From Slate Magazine · Rebecca Onion · · 1m 10s
Josh Hartnett's Netflix Show Kissing Dead Fish
Josh Hartnett's Netflix thriller Below mixes Newfoundland folklore with climate dread in a screech-in of a story.
In brief
Josh Hartnett's Netflix thriller Below mixes Newfoundland folklore with climate dread in a screech-in of a story. Josh Hartnett's Netflix series Below uses Newfoundland's culture and climate fears to create a supernatural thriller about a family's struggle with a mysterious underwater threat. Originally reported by…
Netflix's Below
Netflix's new six-episode miniseries Below starts with a family towing their house across open water in Snook's Arm, Newfoundland.
Calvin Penney's Story
Calvin Penney, played by Josh Hartnett, is a fisherman haunted by a giant eye he saw as his father sank in the water.
Newfoundland Setting
The show takes place in Brigus South, Newfoundland, where characters use local phrases like 'b'y' and 'best kind'.
Local Culture
Newfoundlanders describe 'screeched in' as kissing a dead fish and taking a shot, a tourist ritual the show mimics.
Widow's Bay Comparison
Below is compared to Widow's Bay, a show that won many Emmys, but Below has more genre conventions and less depth.
Seasonal Uncertainty
The show's creators say they aren't considering a second season, but Netflix might return to Newfoundland for more stories.
The short version
Josh Hartnett's Netflix series Below uses Newfoundland's culture and climate fears to create a supernatural thriller about a family's struggle with a mysterious underwater threat.
