The Terror gets a second season (and its concept pulls no punches)

The Terror isn’t done scaring us yet. AMC confirmed the show’s return for a second season, with a new cast, new creators, and a new World War II setting.

Set for release in 2019, The Terror’s second season will be co-created by Alexander Woo and Max Borenstein. Soo Hugh and David Kajganich absolutely knocked it out of the park in season one, and it’s a shame to see them go; but at the same time having new creative helmsmen means season two can distinguish itself as something wholly different from its predecessor (but still, hopefully, just as good).

The network revealed that the plot of season two will focus on “on an uncanny specter that menaces a Japanese-American community from its home in Southern California to the internment camps to the war in the Pacific.”

Personally, I’m glad they decided to keep it a period piece. The costumes and set design were part of what made The Terror’s first season so delicious just to look at. And setting a story with a supernatural element in a historical time period can actually help with suspension of disbelief; the sense of strangeness and unfamiliarity in the setting is echoed in the horror.

The first season leaves an intimidating legacy to live up to. It was smart, terrifying, and stylish, with fantastic characters and a plot as intricate as the inside of a pocket watch. But season 2 already looks promising for one important reason: it promises to address America’s internment of Japanese citizens.

The parallels to current events are impossible to ignore. This choice in subject suggests the creators are still invested in exploring the sociopolitical issues behind the horror story.  At its heart season 1 of The Terror was more about tragedy than fear (though granted, it was still absolutely blood-chilling); with season 2 set during one of the most appalling chapters in American history, it seems inevitable that the narrative will once again blend supernatural terror with real events.

“We hope to convey the abject terror of the historical experience in a way that feels modern and relevant to the present moment,” producer Alexander Woo stated. A promising assertion, given how relevant a story set during the rise of fascism, xenophobia, and the forcible internment of innocent people could potentially be.

There’s a lot that I would like to see from season 2. But first and foremost, I don’t want it to pull any punches on the parallels between facing the atrocity that was the Japanese internment camps and drawing direct parallels to current events. I hope the second season takes the previous exploration of racism and imperialism in the 1800s and turns the dial to eleven. With historical events both closer in time and immediate relevance to the modern day, some underpinnings of righteous fury would not be out of place.

And on the level of sheer style, there’s a fantastic legacy of Japanese horror to potentially draw from; not just in the mythology, but in the rich canon of Japanese horror films. I would love to see the second season draw from the unique style and themes of J-horror, especially in the context of a World War II setting. There’s such a fascinating cross-section to be taken from that time period with the addition of a supernatural element. I for one cannot wait to see what they do with it.

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So here’s hoping for a second season of a phenomenal show that will be even more terrifying, tragic, and relevant than the last.