Josh Hartnett Faces Something Terrifying Beneath The Water In Netflix’s New Six-Part Mystery Thriller ‘Below’
Josh Hartnett is heading into dangerous waters for Netflix, with the official trailer for Below revealing a mysterious sea creature terrorizing a remote community off the coast of Newfoundland.
The six-part limited series blends suspense, local mythology, family drama and humor while following a fisherman still haunted by his father’s unexplained death decades earlier.
Netflix released the latest trailer ahead of the show’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, offering the clearest look yet at the threat hiding beneath the water.
“Right before the accident, you saw something in the water,” a voice says early in the footage.
The answer appears to be something nobody in the community is prepared to face.
Josh Hartnett Plays Fisherman Calvin Penney
Hartnett leads the series as Calvin Penney, a kindhearted but stubborn fisherman living in a small Newfoundland community.
Calvin carries unresolved questions surrounding the mysterious death of his father many years earlier.
Those memories become increasingly difficult to ignore when something unidentified begins emerging from the waters surrounding his hometown.
The threat is not merely another local mystery.
A terrifying sea creature appears to be targeting the community, leaving Calvin struggling to protect both the people around him and his own family.
As the situation becomes more dangerous, his father’s death and the strange events unfolding in the present begin pulling him toward secrets the island has kept buried.
A Marine Researcher Joins The Search For Answers
Calvin does not investigate the mystery alone.
Mackenzie Davis stars as visiting marine researcher Fonda Howander, who becomes involved as the threat from the water grows.
Together, Calvin and Fonda attempt to understand exactly what is lurking off the coast.
But discovering the creature’s identity is only part of their problem.
The investigation also begins exposing secrets connected to the island itself.
That gives Below two mysteries to explore: the immediate danger hiding beneath the water and the history surrounding a community that may know more than it initially appears willing to reveal.
Calvin Is Desperate To Protect His Family
The stakes become particularly personal through Calvin’s relationship with his children.
Charlie Heaton plays Wade Penney, Calvin’s son, while Ruby Stokes appears as Mary Penney and Rohan Campbell plays Jay Penney.
Willow Kean stars as Ruth Penney.
As the creature threatens the community, Calvin becomes increasingly determined to keep Wade and the rest of his family safe.
His instinct to protect them places him directly in the path of whatever is happening offshore.
At the same time, the mystery surrounding his father’s death means Calvin is not simply fighting for survival.
He is also confronting a part of his family’s past that has followed him for decades.
The Creature Is Only Part Of The Mystery
Although the trailer gives viewers a glimpse of the terrifying presence beneath the surface, Below is not being presented solely as a conventional creature feature.
Creator Jesse McKeown has built the six-part story around themes of family, community and change.
Local mythology is also woven into the mystery.
That combination suggests the creature will serve as more than a straightforward monster for Calvin and the community to defeat.
Instead, the supernatural threat sits alongside buried secrets and old family trauma, allowing the series to move between suspense, drama and mythology.
Humor is also among the genres and tones incorporated into the story, providing a contrast to its darker elements.
A Strong Ensemble Surrounds Hartnett
Hartnett is joined by a cast that includes Davis, Heaton, Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Campbell and Kean.
Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, while Davis portrays Fonda Howander.
Heaton takes the role of Wade Penney, Stokes plays Mary Penney, Horn appears as Noah, Campbell portrays Jay Penney and Kean plays Ruth Penney.
The ensemble places the Penney family at the center of the mystery rather than treating the creature simply as an external threat.
As Calvin attempts to keep the town together, his relationships with those closest to him are likely to become increasingly important.
Six Episodes Will Tell The Complete Story
Below has been designed as a six-part limited series.
That compact format gives the story room to develop its central mystery while keeping the focus on Calvin, his family and the increasingly dangerous events surrounding the Newfoundland community.
McKeown created the series, with executive producers including Jessica Rhoades through Pacesetter, Chris Hatcher, Hartnett, Jamie Childs, Louise Sutton and Sharon Hall.
The combination of a remote coastal setting, local folklore and an unidentified creature gives the production a distinctive backdrop for its family-centered mystery.
Something Is Waiting Beneath Newfoundland’s Waters
The newest trailer makes one element particularly clear: whatever Calvin believes happened in the past may not stay there.
His father’s mysterious death has haunted him for decades.
Now another unexplained danger has arrived, and confronting it could finally force Calvin to uncover the truth about both his family and the place he calls home.
With a marine researcher beside him and his family potentially in danger, the fisherman must discover exactly what is lurking offshore before the threat overwhelms the community.
But in Below, finding the creature may be only the beginning.
The more Calvin investigates, the closer he gets to secrets that have remained hidden for years — and whatever is beneath the surface appears ready to bring them back with it.
Below premieres October 8 on Netflix.