Anthology horror, especially the vehicles that tell one story across a season of television, has the freedom to explore such creative territory. The Terror is a bit of a horror anthology anomaly that doesn’t always get its due, despite having a flawless record for disturbing, disruptive horror that cuts to the core of the human condition.
The oppressive and abusive nature of psychiatric hospitals is well-trodden territory for the horror genre. The Terror: The Devil in Silver, based on Victor LaValle’s novel, fearlessly embraces the invasive horrors of these psychiatric institutions in order to tell an unnerving new story that depicts a very visceral, timely side of terror that, in some respects, is the most disturbing of the anthology series’ three seasons. The Terror, in all its supernatural scares and traumatic trickery, has never been more back.
In the series’ third season, Pepper (Dan Stevens), a struggling musician with financial troubles and a short temper, finds his anger getting the better of him. Pepper is sent to New Hyde Hospital, a questionable and seemingly forgotten mental health facility, for 72 hours. What begins as a perfunctory hold becomes something considerably more concerning.
The Terror intentionally keeps Pepper’s character at a bit of an arm’s length distance, and not much of him is seen before his admission at New Hyde. Nevertheless, there’s enough of Pepper provided to still get a solid sense of who he is and what matters to him before he’s swallowed whole. Pepper’s chivalrous instincts kick in, and he tries to liberate his fellow New Hyde peers as he gets to the bottom of what’s going on.
Meanwhile, The Terror plays with the idea of whether there’s actually a malevolent presence here that’s feeding off of the patients’ plight and pain, or if it’s just a symptom of this rampant abuse and mass delusion. This schism occasionally grows a little tired, but The Terror makes sure to always be moving forward.
Devil in Silver has a lot to say about fate and the idea of being “summoned” to serve a bigger purpose. Each season of The Terror has also explored unique cultural cryptids and urban legends. It finds the space for “duppies,” lingering ghosts or spirits – primarily from African and Caribbean folklore – that cause mischief before they move on. It’s a surprising piece of mythology that naturally fits Pepper’s predicament at New Hyde.
It should come as no surprise that the season excels with its raw depictions of paranoia, delusion, and appropriately enough, terror through creative, claustrophobic camerawork that reflects how trapped and powerless Pepper is in this sick experience. Devil in Silver is rich in inexplicable sights and sounds that are meant to get under the characters – and the audience’s – skin.
The horror and psychological thriller genres are used to extrapolate upon these subliminal terrors, but Devil in Silver preys upon the natural fears and insecurities of a psychiatric hospital so that these ideas are infinitely amplified. Some of the season’s strongest moments involve disturbing mental breaks that aren’t at all telegraphed. They’re inspired, intuitive sequences that never just feel like empty jump scares. You’re left to stew in the mental fallout.
The season is filled with genuinely haunting imagery that features what’s easily some of the most disturbing visuals from Karyn Kusama’s career, which is saying something. There are moments that play out like Kusama’s take on a Mike Flanagan project. Even the recurring visual of the hospital’s red guiding navigation line operates like a twisted Yellow Brick Road that leads to damnation.
As Pepper spends more time with New Hyde’s lifers, The Terror gets into the abject pain of loneliness, abandonment, and misunderstanding, either by people, society at large, or yourself. Pepper finds himself up against something that’s so impossibly bigger than a corrupt hospital staff. However, this season still gets endless mileage out of the sheer terror of being held somewhere against your will, experimented on, and being forced to change. It’s so deeply unsettling, especially in a modern context where this dehumanizing treatment is meant to be treated as a kindness, but is really just hierarchical bookkeeping by a sad, power-hungry staff. It’s no coincidence that Devil in Silver begins with a vicious tableau of pain in which bones are broken as an act of compassion and benevolence for the greater good.
Pepper remains Devil in Silver’s guiding light. However, it’s appreciated that this season makes space for other people’s perspectives and occasionally gets out of Pepper’s head, so it’s not purely filtered through his unreliable POV. These become welcome opportunities to demonstrate intent and highlight that these people aren’t necessarily evil, just burnt out and scared about losing their jobs, which in some ways is even worse. “We’re supposed to be helping people. You’re all just helping yourselves,” becomes a nihilistic accusation that echoes through New Hyde’s walls as the season continues.
The Terror’s ideas are gripping, but it sometimes gets a little too lost in the purgatory allegory that it repeatedly pushes. Pepper is trapped in a real hospital that also functions as a karmic purgatory of sorts as he confronts his past and discovers a grounding purpose to pull him through to the other side. The message remains moving, and Stevens’ performance never falters, even if it does sometimes get a little too lost in itself.
At the same time, Devil in Silver is also self-aware enough to criticize other mental health narratives that dabble in comparable territory like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The Terror is at least aware of any naval gazing that it may occasionally indulge in. It also doesn’t hurt that the supporting cast really brings these roles to life. Judith Light, in particular, gives an Emmy-caliber performance.
The Terror’s deconstruction of New Hyde also turns into a larger commentary on how this hospital is really just a microcosm for America. Everyone covers their ass and moves the problem somewhere else, while the true allies and enemies hide in plain sight. There’s a powerful, if not occasionally heavy-handed, message here that reinforces why this story isn’t just being told, but being told now, seven years after The Terror’s second season. The Terror argues that this story is bigger than New Hyde alone and that maybe America has experienced so many terrible and selfish acts because its people invited evil in.
At six episodes, The Terror: Devil in Silver is the perfect length before it starts to grow repetitive, spin its wheels, and run out of steam. The season does fall into a bit of a formula where problems continue to plague Pepper, even when they’re not his fault, which prompts a longer stay at New Hyde and a deeper descent into its suffocating maw. Fortunately, The Terror builds to a rewarding finish before it needs to start repeating itself.
There are a few convenient turns of fate in The Terror’s final episode. However, the audience is left with an overwhelming appreciation for the healing power of community, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness, whether it’s for others or ourselves. The Terror: Devil in Silver beautifully articulates the melancholy tenet that everyone has their demons, but some are just more debilitating than others.
The Terror: Devil in Silver premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder.
