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Netflix subscribers can dive into some maritime horror with “Below,” a new limited series that hit the streamer on October 8. Starring Josh Hartnett and Mackenzie Davis, the show takes place in a remote Newfoundland town called Snook’s Arm, where changing traditions aren’t the only threat facing the community: A sea monster is lurking in the icy waters.
Created by “The Umbrella Academy” writer Jesse McKeown, the series taps into the fear of what might be hiding beneath the surface. Its appeal isn’t limited to the creature itself, either. The five shows below offer similar thrills, whether through a strange creature or presence in the water, a small community facing supernatural threats, or, in one case, a particularly icy example of polar horror.
If “Below” has you craving more eerie waters and small-town dread, submerge yourself in these five series.
The Terror
There have been three seasons of AMC’s anthology series “The Terror,” but the first is the closest match for fans of “Below.” An adaptation of Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel of the same name, “The Terror” Season 1 turns Captain Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1840s expedition in search of the Northwest Passage into supernatural historical horror. Franklin’s two ships vanished along with their crews, and “The Terror” imagines what might have happened to them. Along with the brutal challenges of the Arctic, the sailors find themselves hunted by a terrifying creature inspired by Inuit mythology.
With striking production design and performances by Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, and Ciarán Hinds, “The Terror” is one of the best paranormal horror shows ever made and one of AMC’s finest series.
The second and third seasons of “The Terror” were not based on the Simmons novel. Season 2, which came out in 2019, a year after the first, centers on a haunting involving a Japanese American community during World War II incarceration. Season 3, “Devil in Silver,” is based on Victor LaValle’s book of the same name. For fans of “Below,” though, Season 1’s Arctic isolation and supernatural threat make it the natural place to start.
Widow’s Bay
Considering the success that the Apple TV series “Widow’s Bay” had at the Emmys, fans of “Below” may already be familiar with it. Even so, we’d be remiss not to recommend it, as “Widow’s Bay” scratches a bunch of the same spooky, watery itches as the Netflix show, only funnier.
“Widow’s Bay” can be described as “Parks and Recreation” meets Stephen King. (That’s not an accident; creator Katie Dippold previously worked as a writer on “Parks and Rec.”) Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the mayor of the titular New England island town, wants his home to move past its many strange superstitions and traditions and become a tourist destination like Martha’s Vineyard. However, as he soon discovers, those many superstitions are rooted in truth and dark secrets from the island’s past.
Each episode of “Widow’s Bay” feels like a slight pastiche of a different horror genre. One episode riffs on “Jaws,” another evokes slasher movies like “Halloween.” The entire series is very coherent, though, and it offers plenty of laughs and scares while making Widow’s Bay feel like a very real place, albeit a very strange one.
The Rig
In this British series, which premiered on Prime Video in early 2023, the crew of an oil rig in the North Sea suddenly find themselves surrounded by a dense fog. Stranded and unable to get back to the mainland, they realize that it’s not an ordinary fog; it contains a strange presence that’s causing some members of the crew to act in disturbing ways. As tensions rise, so do the supernatural stakes, along with a discovery about something deep below the surface that may be tied to extinction events throughout Earth’s history. The second season, which came out in 2025, expands on the story.
Starring Iain Glen of “Game of Thrones,” “The Rig” has echoes of “The Thing” in the way its team of professionals in a dangerous location find themselves trapped and facing something they couldn’t possibly have prepared for. Its isolated setting, supernatural mystery, and threat lurking beneath the surface make it an easy recommendation for fans of “Below.”
The Swarm
Not to be confused with the 1970s killer-bee movie of the same name, “The Swarm” is an English-language German series that premiered in the U.S. on The CW in 2023. The environmental disaster epic kicks off with a series of incidents in which ocean animals begin attacking humans. As scientists try to unpack what’s behind the attacks, they learn of a mysterious undersea entity that appears capable of commanding aquatic wildlife to rise up against humanity — and it might be able to control the ocean itself.
The scale and scope of “The Swarm” set it apart from “Below” in some ways. While the Netflix series is about one small town, action on “The Swarm” jumps back and forth across the globe, and the fate of the entire planet is ultimately at stake. Still, for audiences looking for another tale of dangers lurking beneath the waves, it’s hard to get bigger than this.
Castle Rock
“Castle Rock” is the only show on this list that doesn’t primarily take place on or near the water, and yet the Hulu series has a lot in common with “Below.” Based on the works of Stephen King and set in the titular fictional Maine town, “Castle Rock” weaves characters and elements from King’s fiction — like Shawshank Prison and “Needful Things” protagonist Alan Pangborn — together to tell an original tale.
“Castle Rock” ended after two seasons, with its final episodes airing in late 2019. The series draws on King’s knack for depicting small communities plagued by supernatural happenings, remixing elements from across his work to make the town feel hauntingly real. It’s full of mystery and uneasy tradition, and every character, whether created for the show or a familiar King character like Lizzy Caplan’s Annie Wilkes, has an intriguing backstory to match. There may not be fathoms of ocean or a sea monster in “Castle Rock,” but the show has depth.
