The miniseries Below, created by Jesse McKeown, interweaves horror, mystery, and social drama against the wild landscapes of Newfoundland, Canada. The story is set in Snook’s Arm, an imaginary fishing village grappling with an uncertain future and the risk of displacement due to the community’s economic difficulties. At the center of the narrative is Calvin Penney, a single father of three, determined to prevent the inhabitants from being forced to abandon their homes. When a massive iceberg appears in the waters near the village, however, the situation spirals: a mysterious sea creature begins to threaten boats, docks, and fishing activities, transforming the struggle for economic survival into a battle against an apparently unstoppable force. The Penney family and the other residents must therefore face unexpected dangers as the past and the tensions within the community resurface.
Below captivates Netflix audiences: is it telling a true story?
In the first four days of availability on the streaming service, Below managed to attract the interest of a large number of subscribers, accumulating around 17 million views worldwide—more than any other launch of a Canadian title on the platform. If you’re among those viewers, you’ve likely wondered whether its tale is inspired by real events. The answer is that, despite the realistic setting and references to historical events, the plot is the product of the authors’ imagination and does not recount a real incident.
There is, however, a real point of contact with reality, embodied by resettlement programs that affected Newfoundland throughout the twentieth century. In 1965, the Fisheries Household Resettlement Program was introduced, designed to facilitate the relocation of residents from rural communities to centers deemed economically more promising. The aim was to concentrate the population in areas with greater opportunities and services, but the consequences were profound for the people involved. In many cases, leaving the village meant sacrificing family ties, traditions, and a lifestyle built over generations.
This painful chapter of Canadian history constitutes one of the miniseries’ most important touchpoints. In the story, Calvin (played by Josh Hartnett) carries the trauma of his father’s death during the family’s relocation from the fictional Little Pot Rock to Snook’s Arm. The memory of that tragedy fuels his opposition to a new resettlement project, which risks depriving another generation of its roots. His resistance concerns more than the defense of homes; it is also about a community’s right to decide its own destiny. As McKeown explained, the history of forced relocations and the pressures exerted on residents represents a significant component of Newfoundland’s past. The mystery thriller thus turns a concrete political and social conflict into a personal drama, showing how painful it can be to choose between economic necessity and a sense of belonging.
Could the sea creature in Below really exist?
The threat from the sea recalls the tradition of beloved monster films such as Jaws, The Fog, and The Thing. This should have contributed to the series’ success. But could it exist in reality? Indeed, the creature is inspired by a real animal: the giant squid. To render a credible representation of the mysterious cephalopod, nicknamed Mudder, the creator relied on the counsel of marine biologist Annie Mercier, a researcher at the Memorial University Ocean Sciences Centre in Newfoundland. These animals can reach impressive sizes, averaging about 10 meters in length, and possess some of the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. Living in the ocean’s depths, they are difficult to observe and study, a factor that has fueled many legends about their supposed abilities and their danger. However, according to Mercier, it is extremely unlikely that a giant squid would emerge from its habitat to attack humans: its body does not have a sufficiently robust structure to cause such damage out of water. In most cases, these animals tend to avoid human contact, though they may display defensive behaviors in certain circumstances.
In the miniseries, Mudder terrorizes the coastal community as it desperately seeks to protect its egg sac, endangered by rising water temperatures. This narrative element finds support in cephalopod biology, some species of which dedicate long periods to protecting their offspring, even sacrificing their own survival. The intelligence attributed to the creature also has scientific grounding: cephalopods are capable of learning, manipulating objects, hiding, and, in some cases, imitating other animals to elude predators.
Below uses these characteristics to build a tale that goes beyond mere horror and tackles the consequences of climate change on marine ecosystems. As Mercier notes, ocean warming also alters the availability of oxygen and the chemical composition of the water, jeopardizing biological equilibria. While Mudder’s attacks belong to fiction, the environmental threats that shape its behavior echo real-world issues. Below thus invites readers to reflect on how much of the underwater world remains unknown and on the necessity of protecting it, reminding us that numerous species could disappear before they are even studied by the scientific community.
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