Horror fans say they can’t stop watching British ‘masterpiece’ based on true story

Fans of the horror genre are raving about a British television series, based on a true story, calling it a “bone-chilling masterpiece.”

If you're craving something that blends drama with gut-wrenching suspense, The Terror could just be your next obsession. This British limited series, which is available to stream for free on ITVX has been hailed as a “bone-chilling masterpiece” and “one of the best limited series of all time.”

Set in the 1840s and based on a true story, The Terror follows a doomed British naval expedition that set out to conquer the Arctic and then completely vanished. The ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, never returned, but it’s not known what happened to them and their crew. The show explores what might have gone down with the 129 men aboard, including starvation, madness, cannibalism, and an unforgiving frozen wasteland that seemed to swallow them whole.

Adapted from Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel and brought to life with the backing of Alien and Black Hawk Down director Ridley Scott, the show fuses historical detail with creeping supernatural horror. From the eerie opening scene, you're pulled into an icy nightmare where the real monster might not be the thing out in the snow.

Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds, and Adam Nagaitis all star in the series and deliver performances that are intense, layered, and unforgettable. Critics and viewers have stopped singing the show’s praises since it was first released back in 2018, and with its new home on ITVX, where you can watch it for free, the positive reviews keep coming in. It holds an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.9/10 on IMDb, with fans calling it “essential viewing.”

One Reddit user described it as: “So much more than horror. Utterly enthralling. A few dozen rough-looking men with bad dental hygiene trapped in a bleak, colourless landscape… and yet I couldn’t stop watching.”

Another social media user wrote: “I love horror TV, but this is so much more. I don't think most people realize how utterly enthralling a show about a few dozen rough, grungy-looking men with bad dental hygiene, trapped in a bleak, colourless landscape for years can be.”

A third person agreed, adding: “Season 1 assembled the most impressive calibre of British acting in a series that I've ever seen.” And a fourth user replied: “It is a masterpiece - up there with some of the best television ever made IMO. And I didn't even like the idea of the monster at first, but in the end I understood its importance to the ultimate meaning of the story.”