The First Season Of Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Anthology Is A Lovecraftian Masterpiece

Ridley Scott works as an executive producer on a science-fiction and horror anthology series with a debut season that is a Lovecraftian masterpiece. Lovecraft is a difficult genre to get on the TV screen, or the film screen for that matter. As influential as the horror author is, few of his stories have been adapted into shows.

One of the few people who have been able to capture the horrifying illogic of Lovecraft’s universe is Ridley Scott. Beginning with Alien and continuing into Blade Runner, Hannibal, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and Raised by Wolves, Scott has consistently shown his ability to depict the violence and horror found in the cosmos and deep within the recesses of people’s minds.

Though he hasn’t worked in television to the same degree as he has in film, Scott’s career is such that his fingerprints can still be found in the medium. One of his smaller, though still notable, contributions comes in The Terror, an AMC horror anthology series that premiered in 2018 and is still ongoing.

The series began as an adaptation of Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel, but each subsequent season has been its own story. Season 2, Infamy, is set in California during World War II, and season 3, Devil in Silver, takes place in a psychiatric hospital. Each season of the show centers on a group of people confronting some monstrous creature, often from forgotten folklore.

Season 1 of The Terror takes place in the Arctic Circle in 1850, and is the most Lovecraftian of all the seasons, and perhaps one of the most Lovecraftian seasons of any TV show ever. The story centers on the crews of the HMS Erebus and Terror, who have been tasked with finding the fabled Northwest Passage.

The Terror Season 1 Is One Of The Best Lovecraft TV Shows Ever

Cold is a common antagonist in many Lovecraft stories. The icy, wet, and dark places of the world are home to many of the mind-destroying creatures in his pantheon. One of his most famous stories, At the Mountains of Madness, is set around an expedition to Antarctica, for example.

The Terror season 1 has a very similar setting to At the Mountains of Madness. The English crews who set out to find the Northwest Passage find themselves stuck in the Arctic ice, surrounded by endless white and cold. Out of that nothingness comes the Tuunbaq, a creature from Inuit myth.

This polar bear-like beast is attracted to the crew with an unnatural intensity and fixation. Season 1 has all the mystery and unknowable evil of the Lovecraft mythos. As the men confront this terrifying and unstoppable beast, they become beasts themselves, pointing fingers and desperately trying to save themselves, even at the expense of the others.

Why The Terror Should Embrace Lovecraftian Horror Again For Season 4

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While more mythical creatures appear in the later seasons of The Terror, neither season 1 nor 2 captures the Lovecraftian element of the first season. Season 4, which does not have a release date, would do well to return to that style of horror. It suits the tone and style of the show well.

This Lovecraftian bent makes The Terror unique among horror shows. If season 4 returns to its Lovecraft roots, The Terror could separate itself further from an already filled pack of horror TV shows. There are plenty of places to explore in Lovecraft’s world, and an anthology with the ability to kill off an entire cast is the perfect place for these kinds of stories.

Release Date

2018 – 2026-00-00

Network

AMC, Shudder, AMC+

Showrunner

David Kajganich, Soo Hugh, Christopher Cantwell

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  Ciarán Hinds

  Sir John Franklin