The Terror returns with Devil in Silver, a new chapter set in a psychiatric hospital
The Terror, the anthology series that began in 2018 with a supernatural retelling of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated polar expedition, is back with a third season. Titled Devil in Silver, the new chapter shifts the action to New Hyde, a psychiatric hospital where, according to the show's synopsis, a malevolent presence feeds on the suffering of the patients.
Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) stars as Pepper, a man from Queens who is committed to New Hyde after a run-in with police. The Guardian, reviewing the series, notes that Pepper's arrest came after he was caught punching his girlfriend's controlling ex-boyfriend, but rather than face the paperwork, the officers deposit him at the hospital, where he is drugged and left to sleep through his own discharge. The Daily Star also reports that Pepper is wrongly confined, and the synopsis suggests that liberation will mean confronting what haunts New Hyde, though it remains ambiguous whether the most terrible demons lurk within him.
The cast includes Judith Light as Dorry, the longest-serving resident, placed there decades ago by her husband; Chinaza Uche as Kofi, a Ghanaian structural engineer; and b (the non-binary actor) as Loochie. John Benjamin Hickey plays the hospital's founder, Dr. Walter, and Hampton Fluker appears as a nurse nicknamed Scotch Tape.
A haunting with a human face
According to The Guardian, the supernatural horror in Devil in Silver is intertwined with a more grounded, systemic terror. The review describes New Hyde as a "holding pen" undermined by underfunding and understaffing, where patients are treated with neglect rather than care. The Guardian notes the show tackles themes of misogyny, patriarchy, and racial prejudice, all while telling a story that is both "diabolical" and "frightening" for its realism.
The haunting itself is centred on a locked silver door, behind which lies Arnold, a comatose man who received a lobotomy after killing a doctor. As the hospital's spirit grows stronger, the boundary between the supernatural and the everyday horrors of the institution begins to blur.
Reception and release
Devil in Silver has been met with strong reviews, with The Daily Star reporting a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Judith Light described the series as "very creepy. Totally creepy." The production, which The Daily Star notes employed a former prison for filming, is based on the 2012 novel by Victor LaValle, and unlike the first two seasons, is a purely fictional story with no basis in real events.
All six episodes of Devil in Silver are available from August 23 on Sky and streaming service NOW with an entertainment pass. For fans looking to revisit earlier seasons, the first two are still available to stream.