Josh Hartnett Takes on an Eldritch Sea Beast in Netflix's 'Below': The Coastal Horror We Desperately Needed

Josh Hartnett Battles Ancient Horrors in Newfoundland's Freezing Waters

If you thought Josh Hartnett was taking a breather after commanding the box office in M. Night Shyamalan's Trap and starring opposite Anne Hathaway in this week's steamy psychological thriller Verity, think again. The beloved late-'90s icon is having one of the most fascinating mid-career renaissances in Hollywood right now, and his next stop plunges directly into atmospheric, bone-chilling horror. Netflix has officially unveiled the gripping trailer for Below, an upcoming six-episode limited series slated to drop on October 8, 2026, just in time to kick off spooky season in style.

Created and showrun by Canadian talent Jesse McKeown and helmed by director Jamie Childs (known for his visionary work on The Sandman and His Dark Materials), Below trades traditional haunted houses for the grim, isolated beauty of Snooks Arm, Newfoundland. In the show, Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, a grizzled local fisherman weighed down by generational grief and maritime debt. But when strange disturbances begin erupting along the icy North Atlantic shoreline, Calvin and his tight-knit coastal community realize something ancient, titanic, and predatory is stirring deep under the ocean floor.

A Killer Ensemble Navigating Jaws Meets Lovecraft Vibes

The eerie, high-concept survival thriller does not rely solely on Hartnett's brooding magnetism. Netflix has assembled an enviable ensemble cast packed with millennial favorites and prestige TV veterans:

Mackenzie Davis (Station Eleven, Terminator: Dark Fate) stars as an uncompromising marine biologist investigating unprecedented oceanographic seismic anomalies off the Canadian coastline.
Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) steps into the role of a traumatized young deckhand who witnesses the leviathan first-hand during a fateful night shift at sea.
Ruby Stokes (Lockwood & Co., Bridgerton) portrays Calvin's headstrong estranged daughter, desperately trying to keep their fragile family afloat as paranoia tears the fishing outpost apart.
Rohan Campbell (The Hardy Boys, Halloween Ends) brings volatile, nail-biting tension as a local diver who suspects corporate negligence awakened the deep-sea monster.

Early industry whispers describe the aesthetic tone as "John Carpenter's The Thing meets Steven Spielberg's Jaws", anchored by genuine practical creature work alongside dread-inducing atmospheric cinematography. In one jaw-dropping sequence teased in the trailer, an entire shoreline fishing shack gets violently pulled under the frigid tide in broad daylight, setting social media abuzz with comparisons to classic H.P. Lovecraft lore.

Why 'Below' Is Must-Watch Television This October

For millennials who grew up watching Hartnett in cult thrillers like The Faculty and Halloween H20, seeing him return to grounded, high-stakes genre storytelling is pure gold. Executive produced by heavyweight producer Jessica Rhoades (Sharp Objects, Station Eleven), Below is avoiding cheap jump scares in favor of claustrophobic pacing, rich character development, and an authentic portrayal of vanishing coastal blue-collar life.

With its gorgeous maritime backdrop, heavyweight cast, and an eldritch menace that makes the open sea look genuinely terrifying, Below promises to be Netflix's standout October binge. All six episodes hit Netflix worldwide on October 8, 2026. Don't forget your life jacket—you're going to need it.