A box of ice and tundra. Crispy old ships drifting on a winter ocean. Strange beasts with a terrible thirst for blood lurk in the night. And men, hungry and desperate, become beasts themselves, as happens to men when all is lost and one brother opposes another.
AMC’s The Terror is rarely exactly a horror series, but it’s not your average old-fashioned drama either. The exhibit is named after a real ship, the HMS Terror, a British naval exploration ship that, along with HMS Erebus, was lost in the Arctic on a voyage of exploration to locate the North Passage to the West.
What happened to the men of the Terror and Erebus remains largely a mystery, but the Terror does a remarkably deft job of filling in the blanks and embellishing them with elements of horror that make the dark story of survival, mutiny and terror is even more complete. More important. More captivating.
The 10-episode first season is based on the novel of the same name written by writer Dan Simmons, best known for his local epic opera, The Hyperion Cantos. I haven’t read the book, so I went into this series blindly, and in many ways, I’m glad I did. Although it launched in 2018, it’s one of the most productive shows I’ve seen in 2024, and it’s now moved from AMC to Netflix, where you’ll find a much wider audience.
Not only is the exhibit scary, but it’s also a truly wonderful antique drama with amazing sets and costumes. You feel like you’re aboard those old ships, stranded in this arctic desert in the most brutally dark situations imaginable. According to the production values, the series is incredibly well-written and acted. The cast is simply stunning, with many actors that you may have noticed in series such as Game Of Thrones, Chernobyl, and Blue Lights.
Jared Harris plays Captain Francis Crozier, a no-nonsense Navy man who has little patience for glory or the arrogant behavior of his fellow officers. Unfortunately, he is also a wonderful alcoholic. He earned the fierce loyalty of his crew aboard HMS Terror.
Tobias Menzies plays James Fitzjames, a handsome young officer who enjoys telling stories that show him off, but hide depths before the story is over.
At the head of the expedition was Captain Sir John Franklin, captain of HMS Erebus, a guy whose ambitions far exceeded his judgment and ability. Franklin is portrayed through Ciarán Hinds.
The rest of the cast is just as great. Adam Nagaitis plays one of television’s most compelling villains as Cornelius Hickey, Caulker’s sidekick, an intelligent and mysterious sailor who never ceases to intrigue. Ian Hart, who I identified from The Kingdom, plays the ever-loyal and reliable sailing captain Thomas Blanky.
Then the mysterious Lady Silence, a local Netsilik woman the crew encounters in a blizzard, comes aboard amidst strong suspicion.
I might just keep going, but it would ruin this phenomenal series that I’ve slept on for far too long. This is one of the most productive displays you can watch on Netflix right now and I can’t describe it enough. The first season has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes. The moment, which is a completely new story that I haven’t seen yet, scores a little worse among critics, with 80%.
Along with The Terror, AMC has added other wonderful shows, adding one that’s really too awful to recommend. Check out those and other new streaming features on Netflix and other streams this week, right here.
What are you seeing those days? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Also make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Subscribe to my newsletter for more reviews and observations on entertainment and culture.
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