The Terror: Devil in Silver Review: An Intense Performance From Dan Stevens Electrifies AMC's Horror Anthology

Pepper (Dan Stevens) isn't even supposed to be a resident of the psychiatric inpatient unit of New Hyde, a New York hospital that's seen better days. A mover by profession who's trying to start a sideline teaching drums, his true passion, Pepper begins what seems like it will be an ordinary day in Queens emptying out the apartment of a recently deceased man whose daughter wants to get rid of his stuff as quickly as possible. Some people, to Pepper's astonishment, just want to make the past disappear. But as The Terror: Devil in Silver makes clear, what's come before always echoes into the present.

Pepper's day, and life, takes a sudden turn when a call from his girlfriend — who's being harassed, again, by an ex — sends him rushing to her rescue. Upon arrival, Pepper quickly finds himself fighting not just the ex but a trio of cops (Michael Aronov, Philip Ettinger, Marin Ireland) who just as quickly take him into custody. Then, seemingly out of a desire to make things easier for everyone — less paperwork for them, a quicker release for him — the trio takes Pepper to New Hyde, where he can cool off for the weekend and get out on Monday. So, yes, he's not really supposed to be a New Hyde patient, but, Pepper's told, it's better for him if he just plays along.

Except, maybe he is supposed to be there. Not long after his arrival, Dorry (Judith Light), a longtime resident, tells Pepper, "This was no accident. You were summoned." Of course, much of what Dorry says doesn't make a lot of sense, but it won't take long for subsequent events to suggest she might be on to something. Pepper is told by the unit's head, Dr. Anand (Aasif Mandvi), that he'll be treated as a "temporary admit" and be able to check out in 72 hours, as long as he complies with every directive, starting with taking a powerful sedative. But when he wakes up, Pepper finds that the 72 hours have already passed and he's been marked "non-compliant" because, deep in sleep, he's missed his meds. Making matters even worse, Pepper's roommate, Coffee (Chinaza Uche), raises the possibility that there's something evil in New Hyde, something he says "feeds on our souls." Coffee's solution, placing phone calls to the president and other powerful figures, turns out to have some drawbacks.

7.8

The Terror: Devil in Silver

at AMC+ and Shudder

Like

• The atmospheric setting and strong work from everyone in the cast

Dislike

• The narrative sometimes feels a bit opaque

Running a slim, scary six episodes, The Terror: The Devil in Silver is the third season of what's become an anthology series. The first, called simply The Terror, adapted Dan Simmons' 2007 novel of the same name, which added a supernatural threat to the real-life story of a pair of 19th century ships who become snowbound while searching for the Northwest Passage. A follow-up series, The Terror: Infamy, told an original story set against the backdrop of the U.S.'s World War II-era Japanese internment camps. Devil in Silver returns to the series' literary roots, drawing on Victor LaValle's 2012 novel of the same name. (LaValle serves as showrunner alongside Halt and Catch Fire's Chris Cantwell.) But it resembles Simmons' novel in one key way, telling a story that would be tense and upsetting even without throwing a monster into the mix.

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Though the setup might easily lend itself to a story that plays with the notion that the protagonist might be imagining things (and Pepper is prone to the occasional hallucination), a grimly funny prologue set prior to Pepper's arrival makes it clear from the start that there really is a monster, maybe even the Devil himself, stalking the halls of New Hyde. The central question then becomes why a diabolical creature might thrive in such a place.

The answer plays out via the stories of the patients who become Pepper's friends: Dorry, Coffee, and Loochie (b), a non-binary artist who begins the series as the withdrawn, hostile opposite of the outgoing Dorry. Each has wound up in New Hyde for different reasons, but each becomes subject to the same ineffectual treatment. Strained resources undo the staff's good intentions, and the doctors are either in over their heads, like Dr. Badger (Stephen Root, who's also appearing on another spooky show, Widow's Bay), who runs the unit's book club, or burned out, like Dr. Anand. It's the sort of place where life's castaways end up, a last stop before tumbling into the abyss, except in New Hyde they seem to have a force eager to finish the job by pulling them down.

That their foe seems able to take on different forms depending on its intended victim sometimes hampers Devil in Silver's effectiveness as a horror story, despite the unsettling atmosphere established in the early episodes by director Karyn Kusama (The Invitation) and maintained by others in the succeeding episodes. It's all a bit nebulous, even after later episodes reveal a specific source for New Hyde's troubles. But the series moves along briskly (including a finale that feels a little rushed) and benefits greatly from Stevens' intense performance and those of the ensemble surrounding him (which also includes CCH Pounder, Hampton Fluker, John Benjamin Hickey, and Hayward Leach). Via Dr. Badger's book club, Devil in Silver nods to several influences, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Jaws, borrowing from its inspirations but never fully committing to any as a model. It's a monster story, sure, but it's ultimately less about the hunt for that monster than it is about those doing the hunting and the bonds of friendship they form in the process of trying to find a way out of the dark place life has taken them.

Premieres: Thursday, May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder
Who's in it: Dan Stevens, Judith Light, b, Chinaza Uche
Who's behind it: Victor LaValle and Chris Cantwell
For fans of: Intense, darkly funny dramas that throw a monster in the mix
How many episodes we watched: 6 of 6