers identify with the story, characters, and settings thoroughly. The town, thus, is a character in its own right and makes an eerie story feel all the more curious.
Josh Hartnett Gives the Series Its Emotional Centre
Hartnett brings a lot of heart to Calvin, a flawed, exhausted man who is just trying to protect his family while carrying around a ton of personal trauma. He’s not some superhero, but rather a vulnerable man trying to keep it together for his family. Amongst the increasingly supernatural situation unfolding, his vulnerability brings grounded realism, making his struggle genuine.
The other cast is great as well and brings terror and confusion to the story. These are regular people facing a lot of problems in an ever-evolving world, and now, they have to face a sea creature. The dread and horror are, thus, evident in their every move, which translates naturally to the viewers as well.
The Horror Works Best When It Holds Back
Unexplained events, disappearances and unsettling discoveries set the scene in Below, and the story builds on this tension for a good amount of time before going deeper into the mystery and what is terrorising the community. The monster isn’t a constant presence, and the creeping sense that something is fundamentally wrong beyond the usual community problems is what gives the goosebumps. While it’s interesting and gives space for all of the issues that the community and the protagonist are facing to come through, it’s not a very fresh concept.
Fans of the genre will spot several obvious themes throughout. However, the series cleverly goes beyond asking what is in the water and also explores the town’s history. The balance between supernatural and reality is what distinguishes the series from others and adds to the mystery.
Where Below Loses Some Momentum
As with most other horror shows that also focus on human drama, Below sometimes spends a bit too much time focusing on the human shenanigans when all the audience wants is to see the creature cause mayhem. While the family drama is engaging to contextualise the creature’s impact on the community, the politics and personal issues can really bog down the runtime, especially since it’s a miniseries that needs to make use of every minute at its disposal.
The familiarity doesn’t help in that regard as well, and it will leave viewers impatient to get to the larger conspiracy rather than watching humans bicker about the same thing endlessly.
A Creature Feature With Something to Say
One of the most interesting conversations in the show is the underlying environmental themes that highlight the changes that the world is going through as we speak. The Newfoundland community in Below is facing a changing way of life thanks to dwindling fish stocks, something that the townsfolk heavily depend on. As a result, it brings their future into question and makes them wary of what comes next.
The threat in the water only adds to that terror, and the vulnerable community finds its greatest resource being taken from them. It focuses on what happens when a community is forced to make radical decisions after years of living a particular way and the burden that it puts on the entire community.
The show addresses the effects of climate change and how that affects communities who depend on nature for their daily life. The themes are explored without overwhelming the supernatural elements but are impactful enough to make viewers think more deeply about their actions.
Final Verdict
In the end, Below is an engaging thriller that has important conversations happening beyond the surface. While it’s not reinventing the creature horror genre, it does a great job with its themes and creates a tense atmosphere that makes viewers want to see what’s next. The series works particularly well when it focuses on the isolation of the community and what a mysterious threat does to an already-vulnerable group of people. Overall, this one’s an engaging affair with good performances.
Watch Below on Netflix right now. Let us know your thoughts about the series in the comments below!
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