8 Movies To Watch If You Love Netflix’s Below Series

Netflix has released one of the greatest creature feature horror shows in TV history with Below, and there are some perfect movies for anyone who loves it. A series that blends small-town mystery with monsters, it’s a fantastic demonstration of how to build and maintain suspense and tension from start to finish. Naturally, there’s no shortage of alternative stories its fans will admire.

Below manages to blend some of the best tropes from film and television genres going today, feeling like a mash-up of thriller television and monster horror. Ultimately, it’s a creature feature masterpiece of a miniseries that will appeal to anyone from Stephen King readers to Spielberg fans.

The Menu played into the growing trend of dark comedy-elevated horror movies from the last decade when it cast Ralph Fiennes as the sinister Chef Slowik. When a group of wealthy elites travels to his prestigious restaurant, he slowly unveils plans to humiliate, torture, and murder them for his personal grievances. A high-end callgirl named Margo must navigate the tense situation, using her wits to try and survive the night.

When experiencing the tension of Below, one can’t help but be reminded of movies like The Menu, especially the blend of commentary and suspense horror. For the Netflix series, that comes in the form of using a monster to draw attention to climate change, while Fiennes’ film is pointed more at wealthy snobs. Stylistically, it fits right into the awkward and uneasy vibe of the setting of Snook’s Arm.

Bird Box Is Netflix’s Prototype For Below

In 2018, Netflix unveiled a creepy cosmic horror movie just as the genre was experiencing a slow revival after films like The Void and The Lighthouse. Taking a few ideas from HP Lovecraft, it revolves around the arrival of indescribable horrors to the world, driving anyone who sees them to insanity. Characters like Malorie Hayes realize they can survive the terror by shielding their eyes, using sound to navigate the world around them.

Bird Box was basically an inverted version of A Quiet Place, and the vibe surrounding the survivors’ attempts to escape has great symmetry with Below. In many ways, it was something of a prototype for Netflix in seeing what could be done with tense horror of its type.

Dead Calm Turns the Isolation of the Sea Into Terror

Dead Calm focuses on Rae and John Ingram as they grieve the loss of their son in a car crash, setting sail in the hopes the isolation together will clear their heads. Their quiet voyage is interrupted when they rescue a young man named Hughie, only for their unexpected guest to attack. With John stranded aboard a sinking ship, Rae is forced to do whatever it takes to survive the erratic and dangerous new passenger.

Dead Calm is a masterpiece of the maritime thriller sub-genre, filling every scene with enough suspense and dread to hear a pin drop. Like Below, it uses the near-endless desolation of the ocean to make its characters feel cut off from the whole world. Of course, the threat in this movie is Billy Zane playing a serial killer, while Netflix’s series uses a sea monster for even greater terror.

Fargo Is A Gloomy Small-Town Mystery Without the Monster

In 1996, the Coen brothers gave audiences the dark comedy thriller that changed the genre in Fargo. Set in the snowy isolation of Minnesota, it follows the plot of insurance seller Jerry Lundegaard to hire a pair of crooks to kidnap his wife. Hoping to use the scheme to extort money from his father-in-law, the hapless husband’s plan soon spirals beyond control as a murder gets the police involved.

Fargo isn’t the same genre as Below, but it does set exactly the same type of mood as what Netflix set out to create. Between the eccentric and idiosyncratic characters, the quirky small town and sense of desolation, the Coen brothers’ movie is a surprisingly great tonal match. Anyone who loves a good gloomy mystery will find a lot to admire in this ’90s classic.

The Mist Is Stephen King’s Darkest Story

Based on the Stephen King story of the same name, The Mist follows the story of Maine artist David Drayton as his small town is enveloped in a heavy fog. When it’s revealed that there are monsters within it, he and his son seek shelter in the local supermarket with other survivors. Fearing that the world outside may be coming to an end, paranoia and tension consume the people inside, proving humans can be just as dangerous as the creatures.

While it doesn’t share the maritime side of Below, The Mist is basically what many people went into the Netflix show expecting from its premise. It does existential cosmic horror much better, and pulls no punches in just how brutal and unforgiving its story becomes. Frank Darabont’s film is the pinnacle of the genre, and you’ll never be able to forget it after the credits roll.

Lake Placid Is A Buddy Adventure Take On Creature Feature Cinema

Lake Placid brings the audience to the small region of Aroostook County, Maine, a seemingly idyllic community suddenly terrorized by an oversized crocodile. Realizing he’s out of his depth, the sheriff turns to Fish and Wildlife officer Jack Wells and paleontologist Kelly Scott to find and kill the predator. When a hotshot adventurer gets involved too, everything spins into chaos as the motley crew of monster hunters bumbles their way into saving the town.

Lake Placid looked at Jaws and decided to focus more on the buddy adventure side of things, and it’s aged as a classic with a lighter touch to the creature feature genre. In the long line of Benchley knock-offs, this is easily among the most enjoyable, and it can offer a palate cleanser for Below fans while preserving their love of monsters.

The Host Is Korea’s Alternative to Below

Bong Joon Ho has delivered some of the best horror of the 21st century, especially when it comes to The Host. Set in South Korea, it focuses on a meek single father named Park Gang-du, who is left horrified when a sea monster emerges and takes his daughter, Hyun-seo. With a national emergency raging amidst the effects of the creature, the man teams up with his family to try to find the girl and rescue her.

The Host is basically the Korean thriller movie counterpart to Below in every way possible. Nowhere is this as true as in how Bong Joon Ho uses the menace of the monster to delve into deeper storytelling. Here, the genre is explored on a much grander scale, touching on themes of national identity, social paranoia, and even international politics.

Jaws Is the Ultimate Creature Feature

1975 changed cinema forever when Steven Spielberg adapted Peter Benchley’s Jaws for Universal Studios, redefining the creature feature forever. Here, the world watched as the upstanding police chief of the island of Amity, Martin Brody, tried to keep his community safe from a great white shark. When all else fails, he teams up with marine biologist Hooper and fishing captain Quint to hunt the predator down.

From the suspense of the unseen terror beneath the water to the frantic efforts of Brody as he struggles against the town, this film reinvented the entire genre. In essence, every monster movie made since 1975 has lived in the shadow of Spielberg’s masterpiece. When watching Below, it’s easy to see the influence of Jaws throughout the Netflix series, making both the perfect creature feature pairing.