‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ Review: Dan Stevens Battles the Horrors of American Healthcare

Chris Cantwell and Victor LaValle adapt the latter's book into a six-part series about a dilapidated psychiatric hospital where a new patient has to face down his demons — and perhaps one from the Bible, as well.

“The Terror: Devil in Silver” isn’t subtle with its message. When a mattress in New Hyde Hospital’s psychiatric unit ends up covered in blood, the staff simply turns it over and says, “That’s all we can afford these days.” At breakfast, a patient served terrible oatmeal (and in such small portions) quips, without much exaggeration, “There’s more nutrition in this spoon than the food.” A disgruntled cop — who’s been dumping troublemakers at New Hyde for years, as a “preferable” alternative to an actual jail — finally sees how the administration treats people and shouts, “Am I stupid? We’re supposed to be helping people. You all are just helping yourselves.”

It’s no secret America is facing a mental health care crisis, nor that inpatient care is increasingly underfunded and hard to find. “Devil in Silver’s” frank approach to highlighting the plethora of problems facing modern psychiatric services is as admirable as it is unsettling. Early on, their dedication to giving voice to the voiceless also threatens to upend the fictional horror story co-showrunners Chris Cantwell and Victor LaValle (the latter of whom wrote the book, “Devil in Silver,” on which the new series is based) shape around their social-message series.

But over six smart, gnarly episodes, the well-captured characters and their supernatural plights prove almost as gripping — and frightening — as the reality they’re laying bare, marking “Devil in Silver” another bright, if not sterling, chapter in “The Terror‘s” makeshift anthology.

Pepper (Dan Stevens) just wanted to protect his girlfriend and her kid. After a long day moving a dead man’s belongings out of his already-on-the-market residence, the metalhead ex-drummer gets a panicked phone call from Marisol (Juani Feliz) and arrives at her apartment with fuel burning through his veins. Unfortunately, his nearly necessitated fisticuffs aren’t exclusive to Marisol’s controlling ex-boyfriend, and Pepper’s reactionary blows catch a few grabby cops.

Rather than take him into custody (so much paperwork), the trio of lawmen take him to New Hyde Hospital’s Northwest wing, a dilapidated psychiatric ward with a dark, dingy entrance so unwelcoming it almost disappears into itself — much like the people trapped within. Dorry (Judith Light), one of New Hyde’s senior residents, says her husband checked her in for incessant sobbing fits — except, she doesn’t remember it that way. Similarly out of place is Pepper’s roommate, Coffee (Chinaza Uche), a structural engineer in Ghana who now obsesses over collecting quarters to call various government representatives in the hope they’ll send help to New Hyde. Loochie (b) isn’t exactly a model citizen, but she, too, seems like she’d function just fine in the real world.

If, that is, the system wasn’t rigged against her. On Pepper’s first day in the ward, Miss Chris (CCH Pounder) explains that so long as he complies with the rules, he’ll be released in 72 hours. He just needs to take his meds three times a day and not cause any trouble. Sounds simple, right? It’s supposed to. The simplicity gives the administration a clear, unbreakable explanation for keeping people in the hospital: If there’s a missing check, they’re noncompliant. If they’re noncompliant, they need more treatment. If they need more treatment, they have to stay — and if they miss a dose (even if they sleep through it) or cause trouble (even if they didn’t start it), that’s enough for an indefinite hold.

Which, of course, is good for the hospital. Their funding depends on patients to treat, even if it’s never enough funding to properly treat them, which brings us to our other suffering parties: the staff. “Devil in Silver’s” sympathies aren’t limited to the patients.

Miss Chris is a God-fearing woman dedicated to serving people who need her more than anyone else (even her family). One nurse goes by Scotch Tape (Hampton Fluker) because without his cheap patchwork of utilities, the whole place would fall apart. Josephine (Maureen Sebastian), a recent hire, sees her supportive inclinations stripped away by inordinate penalties for minor mistakes, persistent cynicism from her colleagues, and the innate sadness of taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves.

While often Pepper’s adversaries, these folks aren’t evil. They’re beaten down by the same structural fractures that inhibit the patients. Even the unit’s leader, Dr. Anand (Aasif Mandvi) — who works with the cops to commit people without due process and works the system to keep them there as long as possible — is poisoned only by his role in middle-management. He’s been tasked with doing whatever it takes to keep the doors open (so to speak), and he’s developed his own crooked paths to viability.

By now, dear reader, you may be wondering, “So who’s the devil?” and the answer is, “the American healthcare system, institutional accountability, and basic human empathy.” But you probably meant, “Who’s the literal devil?” since “Devil in Silver” does feature a horned, towering, red-skinned interpretation of evil incarnate.

A mysterious figure who moves through the ceiling, or maybe the walls, or perhaps only in patients’ heads, this devil likes to kick the crap out of Pepper, threaten his new friends, and confound the staff, who thinks the residents’ rants are of the standard “out of their mind” fare. Soon, Pepper is torn between saving himself by fleeing the ward or sticking around to protect his fellow patients from its insidious force.

But despite the bloody devastation the Devil leaves in his wake (and John Benjamin Hickey’s zombified, extra-creepy embodiment), he’s never as scary as all those jump-scares desire. “Devil in Silver” feels more like a drama series saddled with a horror subplot than a horror show filled with human drama, and while there’s nothing wrong with the former — Pepper’s internal journey grows in complexity as the short series rolls along, and the fantastic supporting cast deepens every character just enough to move you (I haven’t even mentioned Stephen Root, Marin Ireland, and Robert Sean Leonard!) — it’s still too easy to interpret the terrors of “The Terror” figuratively, and that’s the kiss of death for a show with this subtitle. (Lest we forget, the perfect first season was fucking chilling.)

Therein, perhaps, lies the strongest aspect of “Devil in Silver.” Midway through, when Pepper is planning his escape, he tells one of hell’s lifers, “Once I’m out, I can get real help.” She replies, “Oh, is that what you’re going to do?” A similar question is posed to the audience, except it’s not rhetorical.

Psychiatric hospitals aren’t exactly inviting. No one wants to be there, and merely thinking about them invites a level of discomfort that’s hard to sit with. But inattention is exactly how these institutions fall into disrepair and their patients fall through the cracks. By crafting memorably nasty scenes of bleeding eyes, broken limbs, and shredded abs (not the kind you get from the gym), LaValle and Cantwell make sure their story leaves an impression — while knowing their message can’t be missed.

Grade: B

“The Terror: Devil in Silver” premieres Thursday, May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder. New episodes will be released weekly.