The residents of a small and isolated island begin to have visions, including one of “the hag”, a mythical woman who sits on men’s chests as they sleep. A mysterious monster threatens their way of life, but few will acknowledge that the horror is real until it finally makes itself known at the most inconvenient moment. The townsfolk must then come together to battle the unknown and liberate their coastal community.
So goes the story of Below. Unfortunately for Netflix’s new show, the elephant in the room — or the monster in the sea — is Widow’s Bay, Apple’s smash-hit comedy-horror which recently stormed the Emmys and cemented its place as the TV phenomenon of the year. Below follows in its wake with a thematically and stylistically similar story, which is unlucky for what is a perfectly watchable and even distinctly individual series. Through no fault except bad timing, it suffers from unavoidable comparison.
Nineties teen-movie pin-up Josh Hartnett moves into his hunky dad era as Calvin Penney, a fisherman in the small Newfoundland town of Snooks Arm. His father died in the sea when Calvin was a boy, and the sight of an enormous eye, looming out from beneath the waves, continues to haunt him as a man in his mid-forties. He makes a living by bringing the ice of local icebergs ashore, where it is used in a highly prized alcoholic drink. He is also grieving for his late wife, and lives with his feckless son Wade (Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton). His other children, who have moved to the mainland, are returning for their traditional annual homecoming party — just as the owner of that enormous eye begins to make its presence felt once again.
What stands out immediately is the choice of creator and showrunner Jesse McKeown to stay faithful to the specific accent and dialect of the region, which has its origins in Ireland and the south-west of England, and sounds quite unlike any other accent within the vast borders of Canada. Unexpectedly, it calls to mind the Cornwall-set films of British indie director Mark Jenkin, particularly 2019’s Bait, about a close-knit fishing community and its economic decline; the two share a rugged and salty atmosphere.
But in Snooks Arm, there be monsters — of both the mysterious and human varieties. There is to be a vote on whether the inhabitants of the town should accept a pay-off to relocate to a less remote area. Meanwhile, a marine researcher (Mackenzie Davis) makes discoveries about a strange virus contained within the ice.
As the chaos grows, Calvin must save his family and community from whatever is lurking in the sea. It is an environmental parable borrowing from folklore, 1970s disaster movies and contemporary science. (Viewers may spot nods to orca “attacks” on boats off the Portuguese coast, and fears of ancient “zombie viruses” that may be unleashed in the melting permafrost.)
Below is an entertaining concoction, though even over just six episodes, it is a little thinly stretched and overly earnest. Hartnett and Davis make a convincing double act as action hero and plucky scientist, and the show’s cinematic scope is impressive, paying tribute to its obvious ancestors, such as Jaws and Alien. But it is not quite fun enough to land with the same guts or gusto as its doppelgänger Widow’s Bay.
★★★☆☆
On Netflix now