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Below: Big Creature, New Fears, and Some Very Bad Decisions

 

Below - 2026

Some shows make you afraid of the dark. Others make you afraid of the ocean. Below seems determined to unlock a few new fears you didn't even know you had.

With Josh Hartnett, this Netflix series brings together a combination that's hard to look away from.

A Mystery You Can't Look Away From

One of the show's biggest strengths is its mystery. There's something fascinating about discovering a creature that shouldn't exist, especially when you don't fully understand what it is, what it wants, or what it's capable of.

The prehistoric monster is frightening enough on its own, but it gets even more unsettling when you add a strange virus and an isolated community. Everything feels like it could spiral out of control at any moment.

Humans Are Still the Most Dangerous Creatures

Of course, a giant prehistoric monster wouldn't cause as much damage as humans.

The "research" vessel raises an interesting question: how far are people willing to go to make a new discovery? 

And what about the creature itself? Does discovering something unique automatically give us the right to capture it, study it, or destroy it when things go wrong?

The idea that humans can be the real monsters isn't exactly new. We've seen it in countless films and series. Still, it works here because the creature's existence forces the characters to confront their own priorities, ambitions, and limits.

There's a difference between trying to understand something dangerous and deciding our curiosity matters more than anything else.

A Monster That Doesn't Always Make Sense

As much as I enjoyed the premise, I did find myself questioning some of the creature's behavior.

It's intelligent enough to connect with certain humans, suggesting there's more going on than simple animal instinct. Yet it also attacks people indiscriminately, including individuals who don't seem to pose any particular threat.

Why? If the creature can distinguish between people well enough to form connections with some of them, shouldn't that intelligence influence how it responds to others?

Of course, horror creatures don't have to follow human logic. Perhaps the point is that we don't understand this animal. But when a monster shows complex behavior, its decisions become more interesting when they follow some kind of internal logic.

Also, collecting ice from the beach for your drinks? Really? In a situation involving a mysterious creature and a potentially dangerous virus, questionable hygiene suddenly becomes the least of your problems. Still, I couldn't help wondering who thought that was a good idea.

Is an Extraordinary Discovery Worth the Risk?

Ultimately, Below works because it brings together several ingredients that make for an effective horror story: a giant monster, a strange virus, an isolated community, and a mystery that keeps pulling you forward.

It's tense, unsettling, and entertaining. But the question that stayed with me wasn't simply whether the characters would survive. It was whether human lives should always take priority over an extraordinary, unique animal.

There's no easy answer when a creature is genuinely dangerous. Protecting people matters. So does understanding what we've discovered before rushing to destroy it. So maybe the real problem begins when curiosity turns into entitlement, and we start believing anything we discover belongs to us.

Just don't expect to finish Below without looking at the ocean a little differently.

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