BELOW
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Ruby Stokes, Kaleb Horn, Rohan Campbell, Willow Kean, and Mary Walsh
Creator: Jesse McKeown
QUENTIN
With only six half-hour episodes, it wouldn’t be accurate to say Below overstays its welcome. Overall, it’s a quick and easy binge-watch, all things considered. However, it gets messy and convoluted in the final two episodes, so much so that they struggled to hold my attention. I’m sure it didn’t help that the tone and setting overlap with the much better Widow’s Bay a bit too much, and if it weren’t for the presence of Josh Hartnett, it would all feel even more slight (and Canadian). That said, you could do much worse if you’re looking for a quick-hitting creature feature this Halloween.
PAIGE
Below starts off promising, but as the series progresses, it drags and loses its way. The show is all over the place with its subplots, and it's riddled with plot holes that don’t make any sense to the central story. While the performances are fine, the weak writing and horrible accents can’t be ignored. And despite being noted as a limited series, the ending leaves the door open for more. In the end, Below is extremely anticlimactic and struggles to establish what it wants to be, whether that’s a drama, thriller, or Lovecraftian horror story; it doesn’t bring any of these elements together coherently.
