One of the most underrated horror anthology shows is back and already set a new Rotten Tomatoes record.
Executive produced by Ridley Scott, The Terror has jumped between creative teams, casts and topics, beginning with an adaptation of Dan Simmons’ eponymous survival novel before shifting to an original story in season 2. Season 3 serves as an adaptation of Victor LaValle’s The Devil in Silver, centering on a man wrongfully committed to a decrepit psychiatric hospital who comes to discover a dark entity may be feeding on the patients.
Ahead of its May 7 premiere, reviews have begun rolling out for the series, netting The Terror season 3 a debut Rotten Tomatoes score. With seven reviews calculated at the time of writing, the horror show has landed a 100% approval rating on the review aggregate, setting a new record for the Ridley Scott-produced horror series.
LaValle is co-leading the creative team for The Terror season 3 with Halt and Catch Fire alum Chris Cantwell, with the pair serving as co-creators and co-showrunners for The Devil in Silver. They’ve assembled a star-studded roster for the latest chapter in the anthology horror series, with Legion‘s Dan Stevens leading as the wrongfully-committed Pepper alongside CCH Pounder, Judith Light, Aasif Mandvi and Chinaza Uche, among others.
Season 3 netting a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes continues the show’s success rate with critics on the platform. The Terror season 1 has held a stellar 94% “Certified Fresh” rating from critics since its 2018 debut, while season 2, subtitled Infamy, held a similarly strong 80% “Certified Fresh” score.
With a few days until the show’s premiere, there are now a couple points of curiosity as to what the perfect Rotten Tomatoes debut will mean for The Terror. For starters, previous seasons have averaged around a minimum of 50 reviews tallied, leaving season 3 on the lower end of reviews factoring into its current score. As more reviews roll in, there is a possibility the show’s score could see a bit of a dip from its record-setting debut.
10 Creepy TV Shows To Watch If You Loved The Terror
The historical fantasy horror series The Terror blends these genres for fantastic results, leaving viewers hoping for more similar TV series.
The other point of interest is how audiences will respond to The Terror: The Devil in Silver. When it comes to the horror genre, it’s certainly become rarer for critics and audiences to completely agree on the quality of a project, with huge divides often seen on Rotten Tomatoes between both scores. The Terror itself is no stranger to such a split, as while season 2 was well-received by critics, audiences were a little more mixed on the affair with just a 60% approval rating.
Looking at the reviews themselves, critics do generally seem to be in agreement with one another about The Terror: The Devil in Silver, describing it as “disquieting,” “disturbing” and respecting its commentary on the psychiatric hospital industry. If further reviews continue to land in the range of 6–8 stars out of 10, the show could very well maintain its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and create further buzz about its return after a seven-year hiatus.
The Terror: The Devil in Silver premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder, with new episodes airing Thursdays.
