Review: The Terror
Last weekend I binge-watched AMC’s ten part horror mini-series ‘The Terror’ (Dec 2018). A hauntingly tragic tale inspired by Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated 19th century Arctic expedition. The show is a slow-burner whose ominous mood gradually scales the ladder from frustration to despair to hellish chaos. Simply put; I was blown away and I offer you some spoiler-free thoughts.
‘The Terror’ is based upon Dan Simmons’ 2007 fictional interpretation of the same name. I haven’t read the novel, but I was previously familiar with the original mystery.
On the 19th of May, 1845 two Royal Navy ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, set sail from Greenhithe, England in an attempt to make the first crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage. The mission would take the ships into one of the most hostile environments of the Northern hemisphere, the partially charted wastes of the high Canadian Arctic.
Above: Summer sea ice surrounds HMS Erubus and HMS Terror
In command of the expedition was 59 year old Rear Admiral John Franklin on the flagship Erebus and Captain Francis Crozier in charge of the Terror. With a combined roster of officers and crew totaling 129 souls and amply stocked with supplies to last at least 3 years, the two ships sailed west from Disko Bay, Greenland on the 26th of July, 1845. That was the last time the ships or crew were seen by Western eyes. The events that followed remain unknown.
Above: Late Arctic sun, time is running out
Spilt into ten parts, ‘The Terror’ features some extraordinarily beautiful and otherworldly cinematography. All the more noteworthy given that much of the filming was done purely on a Hungarian soundstage.
The heavy use of CGI backdrops is seamless for the most part, with some truely wonderful set pieces such as a dream-like diving suit sequence as seen below.
Above: An officer is lowered below to inspect damage to the Erebus
Above: Tobias Menzies stars as the upper class Commander James Fitzjames
As I’ve come to expect from a Ridley Scott production (Executive Producer) the historically accurate set and costume design is exquisite. I particularly loved the variety of polar parkas and cloaks that adorn the crew. Also, a nod to the lighting work. Interior shots feel cramped and claustrophobic, as life aboard ship must have been. Outdoor sets are bathed by portentous Aurora Borealis.
All of this eye candy is underpinned by a superb script that’s slowly cranks the dread before gear-shifting into some excruitiatiatingly intense and occasionally surreal screenplay. The sense of doom is palpable.
Of course none of this would be possible without a cast of extremely capable actors – and boy! – does ‘The Terror’ hit the mark here. Standout performances come from familiar faces Jared Harris (Captain Crozier) and Tobias Menzies (Commander James Fitzjames) with a superb support from the likes of Adam Nagaitis (Cornelius Hickey) and Paul Ready (Dr. Harry Goodsir).
To be honest, I can’t recommend ‘The Terror’ highly enough. However, it’s certainly not for the faint of heart with many distressing scenes as the expedition spectacularly unravels. The only mild negative is the slow pacing in the early episodes (though thats quickly forgotten). And, if you want to really nitpick, some budgetary constrains occasionally peek through.
Above: The deck of the Terror, deep in fog
‘The Terror’ has been well received critically and compared to John Carpenters’ ‘The Thing’ and even Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’. Certainly, if you’re a fan of either classic film chances are good that you’ll enjoy this. Unlike it’s worthy movie antecedents, ‘The Terror’ is not a monster movie per se, the true horrors often occur off-screen leaving it to your unwilling imagination to fester upon them.
A remarkable, if harrowing, work of art.
**
The Terror is available via Amazon Prime, see the Teaser trailer below.