The Terror (Series 1) (2018 TV Series)

Category: Fictionalised historical supernatural horror

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If being stuck inside the Arctic Circle on a boat for years while being fed lead-poisoned food and no hot water for a shower isn't horror enough, imagine adding a killer bear into the mix.

And that's what you get with The Terror - based on Dan Simmons' 2007 novel of the same name, this 10-part series depicts Capt. Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to try map the Northwest Passage around the northern extremes of Canada. All is well until an unusually harsh winter cause the The Erebus and The Terror to be stuck in drift ice. No-one's going anywhere and for a while at that! 

As time goes on, the leadership of the expedition become torn between lying to the men to keep their spirits up, or to admit that waiting for rescue is futile and having to make a tough choice to abandon ship. Alongside the human drama of dwindling food supplies, cabin fever and the cruelty of the British admiralty, there is also an enormous supernatural bear-like creature killing large numbers of the men in bloody and gory fashion.

Because the series is spaced out over 10 parts, it gives the producers a lot of time to tell the numerous stories that play out - mutiny, depresssion, sickness, flashbacks, but also the efforts of those back home to fund and launch a rescue mission. Remember, this is set in the 1840s - no GPS, no satellite phones, no livestreaming. These expeditions required you to be away from home for years at a time and with no gurantee you'd return.

As a series, I was enthralled from the beginning and binged the series in 2.5 days - the pacing, the production, the feel of historical authenticity, the brilliant acting.

The only drawback I have is - and this goes for almost every show with an ensemble cast and many moving parts - some of the characters can kinda blend in with each other to the point of confusion - there were a couple of times when I thought "Hold on - didn't that guy die in a previous scene?" when it turns out it was a different guy I was thinking about, but looked the same.

And the other drawback is that for those who require an explanation of some of the language and culture and backstory, there isn't that much of a fanbase that can expertly answer those questions.

FINAL RATING: 4.75/5 stars.