Set sail for horror in ‘The Terror’
If you loved “Chernobyl,” AMC series is for you.
It was hard to look away from “Chernobyl.”
HBO’s five-part miniseries dramatizing the events before and after the 1980s Soviet nuclear disaster is as riveting as it is horrifying, a depiction of tragedy in all its saddening and angering forms. The series has been something of a surprise hit for the network, slowly filtering into the zeitgeist (even inspiring tourism), because of its devastating subject matter, as well as stunning writing and performances.
Still, “Chernobyl” was just five episodes, and likely won’t return for a surprise second season like some HBO shows (see: “Big Little Lies”). So if you’re looking for a series to switch to next, we suggest AMC’s historical horror anthology series, “The Terror.”
Although“Chernobyl” is based on real-life events and takes place in the USSR and “The Terror” is a slightly mystical imagining of what might have happened in the 1800s Arctic, the two series have a surprising number of thematic similarities.
Both are immersive historic stories, have roots in horror, a stellar British cast and are anchored by a great performance by Jared Harris. He even shouts at his superiors in both.
“Terror,” based on the Dan Simmons novel, is a fictionalized account of two lost British Naval ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which went on an expedition to the Arctic looking for the nonexistent Northwest Passage to China and India.
The ships were never found, and the series offers an alternate, and far more monstrous, take on what could have happened. (A second season of “Terror,” set in Japanese internment camps in World War II and starring George Takei, is due in August on AMC.)
“Terror” starts when the ships, heading into uncharted waters, are stuck in the ice and those aboard have to survive in their immobile vessels for months on end, while being stalked by a mysterious creature who can tear men in half.
In addition to Harris, who plays second-in-command Francis Crozier, “Terror” features Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder in “Game of Thrones”) and Tobias Menzies (“Outlander”).
While they are stalked by a monster they can’t quite describe or understand,
the men also are plagued by disease, freezing temperatures and each other’s growing distrust, trying to retain hope
as the situation becomes ever more hopeless.
Even if you’re not a horror fan, you’ll likely still enjoy “Terror” (just look away during the gory bits), for its strong character work and impressive historical detail.
Every costume, hairstyle and meal is impeccably re-created. The claustrophobic nature of the two ships heightens the tension and the terror, as the men try to fight back against an environment that, in every way, wants them dead.
“Chernobyl” seeks to add context to a tragedy that’s been obscured in history, sometimes willfully. “Terror” looks to offer an account for a loss never explained.
One may be more fantastical than the other, but both make their stories accessible. And both series are more than a little misanthropic in their views of humanity.
Perhaps after watching a series as somber as “Chernobyl” you might want to turn your attention to a comedy (there are many good ones to choose from this year), but despite how dour it is, “Chernobyl” is the kind of series that makes you want more.
And “The Terror” might offer just that.