AMC’s “The Terror” promises history packed with horror
Here be a tale of frozen wastes, sailing ships and Arctic monsters. AMC’s upcoming series The Terror promises thrills, chills, and a stylized take on a true historical event. The first episode premieres on Monday, March 26th at 8:00 p.m. CST. There are 10 episodes total. Here’s the official trailer:
AMC’s website for The Terror offers this synopsis:
"Inspired by a true story, The Terror centers on the British Royal Navy’s perilous voyage into uncharted territory as the crew attempts to discover the Northwest Passage. Faced with treacherous conditions, limited resources, dwindling hope and fear of the unknown, the crew is pushed to the brink of extinction. Frozen, isolated and stuck at the end of the earth, The Terror highlights all that can go wrong when a group of men, desperate to survive, struggle not only with the elements, but with each other."
Game of Thrones alumni are well represented in The Terror. Ciaran Hinds (Mance Rayder) stars as Captain John Franklin alongside Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully) as Captain James Fitzjames. Hinds and Menzies also worked together on HBO’s series Rome. Other notables include Jared Harris (The Expanse) as Francis Crozier and Christos Lawton (Downton Abbey) as George Hodgson. Hollywood Director Ridley Scott’s (Alien, Blade Runner) Scott Free Productions is one of the film companies involved.
IMDb’s description adds more meat, and is more clear about the horror aspect:
"Set in 1847. A crew of a Royal Naval expedition is sent to find the Arctic’s treacherous Northwest Passage but instead discovers a monstrous predator, a cunning and vicious Gothic horror that stalks the ships in a desperate game of survival, the consequences of which could endanger the region and its native people forever. (Written by AMC)"
The Terror is based on the true story of the doomed Franklin expedition, which left England in 1845 with two ships: the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, the latter of which is a terrible name for a ship. Why tempt fate like that?
Anyway, Sir John Franklin’s goal was to navigate the dangerous Arctic Ocean and find the fabled Northwest Passage. The expedition became locked in the ice and both ships vanished along with all 129 members of both crews. Franklin was a famous explorer of his time, and his disappearance captured the British public imagination, generating many theories regarding what happened to the man and his expedition.
Search missions seeking answers were first launched in 1848 and have continued right up until today. Many clues and pieces of evidence have been found, but the specifics of what exactly happened shall forever remain shrouded in mystery, which is why it makes such a fine springboard for a fantastical show like The Terror.
Watching the trailer, I can’t help but be reminded of John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). We’ll be taking a closer look at this series here at Winter is Coming, so we hope you’ll watch along with us as we all wait for Game of Thrones season 8!
Next: Season 8 filming: Blood and body parts at Winterfell
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