The new horror series "The Terror: Devil In Silver," starring Dan Stevens, has received a two-star rating from TV critic Christopher Stevens, who questioned the actor's career trajectory since leaving "Downton Abbey."
In his review for the Daily Mail, Stevens described the show as "dull, tasteless nonsense," awarding it a mere two stars. The series, airing on Sky Atlantic, is part of an anthology format, meaning it shares a title with a previous successful show but features a different cast, setting, and era.
"The Terror: Devil In Silver" is based on a novel by screenwriter Victor LaValle and is set in the present day, with flashbacks to the post-war era, a time when mental illness was treated with procedures like lobotomy. The series draws inspiration from films such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," particularly in its depiction of group therapy sessions within a mental asylum. Stevens' character, Pepper, is a New York refuse collector with a volatile temper who ends up imprisoned in an old-fashioned mental institution.
The review criticizes the show's narrative, noting a scene where patients are forced to attend therapy, listening to a doctor read from Moby Dick and discuss its allegorical meaning. The critic found the session "dull" until a corpse falls through the ceiling. The show's premise suggests that anyone entering the New Hyde hospital becomes trapped, including officers who commit patients due to administrative convenience. Stevens' character is reportedly imprisoned because officers are unwilling to complete the necessary paperwork after he assaults them.
The critic disputes the show's purported aim to expose the state of American psychiatric hospitals, suggesting instead that "The Terror: Devil In Silver" exploits fears surrounding mental illness. The review also points out instances of dark humor, such as a medic using a lobotomy hammer to break ice for his drink. The cast includes Michael Aronov as Huey, Philip Ettinger as Louie, Dan Stevens as Pepper, and Marin Ireland as Dewey. An actor credited solely as 'b' plays one of the inmates, Loochie. The series is presented as a six-part horror serial.