Upcoming Lovecraft Movie Already Has The Perfect Netflix Rival Releasing In 1 Month

Published Sep 12, 2026, 4:05 PM EDT Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. An exciting Lovecraftian horror movie project has been in the works for quite some time. However, while viewers wait for the movie's release, they can now watch an upcoming Netflix show that seems to heavily incline towards cosmic horror. While the show in question is Netflix's Below, the upcoming Lovecraftian movie is Dredge, which is based on an indie horror game of the same name. Netflix's Below will be a six-episode limited series that will walk through the terrors faced by the people of a costal town after a mysterious underwater creature begins to torment them. The video game, Dredge, on the other hand, walks through the fishing adventures, and misadventures, of a fisherman who gradually unlocks the truth about haunting creatures that lurk in the depths of the ocean. Apart from having fishermen as their leads and featuring "water" as the primary source of their horrors, Dredge and Below may not seemingly have a lot in common. However, a closer look at both reveals how they share many narrative overlaps and even have shades of Lovecraftian horror in their story beats. Netflix’s Below Looks Like An Unofficial Adaptation Of Dredge Credit: Netflix Indie Lovecraftian horror video game, Dredge, takes a while to reveal the truth about its lone fisherman's playable protagonist. When it does, though, one realizes the trauma and psychological underpinnings that drive his misadventures in the sea. Josh Hartnett's character, Calvin, seems to have a similar role in Below where he, too, is a local fisherman dealing with past trauma. Even the quaint, isolated, and costal setting in Netflix's Below, called Newfoundland, reminds one of the claustrophobic visuals of The Marrows from Dredge's map. Perhaps the biggest overlap between the two is their portrayal of a mysterious and unseen eldritch terror that lurks underwater. Below premieres on Netflix on October 8, 2026. Similar to Dredge, Netflix's Below does not easily reveal the central underwater terror. Instead, it highlights how any exposure to it leaves humans psychologically scarred. Put simply, both seem to instill the Lovecraftian "fear of the unknown" by capturing how humans are not even capable of comprehending the scale and true nature of the cosmic terrors below them. It is possible that Netflix's Below will ultimately turn out to be just another generic survival thriller. However, based on its plot details and trailer, it is hard not to see its parallels and Lovecraftian overlaps with Dredge. Dredge & Below Can Be The Perfect Lovecraftian Horror Rivals Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic An official movie adaptation of Dredge is also in the works. Black Salt Games is collaborating with production company Story Kitchen to produce the live-action film. Famous creature/VFX studio Wētā Workshop (known for The Lord of the Rings and Avatar) also hopped onboard for the early concept and monster design of the flick. Considering how its script has not been finalized yet, it seems unlikely that the movie will see the light of day anytime before 2027. When it does materialize, however, it could be the perfect Lovecraftian follow-up to Netflix's Below. If Below succeeds on Netflix, it will already set a high bar for other cosmic horror movies that intend to explore humanity's fear of the unknown through mysterious underwater creatures. This, in itself, could encourage the creatives behind the movie to double down on their efforts to deliver a worthy Dredge adaptation. Apart from Dredge and Netflix's Below, Lovecraftian horror fans can also look forward to Mike Flanagan's upcoming remake of Stephen King's The Mist and James Wan's planned adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu. Below Release Date October 8, 2026 Network Netflix Showrunner Jesse McKeown Below follows a hard-bitten fisherman in a remote Newfoundland town as he contends with a mysterious sea creature. Faced with the threat to his family and community, he strives to preserve his way of life amidst the chaos instigated by the enigmatic aquatic menace. Cast Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Rohan Campbell, Kaleb Horn, Willow Kean, Ruby Stokes Directors Jamie Childs, Stephen Dunn, Helen Shaver Writers Perry Chafe, Jesse McKeown, Karen Walton, Natty Zavitz Main Genre Mystery Creator(s) Jesse McKeown Executive Producer(s) Jesse McKeown, Jamie Childs, Sharon Hall, Josh Hartnett, Chris Hatcher, Jessica Rhoades, Louise Sutton, Allison White Producers Jesse McKeown, Ian Hay Seasons 1