Tentacles, Terrible Accents, and The Waterboys: Netflix's Latest Creature Feature is a Messy but Musical Mixed Bag

Rating: ⭐⭐½ out of 5

There is something inherently captivating about the vast, unforgiving ocean and the terrifying mysteries that lurk beneath its surface. It is a primal fear, one that streaming platforms continually mine for our viewing pleasure. The latest entry into the aquatic horror canon is Below, a Canadian thriller miniseries that recently washed ashore on Netflix. Created by Jesse McKeown and set in the remote, salt-sprayed Newfoundland town of Snook’s Arm, the six-episode series attempts to blend deep-sea creature feature thrills with family drama and local folklore. But what begins as an atmospheric, slow-burn mystery rapidly devolves into a convoluted mess. It is undeniably a harmless distraction, but the show struggles to stay afloat under the weight of its own chaotic ambitions.

At the centre of the storm is Calvin Penney played by Josh Hartnett, a grizzled fisherman and iceberg harvester. Calvin is a man of the sea, dedicated to his community and desperately trying to hold his family together amid dwindling catches and the looming threat of a government resettlement program. When a massive, ominous iceberg drifts into the harbour, it brings with it an ancient, predatory force. Soon, trawlermen are vanishing, boats are being decimated, and the tight-knit town is thrust into a desperate fight for survival.

Let's address the leviathan in the room: the monster. Below pits its embattled sea hunks against a highly intelligent deep-water cephalopod. For the first couple of episodes, the creature is effectively kept in the shadows, characterized by unseen underwater attacks, massive circular welts left on survivors, and an eerie sense of dread. But as the season progresses, the series inexplicably wades into increasingly non-sensical plot points. We are suddenly dealing with hallucinatory lore, mysterious sea hags seducing young men, and victims suffering from an unquenchable thirst that drives them to plunge themselves into the frigid Atlantic. The narrative attempts to weave environmental commentary, psychological trauma, and mythological elements, but the threads tangle into an incomprehensible knot. You will find yourself pausing more than once just to figure out how the plot jumped from a rogue squid to mystical island seductions without missing a single beat.

Compounding these bizarre narrative choices is the show’s baffling approach to its human antagonists. As if a gargantuan, man-eating sea creature weren't enough of a threat, Below shoehorns in over-the-top cartoon villains to raise the stakes. Between the local loan shark throwing his weight around and the sneering mining company CEO trying to force the town into submission, you get the distinct impression that someone mandated a human adversary purely to pad the runtime. While the townspeople are literally being pulled into the abyss by tentacles, these antagonists are practically twirling their mustaches over unpaid debts and mining rights. It creates a jarring tonal whiplash that undercuts the genuine suspense the oceanic threat manages to generate.

Then there is the matter of the dialogue. Below features a sprawling cast, including Mackenzie Davis as a barefoot marine biologist and Charlie Heaton as Calvin’s troubled eldest son, Wade. Unfortunately, the ensemble’s attempt at capturing the local tongue results in a bizarre symphony of roaming accents. In a single scene, vowels wander across the Atlantic, dipping into Irish lilts, broad Scottish brogues, and standard American pronunciations before settling back into a rough approximation of Atlantic Canada. It is immensely distracting, pulling the viewer out of the tension whenever the cast has to deliver a dramatic, impassioned speech about the fate of the harbour.

Yet, despite the wobbly accents and the wildly uneven script, the series has one massive, undeniable saving grace: Josh Hartnett. Stepping into the role of the rugged, plaid-clad patriarch, Hartnett is acting his socks off. He brings a raw, weathered earnestness to Calvin Penney that the script rarely earns. Whether he is frantically searching for his son, barking orders on a storm-tossed deck, or simply staring out at the ocean with a look of haunted resignation, Hartnett fully commits to the bit. He treats the material with absolute respect, grounding the show’s more ridiculous elements with a deeply felt performance that reminds us of his enduring, quietly compelling screen presence.

Another unexpected highlight of Below is its soundtrack. The music supervisors have curated an evocative, sea-shanty-infused soundscape that perfectly captures the melancholy and the majesty of the maritimes. The undisputed highlight is the prominent inclusion of The Waterboys. Hearing their sweeping, romantic folk-rock echo over drone shots of the rugged Newfoundland coastline is genuinely stirring.

Ultimately, Below is exactly what it looks like on the tin: a pulpy, mid-budget creature feature wrapped in the guise of a prestige drama. It is not going to redefine the genre, and its finale will likely leave you scratching your head at the sheer absurdity of it all. But if you have six hours to kill on a rainy weekend and a soft spot for maritime mayhem, you could do much worse. Below manages to serve as a perfectly fine, harmless distraction. Just don't think too hard about the plot, and whatever you do, don't ask about the accents.