As spooky season arrives, the temperature starts to dip. There may be a chill in the air, but it's nothing compared to the conditions faced by the characters in the first season of AMC series “The Terror,” which is available to stream on Netflix.
The 2018 series is based on Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel, a meticulously researched blend of horror and history, inspired by the real-life lost expedition to the Arctic led by Captain John Franklin in 1845. I was enthralled by Simmons’ novel when I read it, but I was also skeptical that anyone could translate the dense behemoth of a book into a worthy TV series.
Creator David Kajganich not only captures what makes Simmons’ novel great, but he also improves on it in several ways, giving many of the characters more distinctive personalities, streamlining the plot and delivering a more satisfying ending.
Although it was well-reviewed at the time it was released (with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), “The Terror” never benefited from the same buzz as other AMC genre series now on Netflix (like “A Discovery of Witches,” which spent significant time in the Netflix top 10), perhaps because its quieter, more methodical horrors aren’t as flashy as vampires or witches.
Still, it’s easily one of the scariest TV shows of the past decade, with a slow-building sense of dread and despair over the course of its 10 episodes. Halloween is the perfect time to delve into that all-encompassing fear and alienation. The cruelty and madness of the human characters are just as horrific as the attacks by the monster that stalks them in the frozen Arctic.
‘The Terror’ brilliantly brings together horror and history
In real life, no one knows exactly what happened to the crew of the two ships that left England for the Arctic in 1845, in hopes of discovering the Northwest Passage. “The Terror” envisions a nightmarish end for the ships known as Erebus and Terror, led by Captains John Franklin (Ciaran Hinds) and Francis Crozier (Jared Harris). The first episode begins with a group of English explorers speaking to an Inuit man who tells them that the last of the Erebus and Terror crew has died, setting up grim expectations for the expedition as the show flashes back to four years earlier.
There’s little time for any excitement or celebration since the journey seems doomed from the start. The optimism for finding the Northwest Passage quickly turns sour as the ships end up trapped in dense sea ice that never thaws, even over the summer, with dwindling supplies and dwindling hopes of escape. That’s a terrifying situation on its own, and “The Terror” conveys the tension and fear of the crew, with only a thin veneer of military order and English propriety preventing a descent into utter chaos.
That veneer can only last so long, and it’s challenged by the arrival of what the men first believe is a vicious bear, but eventually realize is some kind of vengeful spirit, a monster that is determined to punish them for invading this land where they don’t belong. “The Terror” touches on themes of colonialism and environmental destruction without letting its message overpower the visceral horrors the characters face.
The world of ‘The Terror’ is immersive and awe-inspiring
Kajganich and co-showrunner Soo Hugh (who went on to create Apple TV Plus series “Pachinko”) immerse the audience in the Arctic wasteland, giving viewers a primal sense of the bone-deep cold that the characters face as the months stretch into years. The long stretches of weary waiting are punctuated by gruesome scenes of brutality.
The first two episodes unfold slowly and methodically, before the sudden eruption of violence from the creature in the third episode, and the attacks come without warning as the series progresses. Devious crew member Cornelius Hickey (Adam Nagaitis) proves to be nearly as dangerous, and Nagaitis makes his sociopathic scheming just as unsettling as the periodic assaults by the monster.
Harris is fantastic as the reluctant second-tier captain with an inferiority complex, who’s unexpectedly forced to step up as a leader. These are all arrogant, foolhardy men in their own ways, but the performances make them human and sympathetic.
The only true victim here is the Inuit woman the crew calls Lady Silence (Nive Nielsen), whose connection to the creature makes her a target, while she only wants her people to be left in peace. Her rapport with the kind-hearted surgeon Harry Goodsir (Paul Ready) is one of the only bright spots amid the unrelenting bleakness — so of course, it will end in tragedy.
That tragic inevitability is part of what makes “The Terror” so haunting. The real expedition party almost certainly did not encounter a supernatural entity that pursued and killed them, but they did most likely die painful, protracted deaths, and watching these men face their doom with a hardened sense of duty is both disturbing and mesmerizing. “The Terror” lives up to its title, delivering powerful, well-crafted horror that makes perfect viewing as you get ready for Halloween.
Watch "The Terror" now on Netflix.
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