15 Shows Like Netflix’s ‘Below’ You Must Watch

Jesse McKeown’s supernatural thriller miniseries ‘Below‘ immerses audiences in the rugged coastal community of Snook’s Arm, Newfoundland, where an ancient marine creature disrupts the lives of local fishermen and isolated residents. The series builds tension through its atmospheric depiction of harsh weather, insular town dynamics, and the constant threat posed by the unexplored ocean depths.

Viewers who appreciate this collision of maritime dread, small-town secrecy, and survival against unknown predators have several television series to explore across the horror, mystery, and science fiction genres. From isolated Arctic outposts to mist-shrouded islands and deep-sea expeditions, these fifteen productions capture a similar sense of environmental isolation and encroaching terror.

‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)

Set on Crockett Island, an isolated fishing community, the miniseries chronicles the strange occurrences following the arrival of a charismatic young priest. As unexplained miracles revive the fading township, longtime residents grapple with their faith while dark, predatory forces lurk in the shadows. Fisherman Riley Flynn returns home after serving a prison sentence, only to find the islanders succumbing to religious fanaticism and nocturnal violence. The narrative explores how isolation, maritime survival, and communal hardship leave small coastal settlements vulnerable to ancient supernatural predators.

‘The Terror’ (2018–2019)

The first season dramatizes the doomed 1845 Arctic expedition of the Royal Navy ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Trapped in shifting pack ice, the starving crews must survive hypothermia, scurvy, and mutiny while navigating an unforgiving frozen wasteland. Their desperate plight worsens when an elusive, supernatural predator known as the Tuunbaq begins methodically stalking the stranded sailors. The production combines historical maritime exploration with creature horror to depict the psychological breakdown of men abandoned by civilization.

‘The Swarm’ (2023)

Adapted from Frank Schätzing’s science fiction novel, this international miniseries focuses on ecological anomalies emerging from the world’s oceans. Marine biologists, oceanographers, and coastal fishermen discover that marine wildlife has begun coordinating lethal, unprovoked attacks against human civilization. As catastrophic tsunamis and toxic marine organisms devastate maritime infrastructure, a global team of scientists ventures into northern waters to make contact with an intelligent deep-sea lifeform. The storyline examines humanity’s precarious relationship with the deep ocean and the catastrophic consequences of disturbing unknown marine ecosystems.

‘Fortitude’ (2015–2018)

Situated on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the remote mining and research settlement of Fortitude is known for its peaceful isolation and strict safety measures. The community’s stability shatters when a violent, seemingly motiveless murder triggers an investigation by local police and an outside detective. Scientists soon uncover that melting permafrost has released prehistoric parasites, driving human hosts into manic bouts of savagery. The series blends psychological mystery with cold-weather body horror across its depiction of a small, icebound populace facing an environmental threat.

‘The Mist’ (2017)

Based on Stephen King’s novella, the series portrays the sudden descent of an impenetrable, unnatural mist upon the small town of Bridgeville, Maine. Residents stranded across different locations, including a local shopping mall and a church, discover that deadly, predatory monstrosities roam within the fog. As communication networks fail, factional disputes and paranoia tear the surviving townspeople apart from within. The plot focuses on societal breakdown, moral compromise, and the desperate efforts of isolated families trying to reunite amid supernatural carnage.

‘The Third Day’ (2020)

Divided into two narrative halves, the psychological miniseries centers on Osea Island, a British settlement connected to the mainland only by a tidal causeway. Outsiders arriving on the island become trapped by rising sea waters and entangled in the community’s eccentric pagan traditions. As the insular residents prepare an annual ritual to protect their harvest, newcomers uncover dark secrets regarding their own ancestral ties to the island. The drama emphasizes coastal isolation, maritime folklore, and the claustrophobic dread experienced by visitors unable to cross the ocean back to safety.

‘Katla’ (2021)

Set one year after the violent eruption of the subglacial volcano Katla, the narrative focuses on the ash-covered, depopulated Icelandic town of Vík. The few remaining locals are shocked when individuals who previously drowned or went missing re-emerge alive from the thawing glacier, covered in black ash. As scientific investigators and townspeople examine these identical humanoid doubles, communal trauma and grief collide with ancient Nordic folklore. The Icelandic production captures the bleak atmosphere of a rugged seaside settlement haunted by mysterious phenomena emerging from the earth.

‘The North Water’ (2021)

Set in the late 1850s, this miniseries follows a disgraced British army surgeon who signs aboard an Arctic whaling expedition as the ship’s doctor. The voyage turns catastrophic when the ship sails deep into frozen waters as part of an insurance fraud scheme orchestrated by corrupt owners. Stranded amidst shifting ice floes, the crew must endure extreme subzero temperatures, maritime isolation, and a brutal harpooner’s violent rampages. The series offers a stark portrayal of maritime survival against both the unforgiving elements of the northern seas and the savage instincts of desperate men.

‘Surface’ (2005–2006)

This science fiction drama follows an oceanographer, an insurance claims adjuster, and a young boy who independently discover a new aquatic species emerging from deep oceanic trenches. As these large, reptilian sea creatures begin attacking naval vessels and appearing along coastlines worldwide, government agencies move to suppress the information. The civilian protagonists join forces to investigate the origins of the creatures while evading military covert operatives attempting to conceal the ecological shift. The show highlights maritime creature mystery, global coastal panic, and deep-sea exploration across its single-season storyline.

‘The River’ (2012)

The found-footage horror series follows a documentary crew traveling into uncharted stretches of the Amazon basin aboard a research vessel to find a missing television explorer. Navigating through treacherous waters, the crew encounters hostile tribes, paranormal spirits, and predatory aquatic entities native to the river system. Tensions among the crew mount as equipment malfunctions, strange hallucinations plague their journey, and dark waterborne threats surround the boat. The series combines maritime expedition aesthetics with creature horror, trapping its characters in an isolated wilderness cut off from outside communication.

‘The Kettering Incident’ (2016)

Doctor Anna Macy returns to her remote hometown of Kettering, Tasmania, fifteen years after her childhood best friend mysteriously vanished into the surrounding coastal forest. Upon Anna’s arrival, another local girl disappears under identical circumstances, fueling suspicion and resentment among the struggling logging community. While investigating the disappearances, Anna uncovers toxic environmental contamination in the coastal waters and bizarre, glowing biological anomalies. The miniseries captures the tension of a secluded seaside settlement confronted by ecological decline, lingering grief, and unexplained supernatural forces.

‘Trapped’ (2015–2021)

In a remote Icelandic fishing village nestled along a narrow fjord, a severed human torso washes ashore just as a commercial ferry from Denmark docks in the harbor. A ferocious winter blizzard descends upon the region, blocking all mountain passes and grounding flights, leaving the local police department isolated without national backup. Police Chief Andri Ólafsson must protect the panicked townsfolk while hunting an unidentified killer trapped among them in the freezing coastal community. The series showcases the unforgiving reality of extreme Nordic maritime weather, town politics, and the claustrophobic dread of being cut off from civilization.

‘Wayward Pines’ (2015–2016)

Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke investigates the disappearance of two federal colleagues in the idyllic yet unsettling mountain town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. He soon discovers that the perimeter is fortified by an electrified fence designed to keep the townsfolk inside while keeping savage, mutated humanoid predators out. Stripped of outside communication, the residents are forced to obey draconian town rules under threat of public execution. The mystery blends post-apocalyptic survival with small-town creature warfare as citizens attempt to survive an encroaching monstrous threat.

‘Helix’ (2014–2015)

A team of Centers for Disease Control scientists is dispatched to an isolated biosafety research outpost in the Arctic to investigate a potential viral outbreak. Once inside the underground facility, the researchers encounter a rapidly mutating pathogen that transforms infected personnel into violent, predatory beings. Subzero Arctic blizzards and severed communications prevent the survivors from escaping or receiving emergency aid from the outside world. The narrative emphasizes claustrophobic survival, genetic mysteries, and the paranoia of facing an aggressive biological terror in an extreme, isolated environment.

‘Harper’s Island’ (2009)

A group of wedding guests travels to a secluded island off the coast of Seattle, an enclave once plagued by a notorious serial killer seven years earlier. As wedding celebrations begin, guests and local islanders are murdered one by one, with communications to the mainland systematically severed. Trapped by the surrounding waters and failing ferry services, the survivors must identify the killer among them before they are all eliminated. The series combines coastal island isolation with high-stakes survival as a close-knit group struggles against an unseen hunter.

Share your thoughts on which of these isolated mystery and creature thriller shows gripped you the most in the comments.