Dan Stevens, Judith Light, CCH Pounder, and more star in season 3 of the horror anthology The Terror: Devil in Silver.
Key Points
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The six-episode limited series — set in a psychiatric hospital —was filmed at the decommissioned Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island, N.Y.
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The Terror: Devil in Silver premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder.
FromGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireto the vampire filmAbigail,Dan Stevenshas appeared in his fair share of monster movies. So, which of these tales led to him landing the lead role of Pepper onThe Terror: Devil in Silver, the third season of the anthology horror series (which premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder)? None of them!
The British actor got the thumbs-up fromAliendirectorRidley Scott— whose company Scott Free producesThe Terror— because of his hilarious turn as Russian singer Alexander Lemtov in the 2020 comedyEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
"I was chatting to [executives at] Scott Free about Ridley Scott and they said, 'Oh, Ridley's a huge fan,'" Stevens tellsEntertainment Weekly. "I was like, 'Oh that’s a great honor, I wonder what he's seen.' They said, 'Eurovision. He won't shut up about it. He couldn't have been more excited that we were approaching Alexander Lemlov for this role.'"
But Stevens isn't going for laughs with hisThe Terror:Devil in Silvercharacter Pepper, an impulsive drummer turned moving man from Queens, N.Y.
"He's not an innocent," says the actor. "He's coming with baggage, he's coming with history, and there are issues, let's say, that are unaddressed."
In the first episode, Stevens' Pepper finds himself incarcerated at the fictional New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital after he gets into a fight with three cops. The actor notes that Pepper is "committed to this institution not because he is mentally ill, but because it's cheaper and easier for the police than processing [him] through the criminal system."
New Hyde turns out to be a grim, under-resourced establishment where, as Pepper swiftly discovers, inmates are terrorized by a mysterious, malevolent force.
"There is this creature, this devil, roaming the wards," explains Stevens. "The show is literalizing the violence. But it's also asking, well, what's more monstrous? Is it the creature? Or is it the system that traps these vulnerable people and looks the other way?"
While the two previous seasons ofThe Terrorwere set in the distant past — the first took viewers back to the 19th century while season 2 was a World War II tale — Stevens describes this new story as "relatively contemporary," although the exact year is never specified.
"It's an intriguing anthology series because each season is so very different,” he says.
It doesn't hurt thatThe Terror: Devil in Silverboasts a scarily talented supporting cast as well.Aasif Mandvi,CCH Pounder,and Stephen Root all play hospital workers whileJudith Lightportrays a patient who has been imprisoned at New Hyde for decades.
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"Judith's character represents the history of this kind of institutionalization and how it got to where we are today," says Stevens. The actor adds that "her performance is so carefully constructed in terms of how it lures you in. She's not just a crazy old lady, there's something really heartbreaking going on there."
The show's behind-the-scenes team is also terrifyingly qualified. Victor LaValle, author of the original 2012Devil in Silvernovel, acted as the season's showrunner alongsideHalt and Catch Fireco-creator Chris Cantwell. Meanwhile, the first two episodes were directed by Karyn Kusama, whose horror credits include the filmsJennifer's BodyandThe Invitation.
Stevens hails Kusama as "one of the great horror directors of our age. We've talked about things over the years and we were just so excited that she wanted to come and play on this."
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The series was shot at Staten Island's ominously named — though now decommissioned — Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, which previously hosted the showsOrange Is the New BlackandDaredevil. Stevens recalls working in the "haunting corridors and rooms of this abandoned institution, it was a pretty strange place to spend a few months."
To make things even spookier, the production encountered members of the animal species most associated with demonic goings-on.
"I think there's some sort of farm, there were goats wandering around outside!" Stevens reveals.
The Terror: Devil in Silveris not Stevens’ first rodeo when it comes to playing a patient at a mental health facility, as fans of his starring role on the FX seriesLegionknow. The actor admits there are "definitely some parallels" between the two shows and that "institutions lend themselves to horror quite naturally."
He adds, "I wouldn't wanteveryjob of mine to be in a former prison or whatever, but it's a natural framework for great characters and horrific happenings."
Watch the trailer forThe Terror: Devil in Silverbelow, and catch the series premiere Thursday, May 7, on AMC+ and Shudder.
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