If You Enjoyed the Movie Down Under, There’s Another Movie You Definitely Need to Watch.
Foggy, cold, and bleak, the village of Snooks Arm, Newfoundland, is the perfect setting for the seaside horror of the Netflix series Down Under . This sense of place sets the series apart from others, though the characters who inhabit it are no less captivating. Thanks to Josh Hartnett’s compelling performance as Calvin, the series boasts incredible atmosphere and a chilling, gripping plot that effortlessly balances chilling moments with profound emotional angst.
If you loved this series like a voracious sea creature and are hungry for more slow-paced, deeply human horror (and you’ve already explored all the similar series on streaming platforms ), then it’s time to move on to feature-length horror films, and there’s one classic that fits the bill perfectly.
The film “Jaws” laid the foundation for horror stories set in remote coastal communities.
When it comes to similar sea monster stories, Jaws is an obvious choice. Seaside setting? Check—Amity Island evokes a pre-glamorous Martha’s Vineyard, with beautiful beaches and crashing waves. A tight-knit community under threat? Check—Amity Island feels very real, and its residents have problems and grievances as valid as Calvin’s in Down Under . Shocking and terrifying moments? That’s Jaws , the film that changed the blockbuster industry, renowned to this day for its masterful depiction of an unforgiving natural force threatening an entire town.
The basic plot also echoes that of the film Below : when a young woman dies in a shark attack during a nighttime swim, Amity Island Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) attempts to close the beaches to protect the public, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) refuses, as Amity Island relies on tourism. After the boy’s death, Brody teams up with shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) and oceanographer Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to track down the monster, and the three soon find themselves in a desperate situation after discovering just how large and ruthless the shark truly is. Both stories share the theme of economic necessity trumping safety in a changing world and the concept of a small group of people battling a terrifying natural threat.
Like nearly every horror film and TV series since 1975, Below owes a significant debt to Jaws in terms of plot and technique. From its isolated, ocean-based setting (and monster) to the way Below only shows glimpses of its central horror, if you enjoyed the series, you’re sure to love the classics that influenced it. Watch Jaws on Netflix or rent it on Prime Video .
More movies like Below
Have you seen or re-watched Jaws and are still looking for more horror movies like Down Under ? Here are a few more you’ll love.
The Bay (2012)
Unlike Down Under , The Bay takes a different approach to creating a terrifying atmosphere—it’s a found-footage horror film. But it shares a remote, aquatic setting, a focus on a small community, and a plot predicated on the horror of pollution and the corruption of a fundamental element: water. In the coastal town of Claridge, Maryland, residents become gravely ill and begin dying in large numbers, leading to chaos. As investigators struggle to determine the cause of the illness, the carnage becomes truly horrific. As in Down Under, the primary threat comes from how humans recklessly abuse the world on which our survival depends, and the locals are at the center of this struggle. Watch The Bay on Tubi or rent on Prime Video .
The Master (2006)
One aspect of Down Under that particularly touches viewers is its human element; the internal tensions within Penny’s family feel grounded and real, and the entire community’s struggle with multiple existential crises is portrayed in a remarkably human way. The Host also follows a family battling a terrifying aquatic monster—when a mutant creature attacks a crowd near the Han River, Park Kang-du loses his young daughter, who is kidnapped by the creature. But when Kang-du receives a phone call from his daughter informing him that she is alive but trapped with the creature in the sewers, his family escapes quarantine, gears up, and sets out to find her, despite any obstacles (or corrupt government agencies) standing in their way. Watch The Host on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video .
Dagon (2001)
The film “Dagon,” based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” begins with four friends on a boat off the coast of Spain. When a storm destroys the boat and injures one of them, a couple—Paul and Barbara—set out on foot to a nearby village for help. Instead, they discover a terrifying place where worship of a demon named Dagon offers wealth and safety, but the price has gradually escalated, eventually transforming the villagers into something inhuman. Like “Down Under,” “Dagon” explores the choices communities make for survival and the personal costs that aren’t always understood. “Dagon” is available to watch on the Roku Channel or Tubi , or rented on Prime Video .
The Fog (1980)
If you enjoyed the foggy, frontier atmosphere of ” The Fog ” and the constant sense of dread of what might lurk in the fog or beneath the waves, unnoticed until it’s too late, then John Carpenter’s classic is a must-see. As the small coastal town of Antonio Bay approaches its centennial, a strange fog rolls in from the sea and envelops the town. As the death toll mounts, the true story of the town’s founding and subsequent prosperity is revealed—and the long-awaited price for the crimes of the town’s ancestors lurks in the fog, seeking some semblance of justice. Watch “The Fog” on Kanopy or Plex , or rent it on Prime Video .
Offseason (2021)
If remote settlements like Snooks Arm strike you as inherently creepy, watch “The Off Season.” When Marie (Jocelin Donahue) learns that her mother has died and is buried in Lone Palm, the secluded coastal town where she grew up, she’s outraged—her mother made it clear she didn’t want to be buried there. Marie travels to Lone Palm at the end of the tourist season, just one day before the bridge to the mainland closes for the year, giving the town a borderline, nightmarish air familiar to anyone who’s lived in a tourist town during the off-season. When a storm approaches, Marie and her boyfriend discover the residents acting rather strangely—and soon the whole thing descends into a swirl of terror that fans of ” The Off Season” will appreciate. Watch “The Off Season” on Hoopla or rent it on Prime Video .