Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Below,’ a small coastal town comes under attack from a mysterious sea creature while also dealing with a situation that would drastically change their lives. The story focuses on Calvin Penney, who has previously encountered the creature but is only now beginning to understand its true nature. Over the course of six episodes, the mystery of the creature is unraveled, and the town’s history and the true villains threatening its way of life are also revealed. The location plays an integral role in furthering the plot, making it yet another character in a complex tale. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Towns and Pubs in Below are Filmed on Real Locations
The story of the Penney family begins with their migration from an island town called Little Pot Rock to Snook’s Arm. Both of these places are fictional creations that draw on real-life events, crises, and scientific facts to portray a made-up tale about a small coastal town. Interestingly, there is a real place called Snook’s Arm in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. In the show, the town’s residents must vote on resettlement, a significant plot point throughout the season. In real life, the town of Snook’s Arm was resettled in 2018. It is likely that the show’s creators used the real town’s name to lend more authenticity to the story and the characters.
However, their version of Snook’s Arm is significantly different from the real place, which was also not the filming location for the series. Given the subject matter and the role the town’s history and identity play in the plot, the show’s creators wanted to film on location rather than make use of sets and green screens. The entire series was filmed in Newfoundland, Canada, which was also a primary inspiration for the storyline. Creator Jesse McKeown revealed that his visits there inspired him to write something “big and something kind of epic” to delve into the picturesque location and the marine life that dictates its way of life. They used the city of St. John’s as their base but expanded the filming scope to a variety of locations along the coast.
Pouch Cove, which boasts rich flora and fauna and offers beautiful hiking trails like the East Coast Trail, was a major filming location. Several scenes were also filmed in quaint fishing towns such as Brigus South, Harbor Main, and Conception Harbor. One of the recurring locations in ‘Below’ is the town bar called Linda’s Place. This is where the town’s festive spirit comes alive. All the scenes featuring the bar were filmed at Furey’s Club on 419 Conception Bay Highway, Holyrood. Additionally, the town of Twillingate was used to film scenes featuring the massive icebergs that play a pivotal role in deepening the show’s mystery.
The town itself is known as the Iceberg Capital of the World, with many visitors arriving here for whale and iceberg watching, among other things. Filming across these locations allowed the Netflix series to offer an expansive look at Snook’s Arm, while also capturing the desolation of Little Pot Rock, which echoes the future of the former town if it is abandoned again by its residents. So, on one side, we get bustling markets and bars, but we also get a sweeping view of cliffs overlooking the ocean and icebergs floating on the water. An amalgamation of the real Newfoundland locations breathes life into the fictional towns of ‘Below,’ making the show grittier, more realistic, and, hence, more compelling.
Read More: Below Ending Explained: Why Are There More Icebergs Near the Town?
