Loved ‘Below’? These four horror mysteries should be next
Loved ‘Below’? These four horror mysteries should be next
From cursed coastal towns to terrifying creatures hiding in the dark, these four shows have plenty more mysteries to unravel.
“Below” was always going to work for me for two reasons: 1) I love Canada and 2) I love Josh Hartnett. Plus, it dropped right in the lead-up to Halloween, so a slow-burn horror mystery is exactly what I wanted to watch. It’s more creepy and atmospheric than downright terrifying, and the small-town Newfoundland vibe, along with the characters in that community, were things I don’t usually see on TV. Throw in a sea monster slowly changing people (in a really gross way), and you’ve got the ingredients for the perfect Halloween show. But just because both Halloween and “Below” are over doesn’t mean the thrill has to stop. Here are my picks for what to watch if you loved “Below.”
Below
When a mysterious sea creature terrorizes a small Newfoundland town, a hard-bitten fisherman and his family fight to protect their close-knit community.
Loved ‘Below’? Watch: ‘Widow’s Bay’
Coastal town on the edge of extinction? Check. Quirky characters? Got it. Slow-burn horror mystery that has you asking, what the hell is happening here? Bingo. “Widow’s Bay” is basically built for “Below” fans, especially if you like a little bit more humor in your horror. It follows Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), an anxious, kind of cowardly mayor of Widow’s Bay — an isolated New England island town. He’s desperate to turn the town into the next Martha’s Vineyard… even though many of the longtime residents know the town to be cursed. And pretty soon, Tom experiences enough terrifying encounters to start to believe them.
The similarities between the shows are obvious. Both shows’ mysteries revolve around old legends and a group of close residents who know something outsiders don’t. And they both grapple with an uncertain economic future as isolated towns with very few industries. But “Widow’s Bay” is much funnier and quirkier. You get a bit more absurdity infused into the horror elements. And it’s less of a “creature-feature” and more focused on supernatural elements haunting the town. Still, if you haven’t seen this show, it’s the perfect watch after “Below.”
Widow’s Bay
The mayor of a New England town resolves to turn it into the next tourist hot spot, despite local warnings that it’s cursed.
Try out: ‘True Detective: Night Country’
If you liked the slow-burn, dark mystery of “Below” more than the seaside town element, then “True Detective: Night Country” should be your next watch. It takes place in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, in winter — meaning perpetual darkness. It follows Police Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and State Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), who are looking into the disappearance of eight researchers who vanished from a research station.
There’s plenty of crossover here, including a very unforgiving, isolated location to make the dread feel inescapable. You get scary visions, a supernatural element, and a town coping with its own traumatic history in the form of an unsolved murder of an Indigenous woman that could be connected to the current case. But where “Night Country” differs is that it’s more of a straight murder investigation with supernatural horror elements. You’re never sure if what you’re seeing is real or imagined, and it’s much heavier than “Below.” Still, it’s one of the best seasons of horror-mystery TV out there and one you shouldn’t miss.
True Detective
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
Watch next: ‘From’
The first three seasons of “From” just landed on Netflix (all seasons on MGM+), introducing a whole new audience to what’s so far been kind of a cult-classic show. It follows Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), the sheriff and unofficial leader of an American town where anyone who enters becomes permanently trapped. To make matters much worse, human-like creatures emerge from the forest once night falls and hunt anyone left outdoors, while townsfolk use talismans to protect themselves. The questions quickly start to stack: Where is this town? Why can’t anyone leave? What are the monsters that hunt them? And what do the strange visions and clues really mean?
Both shows confront a threat they don’t yet understand. Boyd, like Calvin, is trying to keep everyone in town alive while also trying to keep the peace between them. The monsters are the immediate threat, but there’s a bigger question behind them about why they exist and how they connect to the town’s history. Now, “From” is a bit more of a supernatural puzzle-box mystery than a creature-feature, with visions, impossible geography, and a deep mythology that keeps building. It’s more brutal too, and the nighttime encounters are way scarier. But if you’re up for multiple seasons of this terrifying mystery, watch it.
FROM
Unravel the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.
Wild card pick: ‘The Rig’
Something isn’t right in the fog that descends over “The Rig.” The series follows Magnus MacMillan (Iain Glen), the offshore installation manager of Kinloch Bravo, a Scottish oil rig in the North Sea. His responsibility? Keep the crew alive. That becomes much harder when, just as everyone is packing up to go home, strange tremors shake the rig, communications fail, and a mysterious fog rolls in, and with it, strange accidents on the rig. What is it? And how can they escape it?
Obviously, the theme of humans exploiting the ocean’s natural resources shrouds both shows… oil drilling in “The Rig,” mining in “Below.” And you get the sense in both that some ancient, unexplained natural phenomenon has been disturbed. Now, “The Rig” has more of a sci-fi thriller vibe, as the characters are physically trapped on the platform. And these are co-workers, so you also lose the family relationships and small-town vibe. But if you loved something unknown and terrifying emerging from the ocean, this has that in spades.
The Rig
When the crew of the Kinloch Bravo find themselves cut off from all communication with the Scottish mainland by a mysterious fog, they must fight to find a way home whilst managing environmental pressures, mounting paranoia and rising tensions. But as the threat facing them reveals itself to be something beyond their wildest imagination, the divided crew must form an alliance to ensure survival.
More to watch after finishing ‘Below’:
‘The Terror’ | AMC+
The Terror
A chilling anthology series featuring stories of people in terrifying situations inspired by true historical events.
‘The Swarm’ | Tubi
The Swarm
Across the globe, strange happenings, borne out of the oceans, are mystifying and imperiling the world’s population. A group of scientists undertakes a terrifying mission to the depths of the Arctic Ocean to confront a deadly intelligent life force bent on human extinction.
‘Castle Rock’ | Hulu
Castle Rock
Based on the stories of Stephen King, the series intertwines characters and themes from the fictional town of Castle Rock.
‘Midnight Mass’ | Netflix
Midnight Mass
The arrival of a charismatic young priest brings glorious miracles, ominous mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town desperate to believe.