In 1845, Captain Sir John Franklin and his crew set sail from England to chart the last unmapped stretch of the Northwest Passage. 129 men entered the Arctic aboard the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror—two names that proved eerily prescient. They were never heard from again.
RELATED: Cold, Starving, and Alone: The Lost Franklin Expedition
Three years after their departure, those at home grew worried. Franklin’s wife pressured the Admiralty to investigate. A search party disembarked in 1848 to find the lost crew. They discovered the graves of three of the men, logs from the early days of the mission, but little else. It was only in 2014 and 2016 that the wrecks of the ships were finally discovered.
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The lost Franklin expedition casts a chilling spell to this day, with reports of starvation and cannibalism only adding to the true life tale. In 2007, author Dan Simmons released his historical horror novel The Terror, which reimagines the fate of the Erebus and Terror to include terrifying creatures, spooky locals, and spiritualist rites. Now, Ridley Scott and AMC are adapting the hit horror novel into what looks like a truly terrifying show.
A teaser for the show was released over the weekend. In just 20 seconds, we found ourselves thoroughly frightened—and entirely ready for the show’s premiere. You can watch the trailer below, filled with familiar faces like Ciarán Hinds, Jared Harris, and Tobias Menzes, stranded in a dark and frozen world.
The Terror will premiere on AMC on Monday, March 26.
Still from "The Terror" via AMC